Left Channel level drop after first play.

[user7138898860557991]

I have run out of troubleshooting  ideas.
Maybe somebody else has encountered this?

 

V2202.22 build 39

I have a UR44C. If I open Cakewalk and play a project or a single mono track everything plays fine.
If I rewind and play it again the left channel drops by about 10db.

It's a problem since the last update but I can't remember what version I updated from.
I deleted and re-installed but no fix.

I downloaded and installed Reaper to make sure it wasn't the sound card.

Asio drivers stable latency. Windows 11, recent i7 64 bit  16Gb ram.
I will try it on another computer but it is strange that it works first time through.

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

[John Vere]

What does your master bus meter show?  What do the sub bus meters show?  What do the track meters show? 
If the master buss meter is showing steady balanced level then this is a hardware issue. 

If it isn’t, then work your way backwards through the signal chain until you find the instrument, effect or audio track causing the issue. 

Edited April 19, 2022 by John Vere

[57Gregy]

And jiggle your cable ends when the sound diminishes to see if they're going bad.

[user7138898860557991]

Thanks for the advice.
The master bus is equal for both channels as it should be with a mono file.

First play through it is ok and the meter on the UR44C app shows equal levels.

Subsequent plays the master bus still shows equal but the UR44C mixer shows the 10db difference.

I have reinstalled and updated the Steinberg USB drivers.

It may be a hardware issue but I think that is pretty unlikely as

#1 Cakewalk displays consistent behaviour i.e. restarting the app fixes it for one play every time no matter how long the track (I have duplicated the mono  file in the track multiple times before the first play. Stereo files behave the same. ) 

#2 Other apps (e.g. Reaper) have no problem

#3 There is no hardware except the usb cable between the computer and the UR44C which can detect the low input from the DAW.

Next step is to prove it is a defect by reinstalling  an old version of Cakewalk.
I just have to work out where to get the right one.

 

[John Vere]

If while playing the Cakewalk project the Master bus shows equal levels in both left and right meters then it is not a Cakewalk issue. Unless you have a phase issue. 

This would imply that the lower level is After the master buss. After the master bus is your hardware.

It seems your interface has a software mixer so that will be next in the signal chain after Cakewalks Master bus. I would be looking for your problem there. 
 

Not sure why playing the project triggers the issue. But the master bus meter doesn’t lie. Unless you’re playing tracks with phase issues. 
Use a Corralation meter to check phase. Span has one built in and from the same company Voxengo there’s the Correlometer my favourite  

 

 

Edited April 20, 2022 by John Vere