CD Problems

[Jimmy2002]

Can anyone help i have a problem when home recording when i play my finished product in my recording software my volume is just how lound i want it but when i burn it on to cd i loose about 50% of the volume can any1 tell me why. thanks.

 

[jonhall5446]

You should search other posts about this topic. This is the first question I asked when I joined this forum. I learned quickly that this has been discussed a few times. I will say that you loose about 8db of volume by the time you get it to cd. You will just have to live with it unless you plan to have it mastered. Whatever you do, don't compress the stereo bus.

 

[Massive Master]

If you're actually experiencing a change in volume from your DAW to your CD, there's probably a problem somewhere...

Try extracting the file FROM the CD and put it on another track in the DAW and see if they're actually the same volume - They should be.

If it's just a "not-as-loud-as-this-band's-disc" thing, then yeah, it's likely a mastering issue.

 

[Farview]

If you're actually experiencing a change in volume from your DAW to your CD, there's probably a problem somewhere...

Try extracting the file FROM the CD and put it on another track in the DAW and see if they're actually the same volume - They should be.

If it's just a "not-as-loud-as-this-band's-disc" thing, then yeah, it's likely a mastering issue.

The third time's the charm

 

[masteringhouse]

Can anyone help i have a problem when home recording when i play my finished product in my recording software my volume is just how lound i want it but when i burn it on to cd i loose about 50% of the volume can any1 tell me why. thanks.

Make sure that you are comparing apples to apples.

Run a 1K tone at a reference level (I use -14dBFS) from the DAW to your console and measure 0 on a VU meter. Then burn a CD of this tone making sure that it reads -14dBfs in the burning software. Next place this CD in your player and have it also read 0 on the VU meter. Also make sure that you are not comparing a consumer level (-10 dbV) from the CD player to Pro (+4 dbU) from the DAW.

 

[Apple]

Sound Forge and CD Architect

I'm having the same problem with decreased volume in the finished CD using Sound Forge. Much more so that with a stand alone CD burner. I haven't finished evaluating CD architect, but I bought the software in the hopes I would not have that situation. I'm not sure what CD architect does, but it looks like it's more what you need if you are wanting really format a cd nice.Just what do I need to get to make copies of my recordings that have a little punch? At this point, I'm just trying to a make a nice, clear, hot copy of one song to send to a publisher. I would prefer that he would not have to make volume adjustments. He may not listen to it a second time.

 

[Farview]

Listen to what mastering house says.
If you have sound forge, open the normalize window, choose scan level, and see what the rms level is (-12 is reletively loud, -9 is insane)

Burn that to a cd.

Re-import the song from the cd and scan the level again. If it says the same thing, then the volume drop is a calibration problem between sound forge and the cd player. (which means you don't really have a problem)

 

[Apple]

Thanks. I'll go home and try that.