Subject:6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Posted by: BradlyMusic

Date:6/8/2006 1:00:58 PM

Hi everyone, I waited until 6.0a to jump on the Acid bandwagon because it's finally what I've been looking for. So far it looks great and I love it!!!!

There's just one problem I ran across, which really hinders my workflow where I find I can't use the program. I read in the help file on how to setup a loop recording mode and I am following it exactly as described. I enable the track to be in Auto input mode and select a section to do an auto punch and everytime it reaches the portion where it is suppose to record the monitoring is all distorted, but when I stop and playback the audio it is not distorted. So anyways it's hard to record myself when alls I hear is a bunch of distortion from what I'm trying to monitor. Is there something I'm doing wrong?

Thanks for any help,
Brad

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: SonyNateM

Date:6/8/2006 2:25:31 PM

What exactly do you mean by "distortion"?

Does the audio sound like it's clipping (too hot)?
Does the audio gap and stutter?
Do you get straight static?

Please provide a better description and we should be able to help you out.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:6/8/2006 2:50:03 PM

No gaps, it sounds like it is clipping and no the input meter is reading well below 0dB peak level. The last time I tried it, it was actually peaking around -12dB. Infact if I have Acid in the stopped position, there is no distortion with input monitoring ON.

Here's what I do. I select a region where I would like to record into and click on it to select it, so that I can do a multiple clip record. I then go up to the timeline and select an area that gives me some pre roll and post roll. Then I hit record. When the cursor reaches the clip where it is suppose to record into and Acid enters into input monitoring, then the audio sounds distorted.

Here is the exact scenario I am doing as shown in the help file.
http://www.stashbox.org/uploads/1149803147/Record-Monitor-Problem.jpg

I have the monitoring set to "auto" and everytime it goes into recording and I'm monitoring the input, I can hear myself but it is highly distorted. Then when I finish recording, I playback the section that sounded distorted in my headphones when recording, but it is no longer distorted and there is no clipping on the displayed waveform.

Thanks for the help.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: SonyNateM

Date:6/8/2006 2:52:25 PM

What's probably happening is that your sound card is ALSO looping your recorded signal back for monitoring so the two are summing and clipping. Check your sound cards mixer and turn off any direct monitoring that's going on there.

Nate

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:6/8/2006 3:12:27 PM

Well here are the only settings that I can adjust on my Sound Card, and there is no input monitoring switch.
http://www.stashbox.org/uploads/1149804379/Sound-Card-Settings.jpg

If that was the case then wouldn't I hear distortion when I was in the stopped position also and I'm listening to input monitoring? I only hear it when it goes into Record. Also when I lay down the first take and I'm recording it doesn't have the distortion and everything is set the same way. It only happens when I set up to record multiple clips on top of each other as outlined in the help file.

Oh yeah, I'm only recording one track of myself playing guitar. So I record the first track and then I go back and overdub sections where I messed up on. So there should only be one thing playing back since it's a single track.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:6/8/2006 4:03:05 PM

Ok, this is driving me nutz. I'm convinced now that this is an Acid problem. Originally, I just thought it was me just overlooking something. I just downloaded and installed the Demo version of Vegas 6 and tried the same thing that I've been doing in Acid. I made sure the same ASIO driver was selected, exact same settings on my sound card, same recording location and I don't experience the same problem doing the exact same thing in Vegas as I do in Acid.

Any other tips?

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:6/9/2006 4:19:35 PM

Ok, has anyone else been able to reproduce this? I did some more investigation and this seems to be a bug in Acid with "Auto" input monitoring enabled. I switched from auto to strictly "input" monitoring and it works fine when in Input monitoring and not auto.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: billybk

Date:6/9/2006 5:25:22 PM

I can reproduce this behavior, when punching in and using auto input monitor, as well. Using input monitoring, in the "On" position, does not produce the distortion. If you turn down the track volume slider way down, the distortion disappears. As you reduce the volume slider , so does the distortion when you have input monitoring set to "Auto". Of course, once you turn the track volume down you can no longer hear the pre & post roll. But, when you punch in there is no distortion, just the new audio being recorded.

Cheers,

Billy Buck

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: H2000

Date:6/9/2006 5:58:09 PM

I have this problem also.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:6/9/2006 6:21:34 PM

Thanks for the confirmations. So can we consider this an official bug now?

Does anyone have a work around? I can't do the input monitoring, because it's too loud when both parts are playing and then when the punch happens I lose the feel, because I get a big sinking feeling that I just lost the volume. Lowering the volume slider doesn't seem like a good idea either.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: pwppch

Date:6/9/2006 7:09:49 PM

We are looking into this.

Peter

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: SonyMLogan

Date:7/14/2006 12:34:37 PM

I have a repro in house. For future reference, I would describe the resulting distortion as "ring modulation", probaly the result of a high-rate of periodic drop-outs overlaid on top of the monitored signal.

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: billybk

Date:7/14/2006 12:48:18 PM

I have a repro in house. For future reference, I would describe the resulting distortion as "ring modulation", probaly the result of a high-rate of periodic drop-outs overlaid on top of the monitored signal.


Great news, seems like you are on top of this ring modulation phenomenon, when using Auto Input Monitoring.

Thanks for the update, on this issue!


Billy Buck

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: BradlyMusic

Date:7/14/2006 3:25:45 PM

Excellent, this is great news although I didn't understand much of what you described after you said you had a repro. I've been anxiously waiting to see if this gets fixed.......well hopefully it's going to get fixed? I haven't done any recording with Acid because of this problem.

Is there something that I need to do on my system to make the problem go away in the meantime to prevent the drop-outs?

Subject:RE: 6.0a Monitoring Distortion

Reply by: drbam

Date:7/14/2006 4:55:28 PM

"Is there something that I need to do on my system to make the problem go away in the meantime to prevent the drop-outs?"

Yes. Purchase a small mixer for your monitoring. Onboard Input monitoring has a LONG way to go to beat this simple tried and true method.

drbam