Hello,
is there simple answer why Im hearing output distortion from wavelab with already mastered song, but when Im play same song from some free player like Aimp I cant hear any distortion? Im using UR44 as interface. Is it related to true peaks over 0dBFS (and for example players has some limiter to avoid distortion)?
I guess you do not disable plugins after you have rendered.
Im pretty surre that I disabled everything in master section.
Did you manage to find the problem ?
I found that the audio engine in wavelab distorts above 0dBFs , maybe a configuration. I do the same experiment in Reaper and i see the master meter going above 0dBFs to +4 or 5 without distortion.
Maybe its just the way wavelab audio engine is created. Hope someone with better knowloedge of this can reply.
All the best
Do you listen to wav’s or MP3 files?
regards S-EH
Wave 48KHz 24.
As soon it goes up 0dBFs it distorts
From other tests i did, the only software that creates distortion above 0 dBFs is Wavelab.
tested Reaper, Pyramix and Cubase. None has this behavior. I just noticed because i was peaking some frequencies on a mastered reference and there was a lot of distortion. I tend to lock the master faders at unity because i never use them.
Clipping above 0dBFS? Really?
Maybe you should learn knitting…
Sorry i meant distortion above 0dFBs.
Would you mind doing that test for us ?
Thanks for your reply.
Which test?
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My doubt here is, the way the distortion sounds compared to Pyramix and Reaper when the signal is above 0dBFs, maybe with time ill make a video or something to show here.
I am fully aware of clipping a digital signal and how it sounds. Its just very different from other programs i use.
I guess its just the Wavelab audio engine being really different from what i used to.
But just to clarify, i never have signal above zero, that is not the point! i just noticed this nasty distortion while i was checking a reference master the client sent me and peaking some frequencies with the eq.
I think you should look into where those other programs say 0 dBFS is compared to Wavelab - meaning the reference could be different.
Creating a file from the sound generator (white noise @ -1 dB for instance) might give you a clue.
but in the montage your level is above 0 dB!
regards S-EH
Hi S-EH. The track in the montage is a mastered track, hard limited has you can see in the image. For sure they used a brickwall set to a - 0.5 ceiling.
My only issue here is how the distortion sounds compared to other daws when the signal exceeds the 0 dBFs. It sounds very awful. The same master in pyramix pushed above the 0 doesn’t soundlike this, even in reaper.
I guess that’s just the way the audio engine is set on different daws.
All are set to 64 bit floating point internal mixer.
Same file sounds different when above 0. I will make a video so it’s easy to understand.
Most times when I do “extreme mastering” in hop hop or rap I set the maximum output on my FAB L-2 to -.3 dB. I don’t hear any distortion. You did not say what your mastering monitor chain consists of. Here it is a Crane Song Avocet I into a Bryston Power Amp and into a pair of ALON-IV speakers. For headphones it is a Benchmark DAC-1 in to a pair of AT 60 headphones. Can you give us some idea of your whole monitoring chain? Thanks
Im using Merging technologies Anubis currently.
No plugins or hardware in this test, simple 48KHz 24 bits file in the audio montage.
I believe the distortion I’m listening is the converters clipping.
Like i mentioned before, and using the exact same converter, on other DAWs the distortion is very different and starts @ ±8dBFs.
In wavelab is immediately after the 0dFBs.
That is strange. I have about 5 DAWs on my Windows 10 computer and none of them, including WL are doing what you are hearing. Could it be the way you have WL setup? It seems in this particular case that WL that is the problem. Where do you have your master faders set? Are you using any post processing or speaker management setups that are hidden? So many unknowns… BEST OF LUCK! and do let us know if you find the problem as it would help us all.
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Hi Thomas.
Master faders set to zero, usually i dont use the master section.
No ClipFX or any sort of processing.
In my settings i only have speaker arrangement 1# out 1 Left and 2 Right to the Anubis main outs.
i remember once that i had some distortion and removed the outputs and setting up again it solved the problem, not the case here im afraid.
nothing on the external gear
and:
Distorting after 0dB is normal.
Starting to distort @ ±8dBFs is not normal. There must be a limiter or whatever in your audio chain.