i've noticed that all the vdl demos, the audio samples of all the stuff tapspace sells, sound flawless, no stutters, nothing, like if someone was actually playing it. i own a copy of sibelius 5.2 and i was wondering why my sounds nothing like that. ever since i had it, it always stuttered. its not huge, but it irritates me. i just wanna know how all of the other samples sound so perfect. i tried changing the performance option... but its still really jumpy. please help.

https://www.tapspace.com/forums/index.php?topic=1410.0

Also keep in mind that many of those demos are recorded from sequencing programs such as Cubase or Logic. Sequencers are designed for sample playback, where as Sibelius' primary function is for notation, so you will get better performance and much more accurate playback from a sequencer. This, in addition with whatever ";mastering"; is applied to the demo, gives it that professional quality.

This is one of the more common technical questions that comes up, and it usually has to do with one (or a combination) of the following things:

[b]1) Soundcard (latency too low, cheap soundcard, or cheap audio drivers)
or CPU limitations[/b]
Usually these hiccups and stutters are the sign that you're running out of processing resources. This can often be remedied by raising the latency settings (aka: buffer size) on your soundcard. If you're running Kontkat Player as a plugin, these settings are usually made within the host program you're running it in. Sometimes they are also made within the soundcard's control panel/preference area. If running Kontakt Player in standalone mode, latency can often be adjusted within the Audio Setup window. Where settings are adjusted depends on your system, and the way in which you're implementing KP2.

There's also the chance that your CPU is just not keeping up - particularly if you're playing back a dense score. Assuming your system meets or exceeds VDL's system requirements, more often than not, adjusting your soundcard settings will give your CPU the breathing room it needs so stuttering will go away. If you're chancing it with a bargain CPU, don't expect it to perform like a pro.

[b]2) DFD settings [/b]
You can do a search here for DFD info. Pretty easy to adjust. The only caveat is that DFD will not work as well if your computer's hard drive spins at a slower rate than 7200rpm. Oftentimes, laptops fall victim to this so that's worth checking into.

[b]3) Too much polyphony[/b]
Lowering release knob on ringing instruments like vibes, chimes, glock, cymbals, marimbas, etc. can greatly improve sections where high polyphony is causing drop-outs.