The other day, I exported the audio to MP3, then played that back via the computer soundcard.  
 
The main output from Sonar sounded fine (via the proper audio interface), however when playing the MP3 it sounded really poor!  At first I thought it was the MP3 encoding, so I tried a much higher bitrate, but that wasn't the problem.  Eventually I realised that MP3 playback was happening via the built-in soundcard (Realtek) of the computer (because I route both to the amp), which in my situation also went via some fancy "dts UltraPC II" processing which includes "Surround Sensation", "Symmetry", "Spectral Enhancement", etc all of which was 'on' by default.  The mix sounded just fine once I turned off those features.
 
It is hard to describe it - but essentially it sounded like it lacked clarity, and a lot more muddy, and it was also compressed, and also sounded a little like a low quality MP3.
 
So my question is - are there any tips on how to adjust the final mix, so that these fancy effects don't make it sound too odd?  Just in case the listener's computer has these things turned 'on' by default too.
 
Should one apply some decent compression (lightly?) so the fancy compression by the built-in soundcard has little work to do (and hence messes it only a little)?
 
Thanks in advance.
 
Wei Liang
 
 

I don't think there is a lot you can do to forecast what various things may be ON (with their computers playback setups that is) in terms of people playing stuff back. I just make sure that before I make any MP3 files I limit the mix to a level of -1dB though. That can help because very loud mixes that are smashing -0.1 dB might have some adverse effects on the mix after converting to MP3.
 
All you can do is select a decent bit rate for the MP3 and make the file and just check it out on your system as you would any wave file to see how it sounds. And if its Ok then I let it out then.
 
Look into MP4 encoding as well. It is far superior to MP3 encoding.

The goal is not to mix for a specific device..... but to get a good all around mix that translates well on most playback devices and sounds really awesome on the better ones.
 
This goes back to the mix more than anything.  Export as a wave, convert to highest quality MP3 possible.  Hope for the best for the players it will be played on.
 
Nailing a good all around mix starts in the studio..... and the speakers you use to monitor the mix. If you mix on small speakers with little bass response the mixes you make will tend to be bass heavy..... if you use big speakers and a sub the opposite can happen. Use cans or home stereo speakers and all bets are off as to the results. While it sounds good to you, when it's played on other systems, the deficiencies become readily apparent.   Using something like ARC and simply learning your speakers by trial and error and comparing your studio mixes to commercially recorded and mastered works by artists in the same style and genre will help you get there faster.
 
I find very little difference in the apparent quality between my studio waves and the same tunes converted to 320kbs MP3 and played on a different player.

One of the things you learn is to make a mix translate on various systems, not your specific mix system.  No system is perfect, of course, they all have problems.  As said above, learn how your system compares to other types (and rooms) is part of the art of mixing.  You have to put in the time.  For stuff done here at home, I also listen on the computer, shelf speakers, in the car.  And try to find a golden mean so a song sounds good on all of them, and the better the system the better it sounds.  If it was science a computer could do it.
 
@

Thanks guys.  
 
Part of the recording was just plain piano (i.e. direct out from the digital piano with no other instruments, and no effects), and even that sounded muffled and not-quite-right when played through the computer's soundcard (with dts UltraPC processing enabled), and sounded absolutely fine without. And the rest of the mix sounded fine with none of this processing.
 
On the other hand, commercial music (e.g. CDs, MP3s, etc) sounded OK (with the dts processing) so I never quite realised it was 'on' until this particular recording I did.
 
@Guitarhacker - pardon my ignorance - what is 'ARC'?
 
 
Wei Liang

ARC = Advanced Room Correction (software)
 
http://www.ikmultimedia.com/products/arc/
 
 

ARC.... in a nut shell is a VST which uses a calibrated mic to "listen" to your room, specifically the seating area where you mix. It analyzes the room, and then attempts to "flatten" or correct the sound you hear from the speakers while automatically correcting for the nulls and peaks.  This allows you to get a better mix. It's not perfect but it is certainly a huge step in the right direction. Instead of fixing the room, it alters the sound to fit that room. When you mix down, you turn it off and export. The resultant mix should be very close to right on the majority of the systems.
 
Dull sounding music...... you need Ozone. Another VST plug in .... look it up and grab the demo version. It is a mastering suite that will let you polish the music a bit.
 
Regardless of the sound card used..... the sound quality should be a very good representation of what you recorded. While speakers and room affect the sound you hear, if you use cans and it still sounds dull then you need to learn about the polishing process.....or mastering. Most of my tracks straight out of the DAW are pretty dull sounding..... until I use O4 on them. EQ, compression, reverb, etc..... brings out the sparkle and the wow factor.

this is the point of having good mastering.
 
usually, it goes all the way back to tracking, tho..
 
and then, the quality of the mix, whether the mix is right or not
 
then, the skill of the mastering engineer

Thank you folks.
 
So what I understand is mastering is important, and mastering properly will also minimise additional defects that might be introduced if the playback device adds its own sound processing (referring specifically to Realtek soundcard adding its "dts ultraPC II", but also generically to playback devices that might have some sort of loudness or volume levelling compression).
 
I'll master mastering... some day :-)
 
 

If your mix isn't spot on, then you're attempting to master something that is only half baked.
 
Get your mix right before even thinking about mastering. 90% of mastering problems can be traced back to a defective mix