Classic Electrics Sound in Standalone Mode Compared to VSTi inside Sonar using MIDI Export

[Andrew Ball]

Hi
I’m using the Electric 200A that I recently purchased and have a midi track I have created from EzKeys song parts that sounds perfect in EzKeys when launched and played as a standalone. However when I open it up inside Sonar and drop the exported midi file I created in EzKeys on to the track I get a whole host of additional echo on playback and it really over-accentuates the phasing – it just sounds naff, muddy and slightly distorted where as in EzKeys it sounds really clipped and sharp staccato – just as I want it. I’ve never had this problem with EzKeys before. There are no effects added – it’s the only track in the mix and it is using default audio settings I use successfully for every project. Anyone else found this issue and any suggestions on how to rectify – bordering on unusable as it is.

The really interesting thing is that if I import the midi file into EzKeys and play it as a standalone it sounds as bad as it does inside Sonar – it’s only when it is played in EzKeys from the original EzKeys song parts that it sounds OK so there must be something going on with the midi events when the output file is generated – that’s all I can think of.

It’s certainly got me beat so any suggestions welcome – thanks in advance

Cheers

Andy

Topic

[John]

Hi,

my first thought was that you have MIDI on the EZkeys Song Track at the same time as you have the same MIDI on your Sonar track and EZkeys has ‘Follow Host’ enabled.
That wouldn’t affect you Exported MIDI though.
Is it possible for you to ZIP your exported files and attach to a post here, so I may take look at it?
I have a pretty old version of Sonar, so I’m not sure it would be of much help to take a look at your Sonar Project.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Andrew Ball]

Cheers John you are right it is not a follow host problem. It really is odd. Even outside of Sonar if I re-import the midi track to EzKeys in stand alone mode it exhibits the same issue. You can hear a short clip here. Part 1 is exported wav and Part 2 is exported midi.

All very strange and it only sedms to happen with this midi instrument selected.

https://soundcloud.com/andyb01/c2c-clip-good-and-bad

Cheers

Andy

[John]

Hi,

to me, that sounds like you have some kind of program change or CC data changing parameters in the EZkeys plugin.
E.g. start up with the plug-in sounding like it should and notice how the knobs are turned, preferably take a screen shot. Then you make your manoeuvres to induce the sound you don’t like and take another screen shot. Does the plugin interface look the same?
Can you ZIP the MIDI and attach here too?

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Andrew Ball]

Good suggestions will do that – MIDI attached as requested

Andy

[Andrew Ball]

Very interesting results – when I load the VST in Sonar the EzKeys around tremolo and Reverb are different. The controls on the VST don’t allow me to get an exact match with the standalone settings but setting it to within a percentage point or so (and dialled down rather than up) I can get it to sound better but still muddy and distorted compared to the original and to the WAV.

I would have never detected that – so a really good spot thanks – but there’s still something else going on in the creation of the MIDI file that I can’t quite fathom. See attached screen clips

[John]

Hi,

the MIDI sounds good, the only data except notes I could see was Pressure and Sustain, which would be normal.
In the screen shots you have attached, you are using the ‘Ballad’ preset in Standalone and the ‘Default’ preset in Sonar and they do indeed sound very different.
May that be the answer?
You can always Save a Project file (*.ezkp) in Standalone, which will save the dialled in sound and everything on the Song Track into one file that can be opened in the plug-in in Sonar.

BR,
John

John Rammelt - Toontrack
Technical Advisor

[Andrew Ball]

Thanks John. I never spotted that ballad/ default mode (doh). I also didn’t know you could open a project file from within a DAW. I’ll try both those and hopefully one or both will fix.

Thanks for all the help with this, very much appreciated. Andy

[Andrew Ball]

@John said:
In the screen shots you have attached, you are using the ‘Ballad’ preset in Standalone and the ‘Default’ preset in Sonar and they do indeed sound very different.
May that be the answer?

As you suspected that was indeed the answer – spot on – now I can get on and finish the song!

Thanks again

[Author]

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