Issues with 96khz and sample-based virtual instruments

Hello.

I have a project that exclusively uses sample-based virtual instruments (Eastwest Hollywood Strings & Eastwest Symphonic Orchestra). The samples in these libraries are 44.1khz.

However, I tried changing the project settings to 96khz and bounced at 96khz accordingly. This resulted in unwanted sounds such as pops and clicks and even excess reverb. Certain clicks only appear when bouncing or when playing in a frozen track.

Is it not recommended to use 96khz if the virtual instruments have samples of 44.1Khz? Is this the cause of the sounds problems I’m having?

Any help would be really appreciated. Thanks.

Kontakt based or Play engine?

also, what are you hoping to achieve by doing so?

if you have exclusively sampled based instruments, you can change sampling rate after bounce. (it wont really make a difference quality wise)

might be that your computer isnt able to handle it @96k either - try increasing buffer size.

if you have exclusively sampled based instruments, you can change sampling rate after bounce. (it wont really make a difference quality wise)

 

might be that your computer isnt able to handle it @96k either - try increasing buffer size.

Thanks for the tips. It's possible that my computer isn't able to handle 96k. This is also what Eastwest support suggested.

Now that you mention it though, I remember that a certain 'click' sound only appears with one specific note at a specific time of the sample's duration. This is the case even if I try recording and bouncing it from a new project. This makes it seem like an issue connected with the sample? Or maybe the computer can't properly bounce that note's specific frequency at 96k?

edit: I have to take back my second paragraph. I don't just get the click on only one note/sample. It seems to be on all of them but only when played for long durations. It also sounds fine on playback but the clicks only appear upon freezing or bouncing. There's still the click at 1024 buffer settings.

If its entirely soft instruments. You can easily set the sample rate of the project back to 48k or even 44.1. Then when you output the audio to stereo tracks you can select the resulting output to bounce at 96k. It will do the bounce and automatically upsample to the rate you select.

Thank you for your reply. Are you basically saying to switch the project settings back from 96k to 48k or 44.1k? And then just bounce it as 96k? If so, would upsampling this way make actual improvements to sound quality, since the main project settings aren't really set at 96khz?

Also, since the virtual instrument samples are 44.1khz, is there any benefit (in sound quality) at all to upscale to 96khz, because the samples aren't 96khz to begin with?

 

Now that you mention it though, I remember that a certain 'click' sound only appears with one specific note at a specific time of the sample's duration. This is the case even if I try recording and bouncing it from a new project. This makes it seem like an issue connected with the sample? Or maybe the computer can't properly bounce that note's specific frequency at 96k?

Try bouncing it offline - it should generally be rendered clean if everything is fine (and will take a little longer than realtime if your CPU can't handle it)

If so, would upsampling this way make actual improvements to sound quality, since the main project settings aren't really set at 96khz?

The only thing that would be potentially better is algorithmic reverbs and things like that. Else you're just upsampling either inside play engine, or after it, and its pretty much the same. So you're not really doing anything.

Except that you can't know what kind of engine Play uses for resampling, and you can for example resample afterwards with iZotope (which is known as one of the best resamplers). Also Logic since 10.x i think has pretty clean resampling.

Thank you for your reply. Are you basically saying to switch the project settings back from 96k to 48k or 44.1k? And then just bounce it as 96k? If so, would upsampling this way make actual improvements to sound quality, since the main project settings aren't really set at 96khz?

 

Also, since the virtual instrument samples are 44.1khz, is there any benefit (in sound quality) at all to upscale to 96khz, because the samples aren't 96khz to begin with?

That's exactly what I'm saying. No the upsampling won't make it sound better. The only reason to upsample is for the client. But if you're actually recording live instruments, or your playback samples are at 96k then there would be a reason to keep the project at 96k.

It also sounds fine on playback but the clicks only appear upon freezing or bouncing.

Then I would try two different things:

1) Bounce in real time, and listen to check that you don't hear the clicks during the bounce.

OR

2) Change the outputs of your channel strips from "Stereo Out" to a bus. Create a new audio track with that bus as input. R-enable that track and press record, you'll be recording the mix in real time.