Unwanted Distortion on Playback in Sonar 6

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Diploman
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2011/01/28 20:39:35 (permalink)

Unwanted Distortion on Playback in Sonar 6

Apologies to all if this post should appear more than once.  I seem to have lost it when I tried to preview it the first time. 
I'm getting a lot of unwanted distortion on playback in Sonar 6, especially from guitar recordings.  Even when the record levels are set well below the peak levels, the playback sounds fuzzy rather than clean.   I've tried a variety of settings and record levels but have been unable to come up with a configuration that enables me to achieve the needed volume level for a track on output without losing clarity of sound.    Lower recording levels seem to reduce the fuzziness (or perhaps it is just hard to hear) but don't allow the signal to be pushed to desired volume levels.   Mid recording levels permit playback at a good volume level but still produce fuzziness.  
 
My interface is an Edirol UA-25.   My sampling rate is set to 44100, driver mode is ASIO, Dithering is Pow-r 3, Buffer is set to 128.   I've tried plugging the guitar directly into the UA-25 and recording it by miking the amp.  No matter which method is used, the distortion won't go away.
 
I haven't found any other posts dealing with this issue on the forum.   Anyone have suggestions for resolving this problem?   Many thanks.  




Diploman
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    Chappel
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    Re:Unwanted Distortion on Playback in Sonar 6 2011/01/29 00:55:28 (permalink)
    When you are setting the levels, are you setting them on both your interface and in Sonar? Double click one of these distorted audio clips. Does the waveform look normal or is it squared off? Are you running the audio clip's output to a Master, or other, bus or directly into the UA-25? Are you using the left or right input on the UA-25?
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    AT
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    Re:Unwanted Distortion on Playback in Sonar 6 2011/01/29 01:37:33 (permalink)
    It sounds like you might have a feedback loop going on w/ some of the singal coming back into the system.  Double check that.

    Does midi or simple loops distort, or just audio recording?

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    bitflipper
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    Re:Unwanted Distortion on Playback in Sonar 6 2011/01/29 11:14:33 (permalink)
    Do you hear the distortion in both speakers and headphones? Do you hear it if you play it back through other software, such as WMP? How about if you export and copy to another playback device, such as an MP3 player? Does it go away when you bypass all plugins?

    What I'm getting at is whether you can isolate where in the signal chain the distortion is occurring. If you hear it everywhere, then it's either in the recorded clip or is being distorted by a plugin. If it's still there with all plugins bypassed, then it's being recorded that way.

    You may have all your levels under control inside the computer but still be overdriving your interface, and that's where the distortion is originating. The UA-25 has a built-in limiter. Make sure it's enabled and watch the LED indicator while you're recording to make sure it's not engaging.

    Are you recording your guitar direct or with a microphone? If the latter, is the mic capable of handling the levels you're playing at? Does the mic have a pad to reduce its output?


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    Diploman
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    Re:Unwanted Distortion on Playback in Sonar 6 2011/01/29 15:16:55 (permalink)
    Many thanks for the quick responses.  Checking out your excellent suggestions led me to identify what appears to have been the problem.   I am using a Line 6 Variax 700 Accoustic for my guitar input and I think I have been overdriving it by having the volume control on the electronic guitar itself set too high.   I now have it set to a level between 25 - 30%.  That change combined with using mid-range settings on the UA-25 and in Sonar seems to have eliminated the unwanted fuzz, whether the limiter is engaged or not.   It retrospect it seems simple (like many solutions seem to turn out) but I just hadn't struck on the right combination of settings in my previous experimentation.   I now can connect the Variax directly to the left input on the UA-25 to record.   Now,  hopefully, I can focus my Sonar time working on the music instead of dinking with the software settings.     Much obliged for your insights and recommendations.  
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