having a problem at mixdown

  • Thread starter Thread starter skiz
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skiz

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hey guys,

this problem is really annoying me and i really dont understand why its doing this or how to prevent it..

when i mix down a track, my kick and snare lose all definition and just dont sound as good as they did in cubase.. ill get my kick sounding nice so it has a good deal of attack and presence and my snare so that it has a nice bite and when i mix down it just loses it.

im recording firewire into cubase thru a firepod. recording in at 24bit and 96khz and when i mix down i go like this

audio mixdown > wave > stereo interleaved > enable effects and automation and i mix down at 24bit and 96khz

i really dont know why this is happening but its really frustrating!!

any one know this problem or any solutions?

also im using the same monitors i use for mixing to listen back. they are samson PA speakers that run thru a behringer (sp?) powered mixer. they have no EQ on them and ive also turned the EQ on winamp off.
 
If they sound good alone and not good in the drum mix (ie; with the overheads), it could be a phasing problem. If your kik and/or snare are out of phase with the overheads, they will sound thin and dead.
Next time you record, make sure the 2 overheads are equal distance away from the kik and snare. If not, at the very least, make sure they're equal distance from the snare.

For now, you can flip the polarity on the kik and snare and see if that helps.
 
well listening to the whole mix in cubase sounds great. they all play together and sound great so i dont think its a phase prob. the problem only starts when i make a single wave file from the mix.

i would expect the mixed down wav file to sound exactly the same as the mix in cubase sounds.. am i wrong to think that?
 
Have you tried playing it back on another system. Maybe Winamp is f-ing it up.
 
Haaa! I see I am not the only one with this problem. Mine does the EXACT same thing except I am using Logic. My hardware is different as well, but it still does the same thing. I can play the project and it sounds great but it will lose kick and snare when bounced to a wav. I have tried all options while bouncing too (interleaved, dithering, no dithering, etc).....still the same. Wow I though I was losing my mind until I saw this. If anyone knows I am curious as well.
 
Maybe too obvious, but....Are you guys by any chance limiting or compressing somewhere in the rendering process? Or are you comparing the same exact file rendered with no processing in between?
 
nah its nothing like that for me RAMI.. but i have figured out my problem!

when i listen back in cubase, im listening back thru the firepod main output right? then after i mix down and listen back to the track, im listening through my soundcard on my pc which is just an audigy soundblaster gaming soundcard.

the way i figured this out is because after i mix down to a single wav file the other day, i wanted to test if it was the sound card, so i imported the wav file back into cubase to listen back through my firepod and it sounds great. identical to whats in cubase.

now does this mean it will sound shit on all computers? or what can i do to make it sound better all round?
 
skiz said:
nah its nothing like that for me RAMI.. but i have figured out my problem!

when i listen back in cubase, im listening back thru the firepod main output right? then after i mix down and listen back to the track, im listening through my soundcard on my pc which is just an audigy soundblaster gaming soundcard.

the way i figured this out is because after i mix down to a single wav file the other day, i wanted to test if it was the sound card, so i imported the wav file back into cubase to listen back through my firepod and it sounds great. identical to whats in cubase.

now does this mean it will sound shit on all computers? or what can i do to make it sound better all round?
Click to expand...

Glad you figured out what was going on. What is your mixing environment? Monitors, amps, etc. There shouldn't be that grave of a difference if you really do have a good mix. The fidelity may change from source to source - playing on a boom-box, playing in car on a Jensen stereo with Kraco speakers (I might have had this combo when I first started driving :D) - whatever - but your mix should be able to hold up.

What is your Firepod hooked up to, and what is your Soundblaster out hooked up to? The same monitor system?
 
skiz said:
nah its nothing like that for me RAMI.. but i have figured out my problem!

when i listen back in cubase, im listening back thru the firepod main output right? then after i mix down and listen back to the track, im listening through my soundcard on my pc which is just an audigy soundblaster gaming soundcard.

the way i figured this out is because after i mix down to a single wav file the other day, i wanted to test if it was the sound card, so i imported the wav file back into cubase to listen back through my firepod and it sounds great. identical to whats in cubase.

now does this mean it will sound shit on all computers? or what can i do to make it sound better all round?
Click to expand...

You will have to check your mix on as many systems as you can. Listen in the car, home stereo, computer, and even check it in mono.

Instead of importing back into Cubase why don't you just make the Firepod your default soundcard.
 
my firepod runs into a behringer powered mixer that powers my samson PA speakers. i use these for mixing and for listening back thru my soundcard.

so they running thru the same exact system
 
i agree with the statement that the mix should be able to hold up on all systems, as obviously normal professionally recorded and mixed music sounds fine thru the sound card..

but i have no idea what i could do to make the mix sound good all round then because i like what i hear when it plays back from the firepod :(
 
ok im gonna ask a newb question... :o

how can i connect the firepods S/PDIF out to the mixer? the way ive connected it for play back was is has a L and R for main out and you just use jack to jack to connect to a stereo channel on the mixer for L and R and it works great for listening to the mix..

but when i set the firepod to be the main soundcard for the computer theres no sound and i need to connect that S/PDIF out but im not sure what connection it is..

09%20Back%20panel%20-%20SPDIF%20and%20MIDI.jpg


is that RCA? cause ive only seen RCA having left and right rca plugs
 
When you say PA speakers, are we talking large speakers used for live performance venues? Probably OK to check a mix on these type of speakers, but I wouldn't rely on them soley for good mixes. Essentially, you get to know your monitors (self powered or hooked up to a power amp) and with work and time, you should be able to create good or at least decent mixes. Not sure what you have available to you, but if you are hoping to get closer to a good sound, a decent pair of monitors would help along with of course working on your skills. I won't get into room treatment...

s/pdif isn't analog - it's not a typical rca connection, although the plug looks the similar. This is a digital connection and usually carries two channels of audio digitally from one source to another. I have connected a two channel pre-amp to a Firepod I used to have actually, using this connection (pre-amp s/pdif out to Firepod s/pdif in).

HTH.
 
Last edited:
warble2 said:
I have connected a two channel pre-amp to a Firepod I used to have actually, using this connection (pre-amp s/pdif out to Firepod s/pdif in).

HTH.
Click to expand...

what cable did you use to make this connection? whats the connection type called?
 
skiz said:
ok im gonna ask a newb question... :o

how can i connect the firepods S/PDIF out to the mixer? the way ive connected it for play back was is has a L and R for main out and you just use jack to jack to connect to a stereo channel on the mixer for L and R and it works great for listening to the mix..

but when i set the firepod to be the main soundcard for the computer theres no sound and i need to connect that S/PDIF out but im not sure what connection it is..

09%20Back%20panel%20-%20SPDIF%20and%20MIDI.jpg


is that RCA? cause ive only seen RCA having left and right rca plugs
Click to expand...

You should be able to set the analog L/R you are running to your mixer as your primary outputs. I'm not familiar with the firepod so I can't tell you how but I would be surprised if that wasn't an option. You might want to start by disabling the on board soundcard.
 
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