"But just for the record... after this troubleshooting I do not think this is a Platinum thing."
 
I agree it's not specific to platinum. Using other apps I was able to rule out any issues with my interface/cables.

Beepster

dubdisciple
As an FYI, DC offset is a hardware Issue and to my knowledge is not produced by DAW. The fact that it started now is likely a coincidence. If it is DC offset, the link scook provided should help. 

 
Hiya, Dub. I figured it was likely a hardware thing but was skeeved on the concept of DC Offset. Never had to deal with it before and it does not seem to be the case here but this is all very educational. Thanks and I hoep you've been well.
 
Cheers.

dubdisciple
 
 

i am doing ok. Thanks for asking.  Been really busy in studio. Excited about one of the studensts that show real potential. Hope you are enjoying your new toys!

Gotta love that and indeed I am. :-)
 
In other news I dug up an SOS article about the issue I seem to be having (and will give Craig's article about DC offset a good scouring as well but this isn't DC offset).
 
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may13/articles/qanda-0513-1.htm
 
So... this isn't a problem except for maybe this...
 
"Generally, there is no need to 'correct' a naturally asymmetrical signal, but occasionally the asymmetry can restrict how much the signal can be amplified because the stronger half of the waveform will reach the clip level before the weaker side. By using a phase rotator process to alter the harmonic phase relationships, a more balanced symmetry can be established, allowing slightly more gain to be applied before both sides reach the clipping level at the same amplitude. Asymmetrical waveforms can also sometimes confuse the side-chain level-detection circuitry (or algorithms) of some compressors, resulting in less effective compression than might be expected."
 
 
So I guess I'll have to watch out for that. This may be more of an issue for bass than guit.
 
Thanks everyone. Maybe this should be moved to the Techniques forum... or maybe Hardware.

Quick question Beeps... Didn't you post a similar thread about a year ago with a pic that showed the center of the waveform drifting? I forgot who originally posted that now.
 
I have seen similar asymmetry as rcklln mentioned above when plugging directly into my interface. I remembered that older post when it caught my eye, but it was not extreme in any way (and actually alternated which side had the "bulk" of the wave form). Audibly it didn't sound different to me, though.

Nope. I don't think I've ever posted screenshots but I really should set up a image host account for such things. Just haven't got around to it and I abandoned my photobucket account after they destroyed their site.

Yeah, I recall a thread about a similar sort of thing about a year (maybe less) ago. Can't remember what it was called or what the solution, if any, was though.

Beep, does the odd looking audio actually sound OK? I'm just wondering if it's a bug in Sonar's wave graphic drawing algorithm or something. I tracked a (hardware) synth line the other day and it looked fine as I recorded it, then when Sonar did that kind of rescan over it and refreshed the graphic it became just a straight line that looked like silence though the audio played back OK, meters responded OK, just the image was wrong.

Deleting the contents of the picture cache to force Sonar to recreate the images restored normality - have you tried that?

tlw
Yeah, I recall a thread about a similar sort of thing about a year (maybe less) ago. Can't remember what it was called or what the solution, if any, was though.

Beep, does the odd looking audio actually sound OK? I'm just wondering if it's a bug in Sonar's wave graphic drawing algorithm or something. I tracked a (hardware) synth line the other day and it looked fine as I recorded it, then when Sonar did that kind of rescan over it and refreshed the graphic it became just a straight line that looked like silence though the audio played back OK, meters responded OK, just the image was wrong.

Deleting the contents of the picture cache to force Sonar to recreate the images restored normality - have you tried that?

Hi, t. Audio sounds fine and it looks fine while recording but goes off kilter after transport is stopped. I used the right click context menu for the clip to force a redraw but have not cleared the picture cache.
 
However since the only signal that seems to be doing this is the signal from the XLR out on the amp (if I plug straight into the interface it shows up normally as do the signals from my Line6 XLR outs) then it must be from the amp. What I may try tomorrow is the 1/4" line out on the amp instead of the XLR line out. Maybe that will make a difference.
 
I've only just recently started using this amp set up for serious tracking so I guess that's why I didn't really notice this before and since I'm testing out Platinum I'm paying more attention to stuff in general. Still weird but it sounds good (better than DI or the Line6) and based on that SOS article I linked to earlier it should be too much of a problem I guess. More reading up on this stuff tommorrow morning to uncover any other potential pitfalls.
 
Cheers.

Traynor amps were almost hand built if you have an old one. And Yorkville never throws away information. I would send them an email and ask them what they think. I found them to be super helpful when looking to fix old PA gear  etc. They might tell you that the XLR output did have a qwirk and tell you how to fix it too. 
Even though it's solid state it will have a lot in common with most tube amps. So a bad capacitor or solid state part is just as possible as a bad tube if you get my drift. 
 

Hi, Cactus. Well it was totally fried when I got it. When I got it fixed they said the board was cracked (although the previous owner said it got blown by someone hooking a powered mixer's speaker output into the input jack... d'oh). So who knows. Not sure whether they replaced the board with a spare (they had another one gutted in the repair area when I was there) or somehow fixed the old one.
 
But yeah... maybe I'll see what I can find out. It is VERY dificult finding info out about this thing online but fortunately I found a pdf of the manual... and there is a schematic but I'm no electronic-ey dude... yet.

Beepster
Is this going to cause me some unforeseen headaches down the road? If not I will ignore it because it sounds good.

No. The fact that many waveforms are roughly symmetrical doesn't mean that ones that aren't are wrong or problematic. For example, brass instruments tend to produce asymmetrical waveforms, just because of how they physically push the air. There's nothing to correct if you like the sound and there's no DC offset.
 
Aside from that, I'd bet the amp would sound better if you got this issue sorted out, but that's another question.