I have a project playing in a theme park ride that was composed and played on Cubase LE (15 years ago?) It uses 8 separate outs (4 Stereo busses panned LR) to play separate tracks to different areas of the ride. I needed to replace the computer and also the audio interface since it used Firewire and was not compatable with the new computer. That old interface was a Presonus Firepod with 8 ins and outs. To replace the old audio interface I switched to a Scarlett 18i-20 OctoPre second generation (8 ins and outs) that I had on hand. The project appeared to transfer fine to Cubase 13. It played, wave files were where they should be, I did have to pan and reset volume levels (they transferred at 0 Db) and I matched what had played on the old Cubase LE. The entire show played perfectly and sounded deep and rich on the old Cubase LE and and OctoPre. (Everything after that, amps, etc… are exactly the same in both old and new setups.) The problem is that almost everything plays much MUCH quieter in the project when brought over to Cubase 13 and seems thinner. I tried creating a brand new project and just importing the same WAV files and it is the same problem. I tried playing through another audio interface I had (A Volt) and it seemed fine but it was only 2 channels so I was switching cables, not really the same situation sending 8 out at once. I tried a different computer and that does not make a difference. Is there anything anyone knows of that would cause this in the transfer from Cubase LE to Cubase 13? ( I also changed out the USB cable for the audio interface and no difference.) Remember when I revert to the old system, everything sounds great. But I can’t stay with the old system because thebcomputer was crashing during the day. Thanks in advance for any ideas.
Hi and welcome to the forum!
Is it not simply a case of the output of the Scalett 18i-20 itself being lower than that of the Presonus Firepod? Perhaps you can compare the technical specifications of the two … for example, what is the stated output (in mV or dBu) of each device (and into what impedance, e.g. 600R or 10k)?
Thanks, I’ll compare that first thing tomorrow. My tech I was talking to who sells the products says there shouldn’t be any difference, but I will check myself, because it sure seems like it points to that. I’ll update here tomorrow after I check.
Could it be a simple case of computer overheating after a while?
Especially in a dusty environment (industrial or simply cat hair!), the heat sinks can get clogged and not able to do their required job anymore…
You would be surprised how often an old computer resuscitated after we carefully vacuumed the inside of the box, esp. the CPU heatsinks!
This is not answering your original question, but could buy you some time with the old setup.
Yes, I think it is exactly that with the old computer overheating. However, the ride is closed for about a month longer for refurbishment and I am hoping to upgrade now. I think it would be wise for me to have that issue solved once I get it running on the new system, just to have a back up (the old system) ready to go. Thank you!
UPDATE: The Main OUT impedance on the old Presonus Firepod was 51 Ohms and the Out impedance on the Scarlett was 430 Ohms which makes me to believe that is why the Presonus Firepod is louder. We couldn’t find any other corresponding specs for comparison. I am looking online at the Presonus Quantum HD8 channel and it also has 51 Ohms for the Main Out impedance. +18 Dbu maximum output level. The only other Max output level we found was for the Scarlett 15.5 Dbu. So to us, it looks like we should replace the Presonus Firepod with the Presonus Quantum HD8. Does that make sense? Remember the original Presonus FirePod worked perfectly, just used Firewire.
I wouldn’t be too concerned about the difference in the output impedances of the interfaces (they would both be considered “low” impedance at 51R and 136R/576R*) as long as they’re feeding high impedance inputs.
So what’s the input impedance of the amplifier(s)?
I found the spec for the OctoPre (2nd gen) at this link and on page 13 it states that the line outputs can deliver at least +16dBu which should more than enough.
The amplifier input impedance is 12kOhms Balanced. We have 2 QSC direct 70V amplifiers CX204V, each handles 4 of the 8 output channels. The speakers in the ride are Atlas Sound and I know at least our subs FAPSUB are 70V/100v-60W. Vaguely I thought when this system was put in it was a 70V system. There isn’t any chance the Scarlett interface is not compatible with that is there?
12k input impendance on the amp is pretty standard, and the outputs of all of the interfaces mentioned should work fine feeding such an input, whether 51R, 136R or 576R. I can’t see any reason (electrically) why the sound should be noticeably different using the OctoPre.
Can you install Cubase LE on the new computer, copy the exact same (LE) project from the old computer and see if there’s any difference when playing the exact same project using Cubase LE?
I don’t know. I’ll see if I can accomplish that tomorrow. I don’t see LE on the Cubase downloads (it’s so old) and not sure if I can copy the program from the old computer. I will see what I can do. Thank you. I’ll keep you posted.
Perhaps more simply, just try playing a standard audio file from new PC (to rule out Cubase altogether). If the media player volume is set to full (0dB) then you should see full output from the OctoPre.
I just tried to do that, but I don’t have any way that I know of to read the levels out of the Scarlett 18i20. The front panel is only input reading I believe. By the way, we are convinced now this is the 18i20, not the OctoPre. Sweetwater last sold me an OctoPre by our records, but this one only says 18i20 and when we match up photos online, we do not this it is the OctoPre, but the 18i20.
Mmm … I should have spotted that anomaly in your original post! Nevertheless, looking at the spec for the 18i20 found here, I think it’s the same: up to +16dBu on TRS on the rear analog outputs. That’s a massive signal that should be able to drive (or melt) any amplifier!
How about this: the 18i20 is a USB device – can you install the drivers on the old PC if it’s still available, and run your original Cubase LE through the 18i20 as a test?
I don’t have any Scarletts but I believe the Focusrite Control app should display the levels going into the 18i20. You may need to choose the legacy drivers for the old PC.
We determined the problem is with the Focusrite. When we played directly from YouTube or another file yesterday, not going through Cubase, and listened carefully, the bass was very thin, appeared to be big gaps in frequencies coming through. We are replacing the Focusrite with the Presonus Quantum. Thank you for your help!
Cool – let us know how you get on! 
I replaced the audio interface with a Presonus Quantum HD and all is good. Volumes play slightly different from the old Presonus FirePod but all rich and full and plenty of volume. Thanks for your help.
great!
Still curious why the Scarlett didn’t work though … oh well!