Playback audio quality problem

I just got a new Nord Lead A1 and when I listen to the monitored signal in Cubase it sounds great. But when I then record it and play it back it’s lower in volume and it’s not a detailed and high end sounding anymore.

Isn’t the input signal and the playback supposed to sound exactly alike?

How are you monitoring it? Through cubase? Or through your interface (zero latency)?

If it’s through cubase then the slider on the track could be pegged and the trim could be way up blasting you but it wouldn’t change the recording.

With digital audio it’s not important to get HOT audio tracks like it was with tape.

Really low audio signals can be brought up without background noise problems.

I use a compressor on a track to bring it up and I normalize the audio a lot of times.

Setting levels is very important. I get it where you can’t tell if I’m playing guitar or playing back a track.

For guitar the re amping setup, record dry, monitor wet.

Stereo keyboards I like a UAD La2a plugin on the track.

I don’t even know how I’m monitoring acually :confused: How can I tell if I’m doing one or the other?

If you turn up the monitor volume does it sound like you expected in the first place?

everything’s fine, I found out what I was doing wrong. Thanks for the help!

Great, but help the people who come later and let’em know what you found out! :slight_smile:

When you press the monitor button on the track you should hear the instrument plugged into the input selected.

When you click it again you should be unable to hear it.

Then you’re monitoring in real time and you can use and hear insert effects.

The other way is if your audio interface allows you to monitor directly through the interface, bypassing cubase.

You can have both on at the same time which gets confusing.

I had both on, that was the problem. So when I pressed the monitor button and listened I had a louder signal than when I played the recorded part back. And as we all know we perceive louder as better sounding