after bouncing, final product sounds differently mixed than in logic. HELP!

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Level 1

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after bouncing, final product sounds differently mixed than in logic. HELP!

in logic pro 7.1: when finishing a song i select bounce and check PCM and MP3. I bounce in real-time: on PCM i leave the resolution and sample rate at default for the project, in this case 24 bit/44100, interleaved with no dithering. For MP3 i use 192 kpbs stereo and 96 for mono, with 'use best enconding' and 'filter frequencies below 10 hz' selected. I do not fully understand PCM just for the books-i usually end up converting those files to MP3 later.

so after all this, i send the file to itunes with the equalizer turned off, and for some reason everything sounds completely different. i.e. vocals will be much softer or much louder, bass gets buried etc. Not the same problem everytime. But this has caused me to mix most of my music through itunes to see what sounds right as a final product. I monitor through Beyerdynamic DT 770 headphones geared for professional monitoring-200$, and regular logitech computer speakers with a powered sub geared for gaming that i bought for like 60$. Maybe the problem is here, but i dont think so. Even if it was my speakers fault for sounding different, wouldnt it at least be consistant in logic as it is in itunes?

my only theory is that logic's plug in effects sound different on the final product than while running. I never run them destructively- nor do i know how honestly.

IS there some pre-bouncing procedure im glossing over? is there a way to finalize effects before bouncing?

can anyone give me some advice?

powerbook, Mac OS X (10.4.5)

Posted on Mar 2, 2006 5:38 PM

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Answer 1

Justin C

Level 6

8,700 points

Mar 2, 2006 6:00 PM in response to crvcrasher

Do you have sound enhancer on? MP3 files will sound different too. Either of these will negatively affect the sound. PCM is noncompressed with 24 bits to represent each sample at a specific, constant bit rate (44100 in your case).

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Answer 2

Mar 2, 2006 6:31 PM in response to crvcrasher

iTunes does something in general to anything that I play through it, with the possible exception of AAC files. mp3's always sound worse in iTunes......smaller imaging, bass, treble, etc. Whatever you put into it won't sound as good as the original mix.

That being said, you definately need to improve your monitoring situation. Even really good headphones will not let you mix properly. And the computer speakers are bunk..........Trust me, get a decent set of powered monitors and you won't believe all the stuff you aren't hearing in the mixes.

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Answer 3

Aaron H

Level 2

400 points

Mar 3, 2006 12:19 AM in response to crvcrasher

Hey Crv,
Open your bounced audio file in the Quicktime player. This should tell you right away if the problem stems from how you are mixing in Logic or from your iTunes settings.

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Answer 4

Mar 3, 2006 12:41 AM in response to crvcrasher

what they said. plus, try opening your 24bit mixes in other editors. there are a few freebies and a few demos you could try. yes, i have found most impose their fingerprint (or smudge) on your file. the ones that seem to sound the best can open your files at 32bits. this is for editing purposes within the app. definitely look into a good pair of monitors. dual concentrics are the go. only tannoy makes 'em. pricey, but worth every penny. active bookshelfs are great for checking your mixes on but are deficient from around 80hz down. 40-80hz is where all the bass fundamentals live. if you can't hear this range through your monitors, don't tamper with it. the only headphones i would recommend for any sort of monitoring are electrostatics. again, expensive and probably very rare nowadays. try to monitor your mixes around 85-90db at the mix position. SPL meters are cheap and a good investment.

G4 450DP Mac OS X (10.4.4) digidesign, motu, apogee

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Answer 5

Mar 3, 2006 12:47 AM in response to Aaron H

to be honost when using the mp3 format it will remove the overtones and what they deem as unneccessary. They get rid of alot of sound sources.

In Logic you have everthing there. Once its bounced things disappear especially when using mp3 formats.

Your best bet is to record at a high bit rate, and then dither down and enhance during the mastering.

Also, you indicated you didn't dither, but may be you did once and maybe twice which would really truncate the file. Just check in quicktime or bounce again logic and make sure no dithering is checked.

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Answer 6

Mar 3, 2006 4:09 AM in response to manofgodjay

Bouncing directly to mp3 can also make a mess of some of your effects, which really downgrades the sound quality. I write a lot of orchestral-type stuff and use Altiverb often. Going from Logic straight to mp3 turns all of the reverb trails into these bizarre warbles. What solved the problem for me is going to AAC instead, and if you need an MP3 file, convert the AAC file to mp3 later on.

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