I noticed that when I create a mixdown in Studio One, it sounds different than what I hear in the mixer.

I've read some people complaining at the same thing, but now I did a simple test, importing the wav file back to the project, checking the levels and doing na A-B comparisson. It's using the same interface, same bitrate, everything is the same. Tried with dithering on and off. The audio seems dull to me, as if it lost some 3D information, it sounds much more flat.

Tried Studio One 3.1 and two earlier releases as well... same result.

Did the same test in Samplitude, and there the mixdown sounds just the way it is in the mixer.

Is anybody having the same experience? Am I going nuts? =)

 

No you are not going nuts.. I found the same thing.. Its f#cking strange! Not just Studio One tho..

 

Possible answer: Your plugins can be automatically set to different settings (e.g.: 4x oversampling) when doing offline render.

 

In this case, wouldn't the mixdown be better than live?
Beside that, in the tests I did, I used no plugin whatsoever... Indeed this is strange.

 

"Better" is a subjective thing. Sure, some people prefer the aliased sound, as it has more hi frequency content (which some people think equals "quality"). Then the antialiased (oversampled) material can sound "dull" to them.

But as you did not use any plugins, it's rather not the case here.

 

I know what you're talking about. That has been my main qualm about Studio One. There is a noticeable loss of transparency after an internal mixdown. And the realtime recording is no better. Try increasing your buffer setting to the max just to render the mixdown. That's the only thing I hadn't tried before. I prefer Studio One so I started recording externally after I saw no improvement made on the internal mixdown feature.

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2016

Yep,noticed it as well compared to Cubase.

 

Let's wait for No.1 producers army to chime in.... they will set you all straight... with how much plays, releases on bla,bla, they have... how it's zero's and one's...

Have you tried to compare 32-bit float bounce with a live project?
I know for a fact that in some DAWs what you hear live can be different from a bounced file. Because of a jitter or whatever, live playback has intermittent "gaps", you most likely won't hear it, but subliminally, it can give you impression that you hear the difference, because, well, there actually are a difference. That's concerning strictly multiple audio files playback on a single track, not one single file. Dumbasses null test.... Funny thing is that DAW bounces would match between other DAWs, but the same bounce from the same daw can't be matched against live playback.... not always the case, though.

BTW, like most DAWs Studio one is using dithering for 24/16-bit bounce, unless you explicitly "opted-out" in settings. In that case try 32-bit, if you haven't already or find that dithering setting, once again, if you didn't turn it off already.

 

I did an AB test of this...I have good news and I have bad news:
1.The good news is that you are wrong!
2.The bad news is that you are perceiving a difference that isn't there :-(

My set up
1.A complexly empty S1 session
2. loaded a construction kit from a loop library (basically a fully created track loop)
3.Exported the loop back into Studio one (by selecting import to track)
3. I didn't touch any parameter at all , not a slider not a knob...All I did at this point was to Mute the imported track and then simply click the solo button on and off to A/B the imported track and the track in session .......and there was ABSOLUTELY NO LOSS OR GAIN OF ANYTHING!....Both tracks sounded Identical.

Here's the Audio file here for yourself... https://www.dropbox.com/s/lekwdkiqimzw7w8/testing missing 3D.mp3?dl=0

When the track starts to loop is where at every other loop I'm switching between the original track in session against the exported track....What lost of 3D are you guys hearing?

FYI :There is a small dip of volume at the beginning of every loop...that's because the piano hit that starts at every loop is being side chained , I added no side chain to this track...everything you hear is from that loop library.. As you can hear it happens on both original session and exported file!

 

Last edited: Jul 29, 2016

Why are you so sure he and many others are wrong and hear something that isn't there? Maybe it's a problem of settings or something else you did "right".

 

Probably one of the S1 employees.

 

may be a stupid question but ... are you running a dilithering plug-in when you mix down and what format ae you mixing down to?

 

Cubase Elements 8 is free of charge - just set the system clock to somewhere in the future before installation and be free of these quazi but actually 'sucking-up-to-electro-cannot-play-a-single-instrument-musicians' daws!

 

Steinberg's bitch is back, too bad they've gone cheap type and not escort.
I've had no clue they were hiring people for this kind of job until now. Good job, get the money, times are tough.

 

That's an easy question.
1. I can't know what he or she is hearing (obviously I'm not in there studio)
2. I can only Run a test based on "His/Her description" and that's the critical part.

Based on what was described. To summarize the OP (importing an exported track from Studio One, not sounding the same as the source or session if you will) You do not need any extra knowledge to run a test based on what was described...on ANY DAW!

Not only did I do my own test that you and everyone can perform...I even supplied an Audio example for anyone to criticize...this is an Audio based Forum right? ...and I have yet to hear anyone say that they hear a clear difference between the original session and the exported track switching back and forth.

But what you will find is people saying "yea...there is a difference in a live DAW sound versus an exported version of the track"...but for what ever reason they, don't upload Any Audio of any type to allow others to compare and take a listen to...they want you to accept what ever they write becausssseee.........we'll......internet.

 

Have you tried to record the real time mix on two tracks and null it with the rendered mix?

 

Sorry..is this for the Op or me?

 

Mmmmmh maybe both.. the only method to verify if a = b

 

Sure, some one should try it...Not ME...I'm extremely confident that there is absolute Zero difference based on the test I did...So those who only contribute comic relief on the forum should do a null test , take the file I uploaded slice 1 bar then slice the following bar...see if they null, but of course they wont, it's much easier to act like you know then to back a claim with proof!

 

The session I did the test was in 24bit/44kHz. Yes, dithering is off. The mixdown file was done with the same settings. I didn't try the 32bit you suggest, but I will. Thanks!