crimsonhawk47
New member
I'm using a vstudio100 for cakewalk. None of the comp/eq buttons are being used, but I've been told my songs sound like I have a tube effect on things. Could my interface be clipping or something?
Can an interface mess up sound without eq/compression?
- Thread starter crimsonhawk47
- Start date
Wallengard
Manipulator of energy
The audio interface will have no effect on the sounds in your daw. It doesn't actually alter the source in any way. You could make 2 identical tracks using 1 computer with a 10000 dollar interface and 1 with an onboard card. The only difference between the 2 would be how they are being played back through the devices. The track remains the same.
But if you are recording stuff through it, it might be a whole different story, one that I'm not familiar with and will leave for someone else who knows better.
But if you are recording stuff through it, it might be a whole different story, one that I'm not familiar with and will leave for someone else who knows better.
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bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
gotta say wrong, wallengard
an interface can colour the sound otherwise why would people a) build and b) buy those $10000 interfaces instead of use their built in soundcard??
the point where these two types of interfaces differ is in the quality of their DAC/ADC design and build quality
also any interface that has a built in compressor and eq can change the signal on the way in to the computer as in the case of the vstudio100
what is at issue here is whether there is a tube in the vstudio100 which I could not find a definitive statement on (nothing saying there was but also nothing saying there wasn't) - although I am fairly confident that there is no tube in this interface so the assertions that his mixes sound like there is a tube element present.
I would be hesitant to suggest that the issue is as simple as having a tube effect on the interface or elsewhere in the processing chain. It could well be that the input gain is too hot causing the input signal to clip before it arrives at the daw.
as has been noted in several other threads recently, you cannot undo a clipped signal by applying appropriate gain reduction later in the signal chain - the signal will still be clipped, just softer
this needs to be addressed at the point where the signal is first heard to clip which may even mean turning down the output on the hardware device connected to the interface if it is an audio device or applying a form of MIDI compression (yes, they actually designed MIDI compressors in the mid-80's for production work in sequencers, although these days you could just apply a velocity curve to your MIDI data to achieve a similar outcome) to the data stream
more detail including audio examples would help immensely
an interface can colour the sound otherwise why would people a) build and b) buy those $10000 interfaces instead of use their built in soundcard??
the point where these two types of interfaces differ is in the quality of their DAC/ADC design and build quality
also any interface that has a built in compressor and eq can change the signal on the way in to the computer as in the case of the vstudio100
what is at issue here is whether there is a tube in the vstudio100 which I could not find a definitive statement on (nothing saying there was but also nothing saying there wasn't) - although I am fairly confident that there is no tube in this interface so the assertions that his mixes sound like there is a tube element present.
I would be hesitant to suggest that the issue is as simple as having a tube effect on the interface or elsewhere in the processing chain. It could well be that the input gain is too hot causing the input signal to clip before it arrives at the daw.
as has been noted in several other threads recently, you cannot undo a clipped signal by applying appropriate gain reduction later in the signal chain - the signal will still be clipped, just softer
this needs to be addressed at the point where the signal is first heard to clip which may even mean turning down the output on the hardware device connected to the interface if it is an audio device or applying a form of MIDI compression (yes, they actually designed MIDI compressors in the mid-80's for production work in sequencers, although these days you could just apply a velocity curve to your MIDI data to achieve a similar outcome) to the data stream
more detail including audio examples would help immensely
Wallengard
Manipulator of energy
So if we both had the exact same sample, and saved it and exported it within our DAW's, it could actually sound different coming out of one or the other when played back in another system? I was under the impression that it only affects how the sound is being played back but I was also quite sure that it would have an effect if you're recording through it.
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bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
your interface will not affect the quality of the wav file you export from your daw - it just has no part to play in the rendering - it is all done in the daw by way of mathematics
as for the rest I don't think that I said that the outputs would be different - certainly your speakers play a far bigger role in terms of the output quality than the interface will at the low end of the spectrum
also the specific interface in question (vstudio100) has built-in eq and compressors on all input channels except the digital coax channels - so it has the capacity to colour the signal before it ever gets to the daw
as for the rest I don't think that I said that the outputs would be different - certainly your speakers play a far bigger role in terms of the output quality than the interface will at the low end of the spectrum
also the specific interface in question (vstudio100) has built-in eq and compressors on all input channels except the digital coax channels - so it has the capacity to colour the signal before it ever gets to the daw
Wallengard
Manipulator of energy
Ah ok! Well what I initially meant was that the interface shouldn't alter the sound when it's done. So when he says people have been saying something about his songs I assumed that they were not listening through his system and I was trying to say that the interface shouldn't matter in that sense.
What do you mean before it even gets to the DAW? I thought the DAW was the source where it came from.. I'm confused
What do you mean before it even gets to the DAW? I thought the DAW was the source where it came from.. I'm confused
crimsonhawk47
New member
Well not necessarily. You could be recording through the interface. Your midi could be going through the DAW as well.
I believe my real problem was the sample of strings I was using being in mono. They simply do not sound good in mono (they have that tube quality). I'm not sure if that's because it was exported in stereo than summed to mono or it just would have been like that even if I mono'ed the source.
On the note of clipping in the v studio, that very well could be a possibility. I probably shouldn't have put this off for so long, but the interface for some reason has a dysfunctional fader. It instead changes the pitch of my current selected sound. I have no idea why it does that. It doesnt appear to be clipping though (there's a meter for DAW that comes before OUT. The daw is pretty loud but out is almost null).
I believe my real problem was the sample of strings I was using being in mono. They simply do not sound good in mono (they have that tube quality). I'm not sure if that's because it was exported in stereo than summed to mono or it just would have been like that even if I mono'ed the source.
On the note of clipping in the v studio, that very well could be a possibility. I probably shouldn't have put this off for so long, but the interface for some reason has a dysfunctional fader. It instead changes the pitch of my current selected sound. I have no idea why it does that. It doesnt appear to be clipping though (there's a meter for DAW that comes before OUT. The daw is pretty loud but out is almost null).
bandcoach
Zukatoku - Mod Scientist
Ah ok! Well what I initially meant was that the interface shouldn't alter the sound when it's done. So when he says people have been saying something about his songs I assumed that they were not listening through his system and I was trying to say that the interface shouldn't matter in that sense.
What do you mean before it even gets to the DAW? I thought the DAW was the source where it came from.. I'm confused
the vstudio100 can add creative/corrective eq and compress an input signal if these features are turned. There is no way to be certain whether the eq sections are actually bypassed when not on or just run through the network as with most passive eqs - this neutral setting can still colour the sound whether you want it to or not.