Playback is Distorted With PLAY

Description

Playback is distorted, choppy or has many pops and clicks when using the EastWest PLAY plugin.

Solution

Distorted playback is often the result of audio engine or plugin settings that are not configured well for a particular computer system.

From "Playback Devices > Audio Engine Options" in Sibelius, check that your buffer is set to a reasonable level. You might experiment with different settings to see which works best for your system; however, do not use a buffer of 2048 with the PLAY plugin (see: Uneven and Incorrect Rhythms with PLAY).

In PLAY, go to "Settings > Streaming" and check the PLAY Engine Level. Generally speaking, the lowest engine level your system can use is preferable, though there are exceptions and reasons to use a higher engine level. Experiment with the various options to see which suits your setup; a majority of users find that a "Low" engine level resolves these sorts of playback issues.

Mac users with PLAY v2.x should also check that the "High Memory Allocation" option in "Settings > Streaming" is only selected if their computer system has 10GB or more RAM.

Last Modified: April 9, 2012