DAW audio output modified

[Angramme]

I don't know if I'm accurate with my prediction but I think the audio from Cakewalk is being modified before being fed to the speakers. What do I base this theory on? Well when I export my audio it sounds different when played back in VLC or similar software (more on that here: 

)

But once I load it back inside the DAW and play it, it sounds like the original project! at first I thought that the problem lies in the export but now my theory is: ( I will use the term "weird compression" to signify the potential DAW internal audio "routing" bug ) [my routing is correct, all buses going to master, and master to audio interface]

- my original project audio played inside the DAW is going through some weird compression or something thus it sounds different than in reality.

- when I export it, the DAW exports it without  the weird compression so I hear the real audio when I play back the exported version.

- once I import back the exported audio inside the DAW it once again applies the weird compression thus audio sounds the same as the original project but it's not the real audio

That's just my speculation, meaby the problem is somewhere else. If you know what it might be please tell me   but if I'm somehow right, how do I fix it?

EDIT:

Use sort by date if you want to understand the whole conversation

Edited May 5, 2019 by Angramme

[Angramme]

On 5/1/2019 at 7:44 PM, Base 57 said:

Also check that Windows itself is not the culprit. Right click the audio icon in the Windows Taskbar. Open playback device/ properties - there is an enhancements tab there as well.

I can't find the "playback device" in the dropdown menu it shows. I only have volume mixer, audio settings, surround ( off ),  sounds, resolve audio problems

PS: I'm using window 10

[Angramme]

On 5/1/2019 at 7:44 PM, Base 57 said:

Also try copying the file to your phone or tablet.

On 5/3/2019 at 2:07 PM, Chuck E Baby said:

Your phone might not have a codec to play the wav file. Thus it just sounds white noise over your phone speaker. IDK.

I do know WMP and VLC are not great for dissecting mixes, only for a basic listen.

So I tried mp3, for some reason it didn't want to export using clips as source category so I used hardware outputs instead. I soloed the bounced tracks and put it's output directly to hardware output.

The errors were the same as before on my PC

BUT IT SOUNDS CORRECT ON MY PHONE!!!!!!!! so the error is surely on playback and you were right all along, it's windows fault (because the error persists everywhere no matter where I play it back audacity chrome vlc etc...)

You were right all along mettelus:

On 5/1/2019 at 6:56 PM, mettelus said:

Therein lies the issue. Windows Media Player has a truckload of sound enhancements internal to the program. All media players have some sort of mixer to my knowledge, so in addition to Windows itself, each program would need to be checked.

The export from Cakewalk will reflect the options of the export dialog, so if a media player sounds differently, check the settings for any mixers or sound enhancements. Based on your issue, it seems they are engaged in your media player.

Now the question is how do I turn this off on my computer? Is it on by default or meaby I did something stupid somewhere in settings some time ago? I hope it's not on by default because it would be impossible to make music that sounds correct everywhere.

PS: I hope I didn't kill this thread by going silent for 2 days and someone will respond  

Edited May 4, 2019 by Angramme

[Angramme]

Yes I just found the solution and went to write it here for everyone to see and I see your comment  yes it was kinda the solution 1, but it was actually in Enchancements tab and I had to enable the "disable all enchancements" option. I also left Dolby FX on as it didn't change much. And that fixed it, THANKS TO ALL!

PS: I don't know which answer to accept as a solution because all of them were really helpful   and technically mine solves the problem  Also I removed my vote ups on your answers because it messed with the order so it would be potentially confusing for future readers.

Edited May 4, 2019 by Angramme

[Zev Weinstein]

This solution was so simple and effective, and has solved the cause for so much grief, it merits re-confirming independently how to get an exported audio file to sound very close to the Cakewalk original DAW output: "...in Enchancements tab and I had to enable the "disable all enchancements" option."

[pazman6]

On 4/30/2019 at 6:42 PM, Base 57 said:

Let me see if I can help.

  1. Open your project in Cakewalk and start it playing . While playback is in progress mute the master bus. Is it then silent? If you don't have silence there is a routing problem. If it is silent then...

  2.  Adjust the master fader so that the volume never peaks above  -1  (at this point most people don't go above  -3).

  3. Instead of exporting the mix, bounce it to a new track (Select all, then click the Tracks tab in the Track View header and then click the Bounce to Tracks option - the Bounce menu will open - in the source category  choose buses and then highlight only the Master bus then click OK).

  4. When the bounce is complete, solo the resulting track and route it's output directly to the hardware output. Play it back. It should sound exactly the same as the mix (if it does not come back here and let us help you figure out why).  If it sounds right trim any unwanted time from the beginning and the end, add fade in and fade out, then bounce the clip to itself (If you want it to play back a little louder you can Normalize it to -1).

  5. Select your finished clip (rename it now from the right click menu if you wish) and export it (don't use the Export button- instead use File/Export/Audio - in the Source Category choose Clips - set your desired sample rate, bit depth, and dither). When exporting clips there is no need to enter a file name. The clip name will be the name of the resulting file.

 

I hope this helps. FWIW I never export mixes. The above method may seem complicated but once you have done it a couple of times you will see the logic behind it...

 

Or not.

 

I was noticing when I exported my audio, the final track didn't have the same level as the master bus - your post finally showed me how to do it and gt the levels I was wanting to see.  You rule!!!!!!!!

[Roberto Oksman de Aragão]

Found the culprit!

I was having the same problem here and, boy, what a mess!

My "Enhancements" tab under the device property on Windows had every little box unchecked, like "Bass Boost", "Virtual Surround et al.

When I clicked on "Disable all enhancements", the sound from Groove became the same as in my DAW.

So, thank you Windows for saying that not having anything selected isn't the same as having everything disabled...