question about audio rendering...

[nwright]

So, I'm doing some clean up on the drum tracks for my band's upcoming full length. I did a quick test render of the drum mix and listening back it sounds different than what it did in Nuendo. For this render, I used my laptop's stock sound card, while I normally run everything through my Firepod.

While mixing in Nuendo, though, I was still using the stock laptop soundcard and it sounded better than the render. So, this has me worried that using the firepod will still result in the audio changing a bit upon mixdown.

most notably, the kick has less beef and more smack, too much like a typewriter...here's the test mix. granted, it's weak and not real polished, but you can hear the kick...

http://geetarguy.tripod.com/gregtest.mp3

Is there any way I can assure the audio will not change this drastically upon rendering my mix? I wish you could hear the mix when it's in Nuendo...

 

[Torniojaws]

The only time the audio changes drastically compared to what you hear during mixing is when the tracks have clipped. That's when the program starts doing educated guesses during mixdown and makes the render sound different than the mix. Always mix so that no track clips (including the master channel) in the program, ie. so that it does not go red at any point.

Edit:
Oh, I've also seen a different phenomenon with Waves L1 and L3 (but strangely not with L2). If something went strange during the installation and you move the Threshold setting even a little under 0.0 dB, it will change the sound completely after about 20 seconds into the song vs. what it is in the beginning. Instead of the normal sound, it seems to lose or extremely overcompress the midrange by itself, and there's a horrible spike in there making it very buzzy. However, it's a bug.

In fact, I have a sound clip of that happening:

http://koti.mbnet.fi/juhau/death_delirium.mp3

You can hear the change suddenly happen after 0:11 - I didn't change any settings or do anything, it happened by itself :zombie: Nevermind the ridiculous distortion, it's done with a plugin added to normal guitars (no clipping) which I did for fun for a completely unrelated thing This was the first time I bumped into this happening though.

 

[nwright]

Well, going back and forth between mp3's, wav renders and Nuendo, I definitely hear a difference...But, it is most notably with the kick drum. I'm wondering if it's Drumagog?

Also, going from 24 bit to 16bit wav would change it, too, right? Somewhere along the chain, I'm hearing a difference, and it's mainly the kick. Maybe it sound like the highs are too much because I lost a bit of low end in the render...I dunno, but it's different.

I know it's not clipping. I have nothing on the master buss and the mix peaks well below the clipping point.

 

[lepersmeesa]

Well each DAW has a different algorithm for the summing of the audio. So for example. If you exported the same wav files, summed to a stereo buss in Logic, Pro Tools, Nuendo, etc you will have slight differences in each of the bounces. Certain frequencies will be accentuated, or others lost. The codec you used to make the mp3, could also be changing the audio from the original wav file.

I remember for no reason at all the bass on all my bounces from Pro Tools was huge :zombie: for no reason at all. Then bounced again, worked fine.

Ive heard what alot of people do rather then bounce, is to "print" into your DAW. For example, setting up a stereo track and sending all your audio through a buss, then hitting record, and bouncing your mix to a stereo file inside the mix, then taking the two audio files and making them interleaved.

Hope this helps!