Bounce to disk sounds different from master channel

[Carl Kolchak]

@ the O.P.

Two major points to consider :

Read this, and also this, to be sure you understand what you are actually bouncing to disk.


The other major issue is whether or not you are using any outboard equipment (anything with free running modulation, that is not synched to the session - could be a Chorus effect, Flanger, Delay etc - this is true of any plug-ins used in your session, not just outboard hardware), particularly if you are summing outside the box (something like a Dangerous D-Box for example).

In those cases, you'd need to route the hardware signal back in to Pro Tools, and record it as audio, for it to be consistent / identical when bounced to disk.

[midnightrambler]

Originally Posted by Carl Kolchak

The only difference I've ever noticed with Offline Bouncing, is that on those weird, inexplicable occasions where Pro Tools decides to loose it's grip on MIDI timing (the metronome develops epilepsy, or Drum V.I.'s exhibits a serious case of the Keith Moon's) during regular playback / Print To Track / Realtime Bounce - Pro Tools instead gets everything bang on the mark with Offline Bounce (which makes sense, but doesn't speak too reassuringly of Realtime accuracy).

Yeah I've had to start printing VIs before doing the mixes (rather than right at the end of the printing) for this reason....

[Stereo Missile]

To the OP, I think this has been said before but there are really only 2 possible explanations:

1. somehow you have set up your IO and routing so that your monitoring path is not accurately reflecting your bounce path (unlikely but possible). This might mean that you have compressors or limiters or master faders that are not being heard through your monitor path. Just to check are you working in Stereo here? Is all your routing set up just as stereo busses or are you doing something with multi channel busses like LCR or 5.1? When you do bounce to disk are you bouncing to a stereo file? Or Mono (summed) perhaps? Mono (summed) might give you an unintended level boost.

OR

2. Your playback system for the Master AFTER you have bounced is further compressing the master on playback. In other words you are playing it back from inside the protools session and your compressed master is passing through the mastering chain a 2nd time. Or alternatively in iTunes or whatever you are using, there is some sort of Automatic Level Control being applied which is compressing your master.

The way to test this is to take the bounced master file and play it back on other systems. Does it still sound drastically over compressed? If it does then the problem is 1, if not then the problem is 2.

[Mediahawk]

Everyone, thanks so much for your responses. I really appreciate it!

The brilliant thing is that those pointers you've given me made me look carefully at every step of the signal path anew.

I found the culprit! And it's a &%#%! simple thing.

The audio path of the digital output of the HD I/O is assigned to one stereo pair on my DM-4800 digital mixer. And the Mac's digital output to a different pair.

The monitor output of the DM-4800 is then going to a m905 monitor controller and then to the speakers.

Inadvertently the Mac's stereo pair had the DM-4800's compressor engaged! I have no use for that ever, so it took me by surprise. But there it is! Many thanks for the pointers and I do apologise for wasting your time.

(PS: Amusingly the compressor settings were threshold -20db, 10:1, 50ms, 70ms. No wonder it sounded atrocious.)

[AlexLakis]

So, for the sake of amusingness...What were you using the compressor for that you had those settings set for? (Come on, you owe us!)