sonar 3 producers addition sound quality question

Why are you using 48000? You should be using 44100. What soundcard are you using?

1 - check your playback signal path vs. the recording signal path; anything (plugin/track EQ) different?
2 - try 44100 - it's compatible with CD standard and usually the best

Sample rate of your soundcard should be set automatically by the application, Sonar in this case.

However I don't think that changing sample rate will help you with your problem. You should take Loop's advice and check your signal paths and EQ settings etc. There's no reason why the playback shouldn't sound as good as the recording. That said, it could be that you're listening to both in a different way or maybe the level is considerably higher while recording.

My friend told me to set 48000 24 bit for best sound

Ah, so he's the expert - he may be right for a Soundblaster or any Creative card

How do I check playback signal path?

Just see how your signal flows, e.g. track to bus to master to mixer (w/ active aux send/return or insert FX) to amp to speaker .... something may be inserted in the path at each step.

I never use 48k. It is just another conversion that will have to be done to get to CD. There is no benifit to it. If you use 96k fine, there is a benifit there and is worth the conversion. 48k is just a PITA. Use 41k if you don't need to use 96k.

Best
John

You guys are awesome. very helpful


my setup is more for pre production very simple.

I dont use any aux singnals infact I have all things muted on my soundcard but the headphone,monitor and main analog out.I have the soundcard buffer set to 285 for the moment and the buffers in sonar set to 1000. I go from my soundcard right into my laptop and use direct monitoring out of my berhinger truth monitors which sound amazing by the way. closest thing to a genelec that I have heard. In order to hear effects when I am playing I have to click the yellow echo on button but then deal with 5.3 ms of latency which is ok. I have an ART 215 preamp compressor and eq which is amazing for vocals and should be for Bass as well but thats it. Its always been easier to produce and leave this up to engineers but at home I am all alone.

And yet I told him to set it to 44100 and get no credit for the "good difference in sound on playback". Sheesh!

By the way what is Blerf? I think that's the sound I make after one too many Heinekens.

ORIGINAL: LoopJunkie

And yet I told him to set it to 44100 and get no credit for the "good difference in sound on playback". Sheesh!

Some folks need telling more than once

Thanks for the tip. I have to make sure its not placibo but I think that was the answer.

Sonar changes my soundcard back to 44100 so when I was in sonar ,choosing 48000 was not the same as my card. I think that cant be good. They should be the same. My levels are fine no clipping. Playback is the same as I hear it so I think its fixed. I have very anal ears in the studio so most people dont hear or complain about what i do but I know its there. Im talking about a slight haze over the sound on playback.

Another trick I learned to give some headroom is to lower the volume of the track -5db. After I record I can turn it up louder without having to use trim which distorts tracks. I set my soundcard input to about half way also to avoid clipping.

ORIGINAL: thunderkyss

so have you tried to set sonar to 48K, and set your sound card to 48K??

yes thats what I tried from the beginning but my soundcard would always change back to
44100 leaving me with an uneven match. I could call M-audio on that I guess but its 1 less conversion I have to deal with later.