Poco


I'm using SONAR Producer v 8.5.2.222
 
I recently was checking a finalized exported mix by opening the stereo .wav file in Adobe Audition.  I noticed noise in the quiet places (like the ending fade) at around -66dB on the Audition meters.  Wondering if it was something in the recording, I created a new project, and with only one track and no busses, effects, etc. I recorded several seconds of silence at 44.1\24.  I then opened the resulting file in Audition.  You can magnify the amplitutde of the wave, and the recorded file was abolutely quiet up to the maximum magnification (scale begins at -150dB).  I then  exported the recording like I would a finished mix, using File\Export\Audio and made the settings 44.1\16\Pow-r 3.  The resulting output does indeed have consistent noise that hovers between -69 and -63.  At that level it is absolutely audible above the self noise of my monitors.  I tried the same thing again, but I used Pow-r 2 and Pow-r 1 instead.  The resulting files have noise that hovers between -81 and -75.  This is a significant difference!  The noise is barely detectable above the noise floor of my monitors, and rather than being louder, it is just a different color.
 
Can someone please confirm my findings?  Just record a silent track at 44.1\24 and export to 44.1\16 using Pow-r 3 and do another export with Pow-r 2 and compare the results.  I can add plenty of audible noise to my recordings on my own.  I don't need the dithering tool to do it for me :)
 
Thanks,
 
Poco
 
P.S. I am familiar with the manual.  I have searched the forum (much information about dithering there.  Some good some not.  Nothing on this specific issue)...

Hmm...I've always used Pow-r 3 and have never heard any noise like you describe....let me try to confirm your findings...I have some free time today :)

Ben

If you are using something like Ozone 4 on your master bus(and/or elsewhere in the signal chain) and you are using the dithering function of that utility would you not then bypass the dithering function in Sonar completely if it is already being handled by the Ozone.  Would you not then be getting dithering of the dithering and would this then not add to the noise floor?   Or am I totally misunderstanding the concept here?

All the levels you're stating that you hear noise on are supposed to be inaudible to the human ear. So I'm wondering what you are actually hearing? Recorded tracks with a visible line where there is no sound still have some level of audio unless you delete those sections. 

Hahaha, just came across this old thread, read through it and it made me think of something this self professed audiofile once told me.
 
He didn't like CDs, not at all, told me they were rubbish. When I asked him why, here's what he said.
 
"My hearing is very finely tuned, and CDs don't have a continuous sound. I can hear the gaps between the samples, and it's like listening to something played on a dot matrix printer".
 
I couldn't be bothered with a pointless argument, so I just told him "I'm glad my hearing's not that good".

Maybe he WAS listening to a dot matrix... never know...
 

I was just thinking about this.

Pow-r 3 is the most quiet across the majority of bandwidth. Except the high end which gets lost going to mp3 anyway, yes?

So I guess the best way for me right now is to stop creating CDs and make audio DVDs from now on so that my material can maintain 24bit, non-dithered for those who want hi-q and mp3 files web...

Until the anti is up'd with common use of 64 bit?