Volume fluctuation in mixdown

  • Thread starter Thread starter ekimosis
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ekimosis

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Hello!

When monitoring in Cubase everything sounds fine. Once I mix it down the volume abruptly decreases after a few seconds and then goes back to normal later in the song. Its almost as if there is some automation on the entire mix...maybe I did automation on some output bus Im not seeing? I just see the minor automation I put on a couple tracks. I know this isnt alot to go by but any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Justin
 
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Look for an automation track, select it and go into list edit and look for data that was recorded by mistake. If you play your song and stop where the incidents happen, it should be there.

Sometimes there's more than one automation track.

Muting the automation track(s) can show you if that's what it is.
 
I have all of the "read automation" buttons off on the individual tracks and it souds like its the entire mix. Is there a place where automation could be being put on the final mix that I might have accidently written?
 
Since it happens a few seconds in and a few seconds from the end I wondered if its some auto compression setting?
 
ekimosis said:
Since it happens a few seconds in and a few seconds from the end I wondered if its some auto compression setting?
Click to expand...

Yes it could be. Everything you do in the compression and eq screens is automation-able as well as stuff in the mixers.

So open up any compressor etc that you might have been using and watch them in the bars where the problems are.

Good chance that's it - it's happened to me before!

When you find it you can go into the automation track(s), locate the data and erase it.
 
Plus make sure you can see the entire mixer. When you expose what's on the right in the mixer screen you'll see the Bus faders, and those can be automated too.

If Cubase is stopped, and a "write" button is activated, you can
enter stuff in step mode. That can cause exactly what you're going through 'cause you might think you're just trying stuff out but you're actually step writing commands.
 
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Im not sure where Id see step automation. I have not added any effects compression or anything. Ive made as much automation visible as I can see...as in the indivual tracks on the visual display and the main output. They are all straight lines. Im not sure if there is some other place where automation may exist. If so...please let me know where I might found some hidden window I may not be seeing. Thanks for your patience with my noobness!

I appreciate the help so far and I looked into these suggestions. Again, I never put any compression on any of the tracks or the main track. I have checked everything I can imagine for any automation and see none. I even clicked the"mute all automation." Also, I watched all the volumes in the mixer while playing it and I heard the volume issue but did not see volumes change in the program as it would with automation. This brings me to a variable I didnt initially notice. When I listen through my Presonus I do NOT hear this volume fluctuation. When I monitor through my computer speakers AND when I mixdown...in both instances I hear the problem. I am wondering if I have a wrong setting in my output? As far as I can tell it just automaticlly set up my output bus and I didnt really do anything to it. I think it just says "stereo" and under bus it says something like "none chosen". So, Im just at whatever it defaulted at. I assume if I had an issue there I wouldnt get ANY sound in the mixdown. Any further suggestions?
 
Here is a mediafire link to a quick 16 second song. Its really rudimentary punk stuff so excuse the style.

http://www.mediafire.com/?2limjlhmmtn

Please help! Im lost. Baffles me why it sounds perfect through Presonus but when played through my PC speakers or mix it down it does this fluctuating. Seems to me it couldnt be in the actual recorded audio...somethings not getting translated correctly.

i have vista dual 1.8ghz, 3gb ram

presonus firestudio
i have a shit sound card. can a bad sound card cause an issue with the mixdown?
 
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ekimosis - just saw this...

If the "read" button (has an "R" on it) isn't activated on any track or in the mixer on any track, then the automation isn't being read. So turning that off would be a way to check to see if it's to do with automation.

If you made a cd of the song, does the problem happen if you play that cd on a totally different system (portable cd player, car)?

I'm wondering if your soundcard can't handle what you're asking it to do. It kinda sounds like that whereas the Prosonus is fine.
 
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