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newbie thinking about buying Sonar 3 – have question

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TexasDawg
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March 29, 04 0:12 PM (permalink)

newbie thinking about buying Sonar 3 – have question

HI,

I’ve been using Cool Edit 2.x for the last 2 years. I’ve outgrown it and I’m thinking of buying Sonar 3.

I downloaded the demo version but I’m having trouble with it. My sound card is an M-Audio Audiophile 24/96.

What is happening is that the output from Sonar is +12dB louder than my other software programs. Is this a bug in the demo version?

For example:

If I play a test tone in Cool Edit 2.1, the output reads at about -24dB according to the meters in Cool Edit and the meters in my Audiophile control panel.

If I do the same in Sound Forge 7.0 (which I use for mastering), the same result - meaning the meters in Sound Forge say –24dB and so do the meters in my Audiophile control panel.

So, CoolEdit 2.1 and Sound Forge are in agreement.

BUT, when I play the same test tone in Sonar, the output is now -12dB (+12dB louder than CoolEdit and Sound Forge) according to the Audiophile control panel.

Why is Sonar playing the file +12dB louder?

Thanks and regards,

TexasDawg
< Message edited by TexasDawg -- 3/29/2004 12:14:04 AM >
#1

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    C Hudson
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    RE: newbie thinking about buying Sonar 3 – have question March 29, 04 8:45 AM (permalink)
    you wouldn't be using windows 2000 would you?

    Also, Make sure you have Sonar and the other apps set to use the same driver type, which is most likely MME or WDM. I don't think SF will use ASIO , not sure about CE
    < Message edited by C Hudson -- 3/29/2004 9:50:56 AM >

    Best

    CH
    #2
    TexasDawg
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    RE: newbie thinking about buying Sonar 3 – have question March 29, 04 1:01 PM (permalink)
    As a matter of fact, I am using Windows 2000 (the "PRO" version). Why do you ask? Is this a known issue in Windows 2000?

    I was not able to change the drivers in Sound Forge or in CE. They are the default drivers what ever they are (MME?)

    I did change the drivers in Sonar to MME and sure enough, the output volume now matched Sound Forge and CE.

    My next question is (just for curiosity): Which driver format is "correct"? Sure, the ASIO drivers may give me a louder output but is that the one that is “correct” in the real world?

    What drivers should I really be using - MME, ASIO, or WDM? If the output volumes of the different drivers don't match, I can live with that. I want to use the best drivers to give me the best performance for Sonar.

    I played around some more with Sonar last night I’m really starting to like it. Very easy to get around. I have not read any documentation on Sonar but I find it to be rather intuitive. Can you (or someone else) recommend any books?

    Thanks for all your help.

    Regards,

    TexasDawg
    #3
    wigworld
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    RE: newbie thinking about buying Sonar 3 – have question March 29, 04 1:11 PM (permalink)
    Under Windows 2000, the volume level using MME drivers is attenuated by 12dB - if you are using the WDM or ASIO drivers in Sonar, you are not subject to this 'feature'. It's not a bug in any of your software, it's a bug in how Windows 2000 handles it's MME drivers.
    #4
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