I have a tiny project which I exported to a 44.1 16bit file and then played it back through Windows 7 media player on the same monitors.  The project had no eq or processing of any sort.  The file played back through media player has a noticeably brighter tone than the original in Sonar X3.  The file imported back into Sonar sounds the same as the original file.  I have not enabled  any type of eq on Media player (Not sure it even has one).  
 
Any ideas to account for this difference?  Thanks for any help or suggestions.
 
 

Thats because its a future song! 

John
Thats because its a future song! 

Good fix!! 😊😊😊

Yes, SONAR X4 is more of a mellow, vintage sound. Just learn to appreaciate it. Visit www.gearslutz.com and learn why bright=noob and mellow=pro!
 
Joke aside, are you sure you've matched the playback volume exactly? Louder (if only fractionally) will always sound brighter (and better)!
 
P.S looks like I've only four posts till Gold Member! Unhelpful posts like this are the foundation of it!

Dubley ;).

CakeAlexS
Dubley ;).

I would definitely be better if it had been done in Doubly... I always thought they said Dublin though. Like "It'd sound better if it had been done in Dublin". 

watch out for the media player volume slider…it can trick you! :-0

It's quite common that WMP has effects on by default. There's been several threads about it. Check that.
Or do you possibly have a proper soundcard for SONAR, and WMP uses the integrated soundchip?
 
 

That's why you should use a wave editor to not only master, but to listen. 

Windows Media Player processes audio a lot to make it sound ?"better"? (In Microsoft's ears?), regardless of what settings you choose.
 
Try playing it through something like Audacity and see if there is any change.
 
Sorry for boring answer.
 
If it is a rock song, then it should certainly not be recorded in Dubly (TM).  For any other genre, the use of Dubly (TM) is okay  in small doses..