About a month or so ago I posted a thread about crackling problems with my TI (when using Virus Control). I received very few responses, which I took to indicate that other users do not have the same types of problems.
However, I did some digging around the internet and found plenty of posts on other forums about the TI and crackling. In the meantime a couple of users on this board have also started threads about crackling issues.
At first, I suspected that the problem may be related to Windows 7 because I have had my Virus since 06 and not experienced crackling like this until recently. I also tried rolling back the drivers to OS 3 point-something, messing with buffers, bought a new usb card all to no avail.
I sent a patch to Access support along with an Ableton project file to see if my issues were reproducible. I would like to note that the patch that I sent utilizes many of the Virus' features that drain resources, and I selected this patch specifically because the crackling was totally reproducible. HOWEVER, it is essential to note that I have issues with MANY of the TI's presets sometimes relating to polyphony and other times (seemingly) not.
Jorg from Access music tested the Live set on a Mac and in Cubase and indeed confirmed crackling which he related to voice stealing. He also confirmed that there was no crackling when using the TI through traditional midi/audio outs with no Virus Control.
At this point, my Virus is largely unusable. I simply cannot get single patches into audio without crackling. Again, I am not simply talking about my hog of a patch, but many of the presets that used to be useable. I told Jorg as much and he replied:
ZitatI forwarded both your Ableton Live session as well as your report in general to our R&D department. I'm sorry to say but things like that simply will take time to investigate and to address. I ask for your understanding.
First our engineers need to find out what is causing this exactly and then they can try to address this.
I cannot offer you a solution for this at this point other than you trying to keep the amount of voices low if possible.
Well, as much as I appreciate Jorg's sympathetic tone (which I take to be sincere), keeping the voices "low" is not a viable solution because the crackling comes on single low bar, low polyphony patches. I often can't use a unison of 2 or the analog filter (with no effects) without glitching.
I do not think I have been offered a workable solution in keeping the voice count "low" and as far as I am concerned Virus Control is defective (at least for some users that fall within the recommended specs guidelines).
This is also compounded by the fact that Jorg has confirmed that Virus Control crashes Ableton in Windows 7.
So, what's going on? Access has confirmed reproducible glitching in Virus Control where there is none in stand alone.
So I ask again: Are other users having a problem with crackling audio. Please chime in, because if enough users are experiencing this, perhaps it will get fixed sooner...