motrebjan wroteHi,
I am trying to use Notion 6 in Rewire mode. I have tried first in Studio One 5, and then also checked in Ableton Live 10. In both DAWs when I play the sound coming from Notion 6 is glitchy with pops and dropouts.
How can I fix this issue?

Notion 6 works perfectly fine in normal mode without any glitches. It only happens using Rewire mode.

My operation system is Windows 10.

Also the cpu usage is very low in both DAW while playing. So I don't think it's a usual buffer issue.

Studio One Professional 5.5 is excellent for being the ReWire host controller, and with the current version of NOTION you can use ReWire MIDI staves for the music notation, which even in Windows avoids needing to have an external MIDI interface utility, with this being the case on the Mac, as well . . .

THOUGHTS

[NOTE: Another possibility is that you have the buffers set either too low or two high in NOTION and Studio One, although more likely in NOTION. It's also useful to observe that by default NOTION does not use standard concert tuning where "Concert A" is 440-Hz; so you need to change it if you want your songs to be tuned using standard concert tuning. Try different values for the "Buffer size" to see if changing it solves the Rice Krispies® problem ("Snap, Crackle, and Pop"). For reference, both 44.1-kHz and 48-kHz "Sample rates" are good and are not the cause of the problem. If you are scoring for video, then use 48-kHz; but otherwise use 44.1-kHz. 48-kHz is the standard for video, but both map to the highest-possible accuracy, precision, and high-fidelity. Some folks have different beliefs regarding sample rates: but (a) they slept through acoustic physics classes and (b) they are challenged mathematically; so ignore them. Music software and hardware vendors coddle them; but it's not just frivolous and pointless, it's stupid . . . ]





I do everything on the Mac; but other than Windows needing an external MIDI interface utility like LoopBe or virtualMIDI, everything is pretty much the same, with the only differences being focused on where various files and infrastructure items are located . . .

I know where everything is located and configured on the Mac, although not so much in the Windows universe, but so what . . .

Based on what you described, the most likely culprit is hosting instruments in NOTION rather than in Studio One; and even when you only use the bundled "native" NOTION instruments, (a) there is overhead and (b) there are additional processing and resource usage concerns when done this way due to the ReWire infrastructure, which runs as a privileged helper in Windows and on the Mac--"privileged" in the sense that it has and requires elevated processing and resource usage, because it runs as part of the respective operating system (macOS or Windows) . . .

For reference, the ReWire infrastructure allows what is called "interapplication communicating and data sharing", which in turn requires operating-system privileges and is done in UNIX "pipes" (literally on the Mac, since macOS sits atop UNIX, but in Windows likely in an analogous way) . . .

Starting with Studio One Professional 6, there is no support for ReWire; so Studio One Professional 5.5 is the last version that supports ReWire . . .

NOTION 6 continues to support ReWire, but how long this will continue is unknown with respect to a new version of NOTION . . .

In this respect, Studio One Professional 6 sets the new standard which is based on two criteria:

(1) no ReWire

(2) no ability for NOTION to interact in real-time with Studio One for purposes of interactive music notation

It continues to be possible to Send and Receive music notation from and to NOTION and Studio One; but I think it's generally more work than any benefits it might provide . . .

Why?

Starting with Studio One 5, Presonus added music notation; and since then this has increased in functionality and usability to the level at which there pretty much is no reason to do the music notation in NOTION, even when folks have OCD relationships with such things as articulations, dynamics, playing styles, repeats, and multiple endings . . .

[NOTE: It's even better in Studio One Professional 6 . . . ]





[NOTE: You can read and study a few of my other posts to learn more about my perhaps eccentric perspectives on avoiding cluttering music notation with a bunch of extra stuff which once you understand producing and audio-engineering truly is unnecessary . . . ]

THE BEST REWIRE STRATEGY (MAC AND WINDOWS)

You need to host the VSTi virtual instruments (Multi-Channel Instruments [MULTIS] and Singletons) in Studio One, which will be the ReWire host controller, and use NOTION as the ReWire helper application, which is focused only on doing music notation on ReWire MIDI staves . . .

This produces the most simple, lowest overhead NOTION . . .

Studio One is focused on what it does best, which is producing, audio-engineering, and hosting VSTi virtual instruments . . .

Done this way, so long as your Windows computer is peppy and configured correctly, there will be no problems . . .

The bundled, native NOTION instruments are good; and they are tuned specifically for use in live performances where NOTION is operated by a trained live-performance technician and is using NTempo; but there are better sampled-sound libraries found in VSTi virtual instruments, most of which can be configured and used as Multi-Channel Instruments (MULTIS), which increases the overall computer processing efficiencies . . .

I have created a few YouTube videos recently on this, so watch them . . .

If you have not wandered into the Wonderland of VSTi Virtual Instruments, yet, there are a few useful bits of information:

(1) The third-party vendors always have super-discount sales, oftentimes unannounced, so get on their mailing lists. They do not bombard you with frivolous, annoying messages. Instead, they send free gifts, announcement of super-discount sales, and so forth.

(2) Native Instruments (Kontakt, et al.) has had at least one 50-percent discount sale each year for the past five or so years, where Kontakt is $200 USD rather than $400, with this typically being during the Thanksgiving Holiday in the US but also occasionally has had at least one in late-Spring or early-Summer; so be patient.

(3) When IK Multimedia decides to build a new manufacturing facility for their nearly endless products for iPhone users, they have a "Group Buy Extravaganza" where participants who purchase one product then qualify for some number of comparably priced products for FREE based on the number of like-minded folks who also buy one product and then become participants in the Group Buy Extravaganza. IK Multimedia had one of these to celebrate it's 25th Anniversary, and I got 25 FREE products at the cost of buying only one product. At the time, due to previous extravaganzas, I had nearly all the VSTi virtual instruments and VST effects plug-ins IK Multimedia offered, but 25 more FREE products then mapped to having everything, although since then they created a few more products, which I purchased at discount prices and using "JAM Points", which is their customer loyalty program and incentive. Get on the mailing list; create a FREE user account; download and install the FREE products; and be patient for some type of super-discount sale or promotion.

(4) Native Instruments has a lot of superb FREE stuff; and combined with the IK Multimedia FREE stuff, it's enough to do productive composing and performing in a diverse set of genres.

(5) You can replace OCD articulations, dynamics, playing styles, and so forth with VST effects plug-ins and specifically focused sampled-sound library selections, where for example if you want a vibrato violin, then select a vibrato violin sample, and so forth. You can use gentle compressor-limiters to control dynamics; and this applies to other ways to do what usually is done by cluttering music notation with visually annoying symbols, annotations, and all that stuff--plus when the mixed and mastered music is intended to be enjoyed by folks listening with studio-quality headphones and Apple AirPods, then all the cluttered music notation stuff tends to be a vastly silly waste of otherwise useful time, at least for so-called "popular" music genres.

(6) Subscriptions are another way to get a virtual festival of VSTi virtual instruments, VST effects plug-ins, and so forth for $15 to $25 USD each per month, which overall costs less than a cup of coffee per day. Stop buying Starbucks and McDonald's coffee. Make your own coffee and use the money you save to get more sampled-sound libraries and effects plug-ins than you could list in fine-print on several legal-size sheets of paper (both sides). I have subscriptions for PreSonus Sphere, EW ComposerCloud X, and UVI Sonic Pass. My cost-saving strategy, which I started several years ago, is to make my own coffee and to make and cook my own "fast food", sandwiches, and so forth, as well as Cherry Kool-Aid. It saves a lot of money, which I use to get more digital music production software; and it ensures that nobody except me touches, breathes, and drools on my food and happy beverages, which these days is vastly smart and is an excellent way to keep healthy while accumulating and enjoying lots of digital music production software.

FREE Stuff (Native Instruments)

FREE Stuff (IK Multimedia)

FREE Stuff and Demos (XLN Audio)

30-Day Demos (FabFilter Software Instruments)

PreSonus Sphere (PreSonus)

EW ComposerCloud+ (East-West)

Sonic Pass (UVI)

MOVE IT ALL TO STUDIO ONE PROFESSIONAL 6

[NOTE: These are best enjoyed when listening with studio-quality headphones or Apple AirPods; and it's done entirely within Studio One Professional 6 (virtual instruments and music notation)--no Rewire and no NOTION . . . ]









[NOTE: Every drumkit in Addictive Drums 2 is a Multi-Channel Instrument (MULTI), so you can use it as a MULTI, which requires only one instance of the VSTi virtual instrument rather than eight of them. If you like having three versions (panned far-left, top-center, and far-right), then use three MULTIS, which is less overhead than eight singletons. This video shows how it's done using eight singletons . . . ]



Project: Studio One 6, Music Notation, and MULTIS ~ PreSonus NOTION Forum

Lots of FUN!

Thank you so much for your time and the detailed explanations.

I have tried changing the audio quality 44.1 khz and 48 khz and also different buffer sizes on Windows, the same problem (pops and clicks and glitches).
I will have to install Notion and Studio One on my mac book air. I hope they will work on M1 chip. But I don't have that much storage there, so this is why I mainly use my windows laptop. (but that can be fixed with extra hard drive)

Let me try that on Mac and get back to you.

My obsession with notation software is that I am mainly aiming to perform and record my music by live musicians, so I need all that OCD articulations and symbols and dynamics etc...
What I am trying to use Rewire for is Electroacoustic pieces in which I want to use Notion bundled sounds for acoustic sounds and use synths and vsts for electronic sounds. So I can have a picture of how they would sound together.

I have worked with Kontakt libraries there are fantastic stuff there really realisticlly but they require a lot of extra work like Keyswitches and automations, which in Notion I just put the symbol and it immediately plays it back for me (though the techniques are very basic).

Also I have a better flow notating things than just recording with a midi keyboard.

Another reason I need Notion to work with Studio One in Rewire is to work with video. for films and audiovisual projects.

So I really need to fix this glitching sound issue.

But you gave me a very good idea, that I can actually notate inside Studio One for sample-based music projects that doesn't require classical notation details. And also if in future they would be needed I can send it back to Notion and add the details. I gonna dive into that too.

Hi, the breadth of the above posts were a little large for me to digest so I don't know if this was mentioned:

Crackling and popping usually has to do with audio buffer "overflows" when a system's CPU gets overloaded with processing. The Sample Rate between 41khz and 48khz really won't affect it as much as the buffer size. And since using rewire to playback the audio in the DAW, it's the settings in the DAW that are likely affecting this. 3 things to try and broach this:

1. Use ASIO Drivers. If your Audio Interface doesn't have an ASIO driver built in or you are using your computer's built in audio card, try ASIO4ALL as a driver : https://www.asio4all.org/
2. Increase the Buffer Size of your ASIO driver : try using a buffer size of 512 or 1024 and see if that reduces the crackling. This will however increase latency. There may be a setting in the DAW related to audio that reads something like "Use Device's Preferred Settings." You may want to turn this off to manually set the buffer size, or inversely turn it on and set the buffer size in the driver itself.
3. If using Windows try using Core Audio (WaveRT). This is a low latency built in Windows driver.

Note - if using ASIO Drivers you may not be able to have sound coming from Studio One and Notion at the same time (though rewire may correct that because all sound runs through one application)

Notion allows a certain amount of video editing so you can sync a score up with video in Notion. You may be able to get away with all your video syncing in Notion.

If you can get hold of Kontakt version 6 or Kontakt version 5, you should be able to use VST2 which Notion is compatible with and set that up on a staff in Notion. You'll need to install all the plugin options and (in Windows) look for the following files Kontakt 5 8out.dll, Kontakt 5 16out.dll or Kontakt 5.dll . These are the VST2 versions of Kontakt (substitute 6 for 5). Check the link below for legacy versions:

Kontakt 5 and Kontakt 6

This way you can run both the instruments from Notion and Kontakt but all through Notion without having to use Studio One.

If there are additional VSTs you want to run, try and get hold of the VST2 versions of those instruments.

If this isn't viable, you can set Notion 6 tracks to External MIDI Out and then receive on corresponding MIDI tracks in Studio One. You set up the tracks in Studio One as whatever type of synth you want it to be. You send the scoring information via MIDI to Studio One that drives the synth on that track.

Another Option: Dump your Notion Score as Audio (essentially mixing it to a stereo .wav file). Add a track in Studio One and load in this audio track. Do the rest of your video and audio work in Studio One.