SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio -Sound Forge - PC - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio Posted by: TheHappyFriar Date:4/14/2004 10:02:10 AM Howdy. :) I'm a Vegas user but work with SF at work. Here's my problem: I've got a Mackie mixer with all the inputs comming into it (LP, Tape, DAT, etc. etc. etc.) I normaly record the audio into from the outputs of the mixer. However... as of late I've noticed something. I'm recording reel to reel's recorded from back in the late 50's. When I recorded then into SF the audio always clips between -2.5 & -6db (acording to the SF monitor/preview). I thought nothing of it for a little while (after all, the audio on the reels isn't great to begin with & there's some clipping on those). However, some of the other people said that all their audio (from mic, tape, etc) is clipping too (between -2.5 & -6). So, I checked out the mixer. Lubed up the knobs (thought maybe one vital one was sticking). It still clips between -2.5 & -6. And I don't mean the ocational peak clips, I mean it looks like one solid bar going from left to right. Frusterated, I tried recording in Vegas. It works perfectly. Even tried recording in Sound Recorder. Works perfectly. I checked the sound driver settings in Vegas (MS Sound Mapper). Changed SF to the same ones. Still clips. The Mackie isn't clipping, my line in isn't up all the way (i messed with it from all the way to nothing to see if that solved the clipping, it didn't). I've got SF 5.0f, and a Zoltrix sound card (updated drivers/directX 9.0b). However, I get the same results with the built in sound card. I put the 3 samples of the audio up on a FTP site. ip: 68.69.88.49 user: sftest pass: sftest the 3 files are freddie VEGAS.wav, freddie SOUNDFORGE.wav, & freddie SOUNDRECORDER.wav. They are all about 1.5mb & mone (or left ch only). on the SF one you'll see near the end the clipping. Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!
Subject:RE: SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio Reply by: Sonic Date:4/14/2004 10:09:16 AM Assuming you are recording to mono, Sound Forge attempts to open the device with a mono format. This means the driver decides whether it will deliver left, right, or a mix. Sounds like this particular card mixes both channels without attenuating. Vegas allows you to pick which channel you want for mono records, but always opens the device as stereo and just discards the channel it doesn't need. Future versions of Sound Forge will probably switch to this method. In the meantime, try recording stereo, then doing your own s2m conversion however you wish. j.
Subject:RE: SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio Reply by: TheHappyFriar Date:4/14/2004 10:14:17 AM Well I'll be... That worked. :) Never even thought of that. :) Thanks A LOT!
Subject:RE: SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio Reply by: Rednroll Date:4/14/2004 1:30:41 PM I read this, and thought possibly the same thing Sonic described because of the levels outlined, which typically happens when 2 stereo channels are mixed to mono. What threw me off is this: "(acording to the SF monitor/preview). " If the driver mixes the stereo input for mono, then wouldn't this be reflected in the Sound Forge peak meter and show the level exceeding 0dBFS? Here's what I'm picturing in my mind of the chain of events in this process, and it doesn't quite make sense to me. STEREO INPUT TO SOUND CARD>DRIVER L+R=MONO MIX>SOUND FORGE RECORD METER DISPLAYS ACTUAL LEVEL

Subject:SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio

Date:4/14/2004 10:02:10 AM

Howdy. :) I'm a Vegas user but work with SF at work. Here's my problem:

I've got a Mackie mixer with all the inputs comming into it (LP, Tape, DAT, etc. etc. etc.) I normaly record the audio into from the outputs of the mixer. However... as of late I've noticed something. I'm recording reel to reel's recorded from back in the late 50's. When I recorded then into SF the audio always clips between -2.5 & -6db (acording to the SF monitor/preview). I thought nothing of it for a little while (after all, the audio on the reels isn't great to begin with & there's some clipping on those). However, some of the other people said that all their audio (from mic, tape, etc) is clipping too (between -2.5 & -6).

So, I checked out the mixer. Lubed up the knobs (thought maybe one vital one was sticking). It still clips between -2.5 & -6. And I don't mean the ocational peak clips, I mean it looks like one solid bar going from left to right.

Frusterated, I tried recording in Vegas. It works perfectly. Even tried recording in Sound Recorder. Works perfectly.

I checked the sound driver settings in Vegas (MS Sound Mapper). Changed SF to the same ones. Still clips. The Mackie isn't clipping, my line in isn't up all the way (i messed with it from all the way to nothing to see if that solved the clipping, it didn't).

I've got SF 5.0f, and a Zoltrix sound card (updated drivers/directX 9.0b). However, I get the same results with the built in sound card.

I put the 3 samples of the audio up on a FTP site.
ip: 68.69.88.49
user: sftest
pass: sftest

the 3 files are freddie VEGAS.wav, freddie SOUNDFORGE.wav, & freddie SOUNDRECORDER.wav. They are all about 1.5mb & mone (or left ch only).
on the SF one you'll see near the end the clipping.

Any help would be appreciated! Thanks!

Subject:RE: SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio

Reply by: Sonic

Date:4/14/2004 10:09:16 AM

Assuming you are recording to mono, Sound Forge attempts to open the device with a mono format. This means the driver decides whether it will deliver left, right, or a mix. Sounds like this particular card mixes both channels without attenuating.

Vegas allows you to pick which channel you want for mono records, but always opens the device as stereo and just discards the channel it doesn't need. Future versions of Sound Forge will probably switch to this method.

In the meantime, try recording stereo, then doing your own s2m conversion however you wish.

j.

Subject:RE: SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio

Reply by: TheHappyFriar

Date:4/14/2004 10:14:17 AM

Well I'll be... That worked. :) Never even thought of that. :) Thanks A LOT!

Subject:RE: SF 5 is clipping ALL my audio

Reply by: Rednroll

Date:4/14/2004 1:30:41 PM

I read this, and thought possibly the same thing Sonic described because of the levels outlined, which typically happens when 2 stereo channels are mixed to mono. What threw me off is this:

"(acording to the SF monitor/preview). "

If the driver mixes the stereo input for mono, then wouldn't this be reflected in the Sound Forge peak meter and show the level exceeding 0dBFS? Here's what I'm picturing in my mind of the chain of events in this process, and it doesn't quite make sense to me.

STEREO INPUT TO SOUND CARD>DRIVER L+R=MONO MIX>SOUND FORGE RECORD METER DISPLAYS ACTUAL LEVEL