Are exported/bounced audio are what we hear during playback?

I keep heard friends said what has exported are not the exactly the same as they playback the project/session.

Are exported/bounced audio are exactly 100% = what we hear during playback?

Usually it should be the same. At least Loudness and spectrum balance shouldn’t change. Oherwise something is off with your setup. But there can be differences when Instruments are used that happen to work with some kind of randomisation. Round Robin or Layer alternating for instance to prevent static sound like Drumsamplers (Superior, Addictive, Slate). The performance of these instruments will never be exactly the same and will be unique for every playthrough or export.

Agreed with what Novikthewise mentioned.

But I also want to mention to render in place using the “with Current Settings” option and your render should sound the same.

Regards :sunglasses:

But I also want to mention to render in place using the “with Current Settings” option and your render should sound the same.

:confused: You can’t specify what render in place with current settings will do for them because you don’t know what their current settings are!

And any free running modulation of sorts, like a phaser.

My answer was too simplistic…

I guess I should have said that, for me, it sounds similar when I render in place using that setting. Exported audio sounds similar too if I listen to it using the same audio and monitoring devices. However, It rarely sounds similar if I use different audio and monitoring devices. Of course, as mentioned by Novikthewise, and again by Grim, randomized, modulated, and layered type sounds will most likely sound slightly different as they are unique for every playback or export.

Bottom line from me… the OP needs to try it and listen for themselves.

Regards :sunglasses:

I guess I should have said that, for me, it sounds similar when I render in place using that setting

“with current settings” is really just an instruction to re-use the last setting you used and not a setting of it’s own (if that makes any sense :slight_smile: ).
If you ever use a different setting to export (maybe to leave insert effects off the render) the next time you select render with current settings you will also leave the insert effects off…so then it would not be sounding as playback at all.

So to advise someone to use or to say that “with current settings” works for you, doesn’t mean much without knowing what your settings actually are.

Grim, thanks for the feedback. You replied to my posts several times saying it doesn’t mean much. Now maybe you will reply to the OP with some of your thoughts associated with his original question.

Regards :sunglasses:

giving the OP further information on advice they have been given that may not work for them is associated advice.
Other than that the previous posts had pretty much covered the answers.

If I have been insensitive in the way I have presented that information then I apologise.

You, and it wasn’t. I probably over reacted a bit. Trust me, I appreciate your posts. All good. :wink:

Regards. :sunglasses:

For the OP:

The answer is: sort of…but probably not 100% (think DNA test: “there is a 98.765% chance you are the father…”)

There have been folks over the years that have done “formal” and informal “tests” that have concluded there being a difference in what you hear in the exported mix-down file versus what you hear during normal playback.

I have had issues myself, occasionally, where some tracks don’t export properly or some VSTi or effect doesn’t make it into the mix-down…but these issues almost never happen when I use “Real-Time export,” and if it does, I can instantly hear it and check what is going on (usually something overlooked by myself - like forgetting to re-enable “read automation” on a track, mutes or sends, etc…)

In fact, for any critical mix-down I ALWAYS use “Real-Time export” for the reasons above…and then I also playback the file in a wave editor and carefully listen again using headphones. Generally, I am 98.765% satisfied enough with the export to sign off on a mix. YMMV

Had a problem with ProTools HD once where one of the tracks was missing… Bugs happen! But apart from that one all my exports, including Cubase are happily sounding exactly the same to me. I generally render spot effects that depend on timing, e.g. big deep flanging or fast specialised automation, so they’re the same each time on playback and therefore export.

Mike.