Help I get a compressed "pumping" effect when bouncing my final mixes?

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Level 1

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Help I get a compressed "pumping" effect when bouncing my final mixes?

For some reason I am getting a compressed "pumping" effect like that of an old worn cassette tape when bouncing my final mixes to wav or mp3. The weird part is... It only sounds like that in my car stereo. When I play it back in itunes or whatever on my computer it sounds great, just like the mix in Logic. It's not my car stereo because everything else sounds great in my car stereo. I have many other tunes I've recorded in logic that sound fine. I even took an older tune I did and rebounced it and it sounds fine. I'm not sure if a setting got changed and the way my tracks are being recorded is different causing problems or what? I'm also using Stylus now in my mixes and don't know if that's causing any issues. I did do some bounces without Stylus and still getting same effect. I'm using Logic Pro 7 but do also have Logic Pro 8 installed. Don't know if that might be causing an issue either. Please any help with this would be hugely appreciated.

Mac 2.3 PPC G5
Logic Pro 7
Stylus

mac Dual 2.3 PPC G5, Mac OS X (10.4.11)

Posted on May 27, 2010 9:19 AM

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Answer 1

Eriksimon

Level 6

15,428 points

May 27, 2010 9:45 AM in response to elvidge

elvidge wrote:
For some reason I am getting a compressed "pumping" effect like that of an old worn cassette tape when bouncing my final mixes to wav or mp3.

Since when? This sounds like you've set a Compressor to brickwalling.

The weird part is... It only sounds like that in my car stereo. When I play it back in itunes or whatever on my computer it sounds great, just like the mix in Logic.

So much for the compressor option...
These are exact same files?

It's not my car stereo because everything else sounds great

What does that mean, "sounds great"?

in my car stereo. I have many other tunes I've recorded in logic that sound fine. I even took an older tune I did and rebounced it and it sounds fine.
I'm not sure if a setting got changed and the way my tracks are being recorded is different causing problems or what?

Then why wouldn't you hear that in iTunes? Or indeed in Logic itself. Do I understand it correctly and is this issue in one particular Logic project only?

The fact that this issue is dependent on the +playback system+ may point towards certain frequencies that get emphasized or reduced in you car stereo, but not on your computers' speakers. However, it seems unlikely.

Have you also listened to it over headphones, over other playback systems (iPod), or only the two you mention?

I'm also using Stylus now in my mixes and don't know if that's causing any issues. I did do some bounces without Stylus and still getting same effect. I'm using Logic Pro 7 but do also have Logic Pro 8 installed. Don't know if that might be causing an issue either.

I don't think it is a software issue at all, at most a mastering plugins issue. I think you need to listen very carefully to this phenomenon, try to describe it as accurately as you can, and fiddle your car stereo settings.
O, and try more different end user systems to listen to your tracks.

This issue is very hard to judge without being able to hear it. And have no idea of your 'listening skills', so it is hard to tell what it is you are hearing.

regards, Erik.

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Answer 2

elvidge Author

Level 1

0 points

May 27, 2010 10:22 AM in response to Eriksimon

Previous songs I recorded were a year or so ago and they all sound great meaning they don't have the compressed pumping sound. I just recently have a new batch of tunes in logic I'm mastering so this started sometime between now and a year ago.

Any other songs I play in the car sound great meaning they sound like they do on any other stereo.

I have at least 4 songs I am working on right now that I've bounced down and all have the same compressed pumping effect. I've done a lot of troubleshooting. I've tried bouncing them completely dry with no effects or plugins of any sort going on and no change. I still get that compressed pumping sound. It's really bizarre. However, they sound perfectly fine in itunes or windows media. I've listened to them on my zen with headphones and they sound fine.
I plug my zen into my car stereo and I get the pumping effect on those tunes but I don't get that effect on previous tunes I've mastered in logic.

I am using a RME Fireface 800 interface. The only thing I've done differently since that tunes I mastered a year ago is I'm recording to AIFF now rather than wav. I wouldn't think that would have anything to do with it.

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Answer 3

Jon H.

Level 2

195 points

May 27, 2010 10:28 AM in response to elvidge

Hey I'll take a stab:

Man, could it be that you mixed this song a little differently from your other ones? Perhaps you have a bunch of low frequency stuff that you can't necessarily hear, but is causing the pumping in the car. I have read that some car stereos have compressors in them. Could this be the case?

Maybe you could try rolling off the stuff below 30Hz or just compressing the lows with a multiband and bounce again.

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*Help* I get a compressed "pumping" effect when bouncing my final mixes?

Help I get a compressed "pumping" effect when bouncing my final mixes?