Playback volume vs Recording

Nuendo
#1

Hi Folks,

I’m sure there is a simple answer to this issue that I will be embarrassed that I didn’t know, but for a while now I’ve been experience a difference in volume on the same channel when I switch from recording to playback, the playback being lower.

My interface is a Lynx Aurora(n) - 24ch thunderbolt 2 - and Im running their standard Lynx Mixer not their new desk software. I’ve done everything I can to rule out the interface itself. All of the input channels are muted. The Aurora(n) has the annoying ability to foldback the inputs to the outputs without even going through its own mixer, I’ve made sure that isn’t it.

For Nuendo I’m running with the control room off and in tape machine style mode. Channels 1 and 2 are assigned to my mix output.
Again, I’ve been careful that I’m not getting any unexpected inputs or outputs open in the lynx mixer.

I noticed in the Core Audio Device Control Panel where one sets the recording buffer there’s a checkbox for “Set Device Attenuation for 0 db” - I usually have it checked.

Thank you for any help.

#2

Do you use Nuendo’s “Control Room”, by any chance? Most monitoring level issues happen here, most of the time by using speaker outputs as mix outputs, too.

#3

How significant is the level difference? It’s not that you’re recording on a mono channel but the track is outputting to stereo and it’s panned center, is it? In which case the Stereo Pan Law would apply and will be lower on the meters by different amounts depending on what you’re set to (see Project Setup)

#4

No, I specifically don’t use it. I have hardware control for my monitors and a 16 channel headphone system.

I have a Lynx Aurora(N) interface. I set outputs 1/2 as main outputs. And that’s it. I’ve wondered if it was something in the Lynx, but I just sent it out to be expanded to 32 channels so I’m using an Apollo x4 now and I’m having a similar issue.

#5

It still sounds like you have doubled up your outputs.

Have you tried with a new clean empty project and just the one audio track? And if so, can yo share some screenshots?

#6

Thanks for the interest Mattias - My interface is out being expanded at Lynx - arriving back in the studio on monday. I will do so when it arrives.

#7

I wish my RME 52 channel version did that, because Q Clone can visually show you what every single EQ plugin or hardware in the market does,
without plugging any extra cables. Also, Nuendo cannot pipe into its own input channels, but Pro tools, REAPER and many other DAWs can.

That being said, if you record a signal at 0dB, for example a simple sine wave, then it should playback at 0dB. What is your level difference?

#8

I had worked piled up waiting for me when my Lynx got back, but I experienced the same issue with an Apollo x4 interface. I’ll run a tone and get an exact measurement but it wasn’t subtle. I’d ballpark it around 3db.

I appreciate your interest. Sorry it’s taking me some time to run tests.

#9

I noticed the monitoring volume issue during recording versus playback starting with one of the N9 updates. It used to be unity. For me the recording level is lower than playback level. Was doing it on a RME AES-32 card and is doing it on the Lynx AES16 card I now use. Been a bit of a dance doing overdubs with the level issues. I use direct monitoring. Not sure it happens disabled. We just upgraded the studio’s system to Win10 will check out 10.3 to see if it still exists.

#10

So I finally got a chance to work on this. I trashed the Nuendo prefs (well…I archived them) and using test tones I’m not seeing the discrepancy now.

I’ve had other weird issues related to the prefs. My latency (without artifacts) had slowly grown to the point where regardless of track or dsp use I couldn’t reliably use anything lower than a 192 buffer at 88khz. I created a new Mac profile all together and that help enormously. I’m able to reliably use 128 now which yields a combined in/out latency of 6 or 7ms which is enough. Part of creating the new mac profile of course was that I got brand new Nuendo prefs in the process. I’m curious to see what new nuendo prefs in my old mac profile do for performance.

Another issue I just had last week was on a pretty large mix, my UAD DSP was close to maxing out and the client wanted a Waves plug that I didn’t own so I bought the plugin and with various deals they had got 3 more for $9 extra. I installed all 4 new Waves plugins. All of a sudden the mix project would crash while loading. It WOULD load if I disabled all 3rd party plugs. The error message I got said something about a UAD GUI not loading properly. Sure enough, I found that if I loaded a different project first with UAD plugs (from a computer restart) I could then close it and load the mix project and it would open, so it seems to be a UAD issue.

In the same project I’m using about 14 external FX - some stereo busses and some mono. One stereo send in particular would randomly offset either the left or right send by 6.5db. It wasn’t always the same side, and it didn’t happen every time - the change occurred with new boots of nuendo and re-opening the project. I was able to compensate with the output faders in the Lynx Mixer, but…very strange and troubling.

Again, hopefully clean prefs will help.