When I export audio from Dorico, I always feel that the audio quality is somehow less good than Dorico’s own actual playback.
What would be the proper export settings to get lossless audio export? (I’m using Dorico to drive NotePerformer in this case.)
Thank you!
The export is exactly the same as the realtime playback, unless you use MP3 format.
The WAV format is definitely lossless. FLAC stands for Free Lossless Audio Codec and as the name already suggests is also lossless despite the fact that it is a compressed audio format.
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What about the bit depth? Would that not make any difference?
And could you suggest an explanation why I find that it sounds better out of Dorico than out of Windows media player? Or is it just my imagination?
Which format are you exporting? MP3 uses lossy compression, so it will not contain as much information as a WAV or FLAC, although your ability to hear an audible difference will depend on your equipment and your ears.
Deleted post. Sorry
WMA doesn’t enter into the equation here. The exported file is either MP3, WAV, or FLAC.
On the Mac, there are apps like Rogue Amoeba’s Audio Hijack, which save the audio stream to disk. There may be similar for Windows. You could then compare the audio files in a Wave editor and see if there’s any meaningful difference.
I’ve saved lots of MP3 files from Dorico, and never thought that they sounded any different from playback in the app.
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Thanks everybody. What about the bit depth? I take it (from @Ulf 's screenshot) that 16-bit will capture the full dynamic range?
16-bit, 44.1K sampling rate (a Preferences > Play > Audio Device setting) is CD-quality audio.
Right, I remember that from the old days. But, is 16-bit what Dorico’s playback runs at? I guess it depends on my settings? In which case, since it seems to me that I’m running at 48-bit, should I export at 48-bit as well to get the identical playback in the exported .wav or .flac file?
Isn’t Media Player now a completely legacy app, although still available? On my WIndows 11 there appears to be no settings button at all. Could it be a sample rate mismatch? Since I never use it I have not delved into the Windows audio settings, but this could possibly account for a difference.
Can you try with the new Media Player?
48000 is the sample rate in Hz, not bits. 16 bit is the bit depth in bits. Two different aspects.
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Actually, I don’t want to delve too deep into the discussion. There are so many factors in the equation. First, does your preferred VSTinstrument / sound library support your desired bit rate? If the samples were recorded with 16 bit, what will happen if you play them back in a 24 bit system? Right, the additional 8 bits will get filled with zeros. Any gain in dynamics or sound quality? No.
So as usual, the weakest link in the chain defines the strength of a system.
And similarly also on the output side. Even if you have a 64 bit WAV file and stick it into a 16 bit media player, again, the additional bits will get chopped off. So you see, you have to regard the whole chain and not just one link.
And last point, yes, with 16 bit you have the same dynamic range of a CD recording.
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Noteperformer says it should be used at 44.1 kHz; I can’t find anything about the bit depth, but I suspect it is 16-bit.
I think you should check the Advanced Sound Configuration in the Windows Control Panel, there you will find if the bit rate is limited to 16 bits, which maybe could make a difference if your audio system in Dorico (ASIO driver) is working at 24 bits.
This probably doesn’t apply to your use-case, but I had the exact thing happen to me on my windows 11 machine. I use a scarlett 2i2 with Dorico on my Mac. After a project is complete, I transfer it to the windows machine (which has a PreSonus 18x24C) because that is where NPPE lives with all my libraries. I bounced and it sounded terrible out of the PreSonus. Turns out, a windows update somehow reset my channels 7 and 8 to mono, panned center. They were previously configured as a stereo pair with proper panning. It took me hours to track it down…
Again, probably not your issue, but hardware is also good to check.
I am using NP, as mentioned. So should I switch the driver (in the screenshot above) to 44.1kHz? Or does it make no difference?
Windows 11 seems to have the old “legacy” Media Player, as well as the new one. Both seem to sound okay to me.
There are people who claim they can hear the difference when music is not playing at the original bit-rate of the recording.
Though I’m fond of the old joke that an audiophile is someone who uses music to listen to his equipment.
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