Drakken Posted September 14, 2012 Share Posted September 14, 2012 I just finished working on a solo piano piece, and it sounds great on my regular monitors. However, when played back on my iPad or listening with earbuds or lower-end speakers, there's a decent amount of crackle going on. When listening through a nice set of Sennheiser headphones, there's no crackle, but the high notes are harsh at loud volumes, and I end up having to lower it to a softer-than-desired listening level. Any tips on alleviating either the harshness of the high notes or the crackle when played through lower end speakers? Here's the song in question: http://soundcloud.com/drakken/josh-freund-gymnop-die-wet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GallenWolf Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 Hmmm listened on my iems and laptop speakers, don't hear any crackling. Any segment you think the crackling is particularly obvious? I know I've got ears of lead EDIT: I think I have encountered crackling before on my laptop speakers but with other kind of sounds, I'm pretty sure I just lowered my faders (before the master bus) and it went away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelsDen Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 I hear a cracking as well as a static noise within the reverb using closed neutral studio headphones. Is this live recorded? The cracking either sounds like the pressing of the piano-keys of the right Hand or the Hammerfeedback of some Plugins... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moseph Posted September 15, 2012 Share Posted September 15, 2012 The noise is a little clearer in the dry version. It sounds to me like a slight buzz in the piano strings/frame that got picked up when the samples were recorded. If you sweep frequencies with a notch filter or a high-Q EQ you may be able to figure out where exactly the noise is and then EQ it out. For generally improving the sound, I think cutting some of the midrange frequencies (~600-900 hz) would help soften the harshness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andy P Posted September 16, 2012 Share Posted September 16, 2012 Sounds alright to my ears, pretty damn good actually. Maybe like Moseph said, try cutting some of the mid's out to make it sound a little less muddy. How was this recorded, or was it samples? Personally, I think the piano sounds a little close, but that's just because of the hammer noise. The close sound with the reverb confuses me a little, because it sounds close, but the reverb tries to make it sound more distant. If you're having problems getting decent level then try sticking a gentle compressor on the piano. Something like 1.5:1 ratio. Or is you feel fancy and just want to remove the harshness, try using a multi-pressor to just bring down the problem frequencies when they get too loud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakken Posted September 18, 2012 Author Share Posted September 18, 2012 Hey guys, thanks for the suggestions. I'll try taking out some mid frequencies and see if that helps things. How was this recorded, or was it samples? Personally, I think the piano sounds a little close, but that's just because of the hammer noise. The close sound with the reverb confuses me a little, because it sounds close, but the reverb tries to make it sound more distant. This was done with Spitfire's "Felt Piano" in Kontakt. It's definitely a close-sounding, intimate piano (this is really clear in the dry version). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 18, 2012 Share Posted September 18, 2012 Honestly, I see nothing wrong with the sound. I like the dark ambient sound it has, and the reverb is nice. It may just be my ear or my headphones or speakers, but I love the sound. Did you compress it at all? (I haven't been reading the other comments so I don't know what anyone else has said). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drakken Posted September 19, 2012 Author Share Posted September 19, 2012 Honestly, I see nothing wrong with the sound. I like the dark ambient sound it has, and the reverb is nice. It may just be my ear or my headphones or speakers, but I love the sound. Did you compress it at all? (I haven't been reading the other comments so I don't know what anyone else has said). Thanks! No compression on this. Bounced out of Pro Tools and amplified in Audacity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nabeel Ansari Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Sounds like Minecraft :3 (or vice versa, really) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garrett Williamson Posted September 19, 2012 Share Posted September 19, 2012 Thanks! No compression on this. Bounced out of Pro Tools and amplified in Audacity. Pretty good for no compression. I'm not exactly sure it needs it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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