Protools on Mac 2019 intel when recording sounds smeared and grabby

[slinky22]

Hi,

I have been having a problem with recording in pro tools on a 2019 intel Mac. The recorded audio sounds very grabby and smeared when into protools. I have tried other DAWs like logic and cubase and they sound normal and clear, but pro tools makes the recorded vocal audio very fatiguing and tiresome to listen to.

I am using the latest pro tools studio.

[tope d]

May we know what audio interface and Playback Engine you're using on your session? Thank you

[Darryl Ramm]

Hi welcome to DUC.

What macOS version? Make sure the new macOS mic garbage is not interfering here, that under the orange mic icon in the macOS toolbar Pro Tools is not set to use sound isolation. Make sure you are looking at the setting for Pro Tools/when Pro Tools has focus, this is such an incredibly awful UI/UX.

Make sure there are no plugins on the vocal or master fader track in Pro Tools, easy to have happen if there is a hidden master fader track.

If that is not it in addition to what interface, also describe what microphone or microphones, mic preamp(s) if separate from the interface etc. and anything that might have changed. Are you recording mono track single mic and just listening back to that track? We love lots of detail when posting about problems, they often help solve problems faster (see under "help us help you" up the top of each DUC web page).

If you compare the raw files you record in each DAW do you still hear a difference? E.g. import the raw .aiff or .wav file from Pro Tools into the other DAW and visa versa. A/B them in both DAWs, do you hear a difference still?

Still stuck and you hear differences can you post examples of the audio online and provide links here. Ideally post those raw files.

[slinky22]

Hi, I am using apollo twin x as my interface and a u87ai microphone. MAC os is ventura 13.7.2

Yes, I still do hear the difference between protools compared to logic and cubase.

Do different protools versions suppose to sound different?, I downloaded a older version and it sounds different than the newest update?

[Darryl Ramm]

No, all Pro Tools versions sound the same. (There is a corner case of old TDM systems running 48 bit fixed DSP vs modern Pro Tools which all run 64 bit floating point internally but that is irreverent here).

Pro Tools is extremely unlikely to just record or playback audio different than any other DAW, it's much more likely something else messed up. You need to find that something else. If you downloaded an older version and they sounded different it is likely something else wrong like the sessions or templates you started with might have had plugins hidden in the signal flow etc. Or you have the Mic voice isolation settings different for the different Pro Tools installs. etc. etc. You need to carefully go though all the possible issues I outlined and see if they are or are not happening.

I think macOS Ventura has an early version of the Mic Voice Isolation stupidity, have you done the first thing I suggested and made sure that the Mic Mode is not in Voice Isolation for Pro Tools? Or what do you see under the Mic icon in the task bar? Maybe post a screenshot of what is under your Orange Mic menu pulldown.

Do the tests I suggested with swapping audio tracks between DAWs. Are signal levels the same? That may also help see if the problem is during recording or play back. Drop the files offset on the same audio tracks, that will also show if the UAD Console is the issue. Do the waveforms look different?

Be very careful of getting things messed up in the Console in the Apollo Twin, make sure you don't have DAW returns or sends being processed differently there with Pro Tools than the other DAWs. Best thing may be to fully reset the UAD Console. UAD Console is great, but it causes lots and lots of confusion/issues.

Is your U87AI switched to the same polar pattern when used with all the DAWs, and nobody has accidentally turned the mic around backwards? Sorry had to ask, been embarrassed by stuff like that myself.

[BrettD]

I gotta ask…. Can you further describe what you mean by “smeared” and grabby”?

I’m curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[its2loud]

Originally Posted by BrettD

I gotta ask…. Can you further describe what you mean by “smeared” and grabby”?

I’m curious.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I’m surprised nobody has asked this already.

It might be a good idea to post a link to some of the audio you’re recording so others can take a listen to it. I suspect user error here.
“smeared” and “grabby” are not general audio terms used to describe poorly recorded audio.

[smurfyou]

Critique Pro Tools any way you want. But it only records what it's fed. It doesn't change anything unless you tell it to.

[Darryl Ramm]

Originally Posted by its2loud

I’m surprised nobody has asked this already.

It might be a good idea to post a link to some of the audio you’re recording so others can take a listen to it. I suspect user error here.
“smeared” and “grabby” are not general audio terms used to describe poorly recorded audio.

Post a sample request was in the first reply here for this reason.

While a strange description I thought it might fit the sometimes kind of phasey (smeared?) and AGC type (grabby?) behavior of mic voice isolation, the first thing I suggested be checked...

[PT Zone]

I think macOS Ventura has an early version of the Mic Voice Isolation stupidity,

I have Ventura 13.6.3 in my 2019 Intel iMac and no MV Isolation stupidity. It came with Sonoma.

Or is there a hidden early version in Ventura which I'm not aware? Or maybe it's only with Ventura in silicon Macs?