Exporting audio files

[Gnarrkhaz]

So here's the problem: When i play a song in my DAW it sounds fine but after exporting it (32bit, 44100kHz) it starts to clip/distort at some points. There's no way it exceeds the 0 db limit because it also occurs in quiet parts. There's one part in my current project for example which features only one piano and one guitar. Both instruments by themselves sound fine even after exporting but when they play together it clips. It's basically just shitty quality. I think i had this or at least a similar problem before in another DAW. What's wrong?

[ChromaticChaosPony]

Try exporting with a higher sample rate (192000kHz)? Triangular dithering? Normalize? I'm not sure.

[Lavender_Harmony]

Would help to know what DAW you're using.

[Gnarrkhaz]

Try exporting with a higher sample rate (192000kHz)?

Doesn't help.

Triangular dithering?

Shouldn't Dithering only be relevant when i change the bit rate of my file?

[Gnarrkhaz]

Would help to know what DAW you're using.

Cubase LE 5. But like i said, i think the same problem also occured in Reaper.

[Friv]

It could be just what software you use to listen to audio files, or your monitors/headphones, as you said it happens when there is no chance of clipping in some parts, and that it happened in different DAWs.
Also, try exporting to lossless wave format, to see if it's just the drivers you're using to compress the audio to a non-lossless file.

[Gnarrkhaz]

It could be just what software you use to listen to audio files

I tried Windows Media Player as well as Winamp. Both have the same problem.

or your monitors/headphones, as you said it happens when there is no chance of clipping in some parts, and that it happened in different DAWs.

I use the same headphones for mixing and it doesn't happen in the DAW. Only after exporting does it occur.

Also, try exporting to lossless wave format, to see if it's just the drivers you're using to compress the audio to a non-lossless file.

I exported it as a wave anyway.

Thanks for the suggestions.

[Gnarrkhaz]

Any other ideas? I'm quite desperate at this point. I refuse to export anything that doesn't sound like it should.

I checked my settings and it says that i recorded at 44.1 kHz/16 bit. What should be the export settings in this case anyway? Does it matter at all as long as i don't set them lower (i tried exporting it at 44.1 kHz/16 bit already by the way; it still doesn't work)?

[Peak Freak]

...

[Gnarrkhaz]

Maybe you have some sort of setting in cubase, that it adds +0.1 dBFS while exporting, so it starts to clip?
After looking through some manuals there is no such setting in cubase LE 5.
Try to export it with the Master controller a little bit under 0.0 dB , does it still clip?

Clipping was perhaps the wrong word because it also occurs when there's no way that the track exceeds 0 db. Let's call them pops instead (by the way: I did lower the master controller; doesn't work)

After turning off the inserts (in the part that only features one piano and one guitar at a low volume) it gets better but it's still audible. I changed the order of the inserts as well but that doesn't make a difference. And like i said: It's still there when i turn off everything so...

By the way. Is it normal that the ASIO utilization meter (i use a Lexicon Alpha USB Interface) shows 50% even when i'm doing absolutely nothing? I set it to high latency by the way so it would only get worse if i changed it to low latency.

[Peak Freak]

Please send me an exported file of yours.

[the4thImpulse]

Just a thought, after reading through all of this it sounds like your soundcard is causing the problems when you play it back. What kind of soundcard do you have?

[Gnarrkhaz]

Just a thought, after reading through all of this it sounds like your soundcard is causing the problems when you play it back. What kind of soundcard do you have?

Not sure what you mean. My laptop has some crappy on board soundcard and it works just fine when i listen to music but i use my lexicon alpha for music production.

EDIT: I also tried to play the file on my other pc. Sounds shitty there too.

[Gnarrkhaz]

However it might be worth mentioning that i often get those kind of pops while in Cubase when i start or stop playing the track. Not while playing the track. Just when i start and stop.

[Gnarrkhaz]

http://www.mediafire.com/?y7gg7avj1vbwm6e

A short snippet that should give you an idea. The slight distortion on the guitar is intentional. The annoying pops aren't.

[itroitnyah]

Yeah, probably just your sound card, then. It'd probably be worth it to sell your laptop (unless you have a use for it other than music that you wouldn't want to sell it) and then just buy a regular computer with a better sound card. Or, if you're still not sure that it's your sound card, you could put the cubase project file, and put it on a different better computer that has cubase (or put cubase onto the flashdrive as well), and try listening and exporting on the better computer. Or, (and this might be a long shot), it might be the synths. Like I said, it's a long shot, and that's probably not the problem, but it would never hurt to make a copy of the project file and then mess around with the synths to see if that fixes it.

But, it would also be helpful to know if you've always been experiencing these problems, or if it's a problem that has only just appeared with your current WIP song. If its a problem that just appeared, then I'm not sure what the solution would be, but if it's always been occurring, then it's definitely the sound card.

[Gnarrkhaz]

But, it would also be helpful to know if you've always been experiencing these problems, or if it's a problem that has only just appeared with your current WIP song. If its a problem that just appeared, then I'm not sure what the solution would be, but if it's always been occurring, then it's definitely the sound card.

I've always encountered those pops in Cubase (and probably other DAWs as well; i can't remember) when starting and stopping a project, not while it's playing though. The pops in the exported wave are new.

[Peak Freak]

...

[Gnarrkhaz]

- Reinstall Audio Drives

I'll do that.

- Wo wir grad dabei sind, add mich doch einfach mal in Skype: peak.freak , da kann ich dir immer auf die schnelle helfen

Mach ich doch glatt.

EDIT: Sicher, dass "peak.freak" stimmt? Darüber finde ich nämlich nichts. Mein Skype-Name ist übrigens "gnarrkhaz47".

[Gnarrkhaz]

Reinstalled Cubase and the latest driver of my interface. Nothing has changed.

[Raddons]

Are you exporting from the project file? Try exporting each track as a lossless format and bring them into a new session and export them there?

[Gnarrkhaz]

Are you exporting from the project file? Try exporting each track as a lossless format and bring them into a new session and export them there?

I don't know why but it worked. Thanks.

Now back to my old problem: Making it loud. : P

EDIT: Ugh, the fact that exporting to wave reduces the volume does not help.

[vladnuke]

Well, we all know the solution to that.
It's compression.
Go turn the gain up.

[Raddons]

Are you exporting from the project file? Try exporting each track as a lossless format and bring them into a new session and export them there?

I don't know why but it worked. Thanks.

Now back to my old problem: Making it loud. : P

EDIT: Ugh, the fact that exporting to wave reduces the volume does not help.

It worked because it's probably a VST heavy project and your computer couldn't handle it. It happens to me whenever I have lots of shit running alongside my DAW and I export. It wasn't clipping or anything.

And if you want loud just import the song, normalize, hard limit to -50db, normalize again and you have a loud track.

EDIT: Ugh, the fact that exporting to wave reduces the volume does not help.

You shouldn't be exporting that loud anyway.

[Gnarrkhaz]

It worked because it's probably a VST heavy project and your computer couldn't handle it.

Well, it does have more tracks than usual and a few more inserts but ultimately it's still nothing fancy.