Playback Applications

[punkin]

What are you using for playback listening while working from the PC. I'm finding that various applications sound differently as compared to my tracking program (SONAR 6 Pro). I like to A/B everything against a couple different speaker pairs as well as playback applications.

Interestingly, I use Adobe Audition 2.0 as well as SONAR and both sound very very close to each other. However, when I export the tracks or tunes then play them back on say, Windows Media Player or the worst of all, WinRip (which seems to play everything a half or whole step down), my mixes end up sounding all screwy. My biggest gripe with Windows Media Player is that the EQ and recorded effects all seem to be exadurated.

So, tell me, what are you using?

[Seafroggys]

the main thing I noticed is the difference between my two computers (not my recording computer, my two workhorse computers). My newer one has an onboard card, but the odler one has a 6 year old Sound Blaster Live 5.1 on it. The SB Live has more warmth to it.....its very slight, but you can tell the difference. Basically it sounds better.

Sometimes I use Windows Media Player, other times, Winamp. I don't hear a difference between those 2, or those 2 and playing back through the DAW.

If it sounds drastically different, then there is something seriously wrong with the program or there are some sort of plugins/effects enabled, like Windows Media Player's Graphic EQ, etc.

[RAMI]

Depending on the type of file, or where it's being steamed from, my PC will automatically open files with either, WMP, VLC, Realplayer, etc....

I hear absolutely no difference in sound between any programs.

[pezking]

I've never got windows media player to play 24bit files. Is it possible?

That's one of the reasons I use WinAmp, that and it's much more efficient IMO.

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Winamp and NI's Traktor.

Media player is a big, fat greasey hog of an application that tends to lead me to execute some premptive re-boots after using it before I get serious on the computer, just in case.

No such concerns with Winamp or even Traktor. In fact when I'm in full DJ mode on my laptop, I have one copy or Traktor and two copies of Winamp running simultaneously, and that leaves my system cleaner afterwords than a single instance of MP will.

YMMV.

G.

[legionserial]

Winamp. Media Player is too resource intensive to be any use whilst doing anything else that might be slightly intensive on the PC at the same time. eg games etc. Winamp runs light with the defaults, and you can set it up to run even lighter.

[BushmasterM4]

Hmmm. I have a few Ipods, so I just use Itunes to listen to stuff. I have Music Match on another pc and like it. I do find there is a difference in the sound that each puts out. The standard eq's are different.

[cusebassman]

iTunes for most things, but I also use VLC (Videolan.org) for all video stuff, so sometimes when I have a test wav exported from Cubase, I just open it with VLC instead of going to the trouble of launching iTunes, getting it in the library, listening to it, THEN deleting it from both the desktop and my organised music folder.

Originally Posted by pezking

I've never got windows media player to play 24bit files. Is it possible?

That's one of the reasons I use WinAmp, that and it's much more efficient IMO.

http://www.mcse.ms/showpost.php?p=4715078&postcount=13

[pipelineaudio]

Originally Posted by danny.guitar

Sometimes I use Windows Media Player, other times, Winamp. I don't hear a difference between those 2, or those 2 and playing back through the DAW.

If it sounds drastically different, then there is something seriously wrong with the program or there are some sort of plugins/effects enabled, like Windows Media Player's Graphic EQ, etc.

yup

if you hear a difference between sonar and cool edit something is also broken, unless you have some evidence to the contrary

[bkkornaker]

i hear what your sayin........

when i use my Sonar 6 PE, and play a song through it.....and listen to the same song in Winamp.....they do sound different.

i notice the same when i listen to something in Wavelabes....and then play the same song in Winamp.......

--could it be that Sonar 6 has an internal 64 bit float? and everything sounds more crisp and open in sonar?