JABB Sample Quality?

[Bob Shuster]

Just got JABB 3 with the ARIA player, and I'm finding some noisy sounds - very surprising. I haven't gone through them all, but in particular:

Trombone 1 Open (listen to middle C)
Trombone 5 Open

Also, the levels seem to be very inconsistent between instruments. This is either as a plugin in Logic or directly through the ARIA player.

Has anyone else noticed this? Could this perhaps be something in my setup?

(Mac Pro 2 x 3GHz Dual-Core, 8GB RAM, PreSonus Firepod (Firewire), Mac OS X 10.6.3, Logic 9.1, ARIA Player 1.02 [Aria v1.093 OS X x86])

[Tom Hopkins]

Just got JABB 3 with the ARIA player, and I'm finding some noisy sounds - very surprising. I haven't gone through them all, but in particular:

Trombone 1 Open (listen to middle C)
Trombone 5 OpenI checked these and I don't see any noise that isn't a part of the airflow sound of the instrument(s) as recorded, but check to make sure that the "AirNs" (cc12) knob on the controller page is set to zero as a reference point. Additional airflow noise can be strategically added using this controller as desired, of course. Also, keep in mind that these instruments were intentionally *not* recorded with classical purity of tone as a goal. I think you will find them effective when used in context.


Also, the levels seem to be very inconsistent between instruments. The levels (and panning positions) have been set to provide a rough starting point for big band seating and relative levels - for instruments that would normally be used in a big band setting. The initial levels are just a starting point though and you should freely adjust levels (and panning positions, use of Stereo Stage, EQ, etc.) to meet the needs of the particular application you have in mind. One size does not fit all. Also, keep in mind that static levels (cc7) are separate from expressive levels (cc1, mirrored in cc2 and cc11) for wind instruments and a few other sustain-type instruments. The expressive level data should be in nearly constant flux to simulate the changes in airflow used by the player. Be sure to place cc7 volume data at the beginning of your tracks to establish the levels you desire - don't rely on graphically setting the sliders and knobs in ARIA. I hope this helps.

Tom

[Bob Shuster]

I checked these and I don't see any noise that isn't a part of the airflow sound of the instrument(s) as recorded, but check to make sure that the "AirNs" (cc12) knob on the controller page is set to zero as a reference point. Additional airflow noise can be strategically added using this controller as desired, of course. Also, keep in mind that these instruments were intentionally *not* recorded with classical purity of tone as a goal. I think you will find them effective when used in context.

Thanks for the prompt response Tom. I did check all settings, the "AirNs" control was the first one I checked. I've used JABB for a long time btw. It was in setting up ensembles with the new ARIA player that I noticed the perceived noise levels. I went back to the Kontakt version and noticed the noisy samples were there too, but not as pronounced to my ears. Maybe the ARIA player makes them clearer? I definitely hear the noise, and if it's not an artifact of the recording process, it could just be a sloppy performance, but it's there. Jazz may not call for "classical purity" but it still calls for good tone quality. I suppose this comes down to personal preference, but I find the Trombone 1 less useable because of this.


The levels (and panning positions) have been set to provide a rough starting point for big band seating and relative levels - for instruments that would normally be used in a big band setting. The initial levels are just a starting point though and you should freely adjust levels (and panning positions, use of Stereo Stage, EQ, etc.) to meet the needs of the particular application you have in mind. One size does not fit all. Also, keep in mind that static levels (cc7) are separate from expressive levels (cc1, mirrored in cc2 and cc11) for wind instruments and a few other sustain-type instruments. The expressive level data should be in nearly constant flux to simulate the changes in airflow used by the player. Be sure to place cc7 volume data at the beginning of your tracks to establish the levels you desire - don't rely on graphically setting the sliders and knobs in ARIA. I hope this helps.

Tom

I'll experiment with it some more. I found it annoying that I had to center panning for each instrument when loading them (part of my setup was trying to configure Logic so I could control all aspects from Logic without going to the plugin) but I understand why it was done. What I didn't realize was that levels were also preset in this manner. I should be able to even that out so I can control it from Logic. Thanks Tom - I'll let you know how I make out.