No sound in exported plugin

[bendurso]

Hello! When exporting my first plugin with Hise to test it on macOS Monterey (Intel), I get no sound (I tried Ableton, FL Studio, and Reaper in VST3 and AU versions).

This was what I did:

1. I exported with Hise's built-in function for macOS (VST3 and AU). I disabled IPP because it gave me an error when exporting it.
2. Plugin exported. Then I realized that I needed the hr1 file for the samples, so I converted all the sample maps to monolith. The original WAV files are 5.2GB, and in monolith (with Full Dynamics activated) they are 2.8GB.
3. Create the HR1 file (also with Full Dynamics enabled) and it resulted in 1.1GB.
4. I open the plugin, install the HR1 file and it was successful. But there is no sound. A strange detail is that now the CH1 files weigh 1.1GB (1.7GB less than the original CH1 files, I don't know why).

Notes:

• I am using Impulse Responses. The VST3 and AU file are 150MB each.
• I am using the Multimic function.
• The plugin has sound inside Hise.

[d.healey]

@bendurso said in No sound in exported plugin:

4. A strange detail is that now the CH1 files weigh 1.1GB (1.7GB less than the original CH1 files, I don't know why).

It's been a while since I used hr files but I think by default the extracted files are 16bit.

Start simple. Create a new project, add a sine wave generator, export as a plugin and open in a DAW, see if you have sound.

Build from there until you find the part of your project that is causing the issue - I suspect the convolution reverb might be to blame, you might want to try exporting with that disabled.

Are you using the develop branch?

[bendurso]

@d-healey I'm using Hise 3.0.0. Should I try with 3.0.3?

Another thing I just realized is that I converted to monolith after exporting the plugin. Should I export the plugin again after converting samplemaps to monolith?

[d.healey]

@bendurso Version numbers don't mean much. You should use the develop branch and build HISE from source.

Another thing I just realized is that I converted to monolith after exporting the plugin. Should I export the plugin again after converting samplemaps to monolith?

This is probably the problem because your plugin will be looking for wav files.

[Christoph Hart]

Should I export the plugin again after converting samplemaps to monolith?

Definitely this.

[bendurso]

@Christoph-Hart @d-healey Ooh, that was it. When in the plugin I select the Hise project samples folder it works fine. Thank you guys :)

Is there a significant RAM/CPU saving benefit of using monolith sample maps instead of direct wav samples? It's for a grand piano library and quality is important.

It actually sounds great with the CH1 files, but when using the HR1 install function, the CH1s are greatly reduced in size (as David said, it reduces them to 16bit). Alternatively I could deliver the CH1 files directly with a folder called "Plugin Samples" and allow users to select that folder, but I would have to remove the "Install Samples" button of the plugin intro page, that would be possible?

[d.healey]

@bendurso ch files are lossless so there is no reason not to use them. If you choose full dynamics at all stages then it will be 24bit.

[Christoph Hart]

Is there a significant RAM/CPU saving benefit

Yes. Also it makes the distribution easier and the entire streaming engine can resort to 16bit buffers (while still retaining 24bit of dynamics between blocks of 1024 samples).

For a piano library I would suggest using the full dynamics option, this way the decaying sounds will get normalized in chunks to use up the full 16 bit range which helps with quantization noise.

[bendurso]

Great! Thank you for your answers. So is it normal for the "ch" files to be reduced to half their original size after decompressing the "hr" file? Each ch file was 515MB when created, and after decompressing with the "hr" they are 200MB.

[Christoph Hart]

@bendurso no in that case you haven‘t enabled full dynamics and the extracted ch1 files are 16bit only. You need to specify this setting when you create the hr1 files.

[bendurso]

That's how I configured when exporting

[bendurso]

Ohh, did you mean the project settings? I forgot to enable that one.

[Christoph Hart]

@bendurso yup that‘s the one. No idea why you have to set this at so many places though :)