Exported Mixes are Distorted

[sworkshop]

I used Tracktion 2 for about 5 years and loved every minute of it.

I have been using Tracktion 6 for a while now, but much to my surprise I cannot get any
non-distorted mixes out of it.

Here are the symptoms
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I have tried every level between -3 and -10 on everything. Nothing is in the red. No limiter crushing things...but still every exported file is distorted.

I am mixing down in realtime, though I have the same result with the fast export.

I have tried removing all plugins from the chain: same result.

It seems to record tracks without a problem, but unless I invite people over to listen to them in my studio no one will ever hear them. This limits my distribution...ha ha.

I almost had one clean track come out but it had a big sonic glitch in the last 10 seconds...

This is My Theory
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OK, OK those are all my problems...here is my question.

Is this happening because processor use is at about 45%? Do I need to freeze all tracks in order to get a clean export file? Is the processor use that much higher in T6?

I would be happy to have this be the solution, except that it would undermine my original reason for choosing Tracktion in the first place...older versions never 'got in the way' but sorry to report T6 on Win 8 64bit has been getting in the way of creativity night after night.

Oh, the interface is Scarlett if that matters. I have to reboot the Scarlett several times per session, perhaps that is another clue.

There has to be a solution. Thanks very much in advance for anyone who can help diagnose this issue. I want to love Tracktion again, I really do.

[Peter Widdicombe]

1. Is your processor overloaded? Run TaskManager and see if there is any peaking. Use the performance tab on that, minimize task manager, do an export, and check again.
2. Disable the network cable or wireless, and shut down any other things you may have open (i.e. any browser).
3. Don't export during the first 5 minutes after startup - Windows may still actually be starting up other tasks.
4. Are any of your .vst's real memory/processor hogs? Tracktion's processor graph will indicate the worst ones - but beware, that is a % of the cpu resources within tracktion, not of the real CPU.
5. For output, are you using Windows drivers, direct sound, or ASIO? They each have their own quirks.
6. In the old days, some .vst's weren't "multi-cpu" aware and did cause this distortion (although you would hear that even during normal playback) if you ran multiple instances - I know SFZ used to have this issue. I would expect 64-bit ones to be OK, but I've never run 64-bit mode Tracktion.

[whyterabbyt]

You could try grabbing MRecorder from Melda's free plugins bundle, and dropping it on the master track. Its basically a track recorder, so if what it records is distorted, itd be a clue that its not the export process that's the problem.

And if it works without distortion, you have a workaround while you find the real cause.

[fde101]

I am experiencing this same issue, in my case with T7; I found that the MRecorder workaround worked for me.

One thing I've noticed: my metering plugins (non-T7 supplied) and the meters in MRecorder show the levels as very nearly clipping (if not doing so) while the main bus meter in T7 is showing lots of headroom. I suspect that there is headroom above "zero" in T7, and that the plugins show clipping at zero, but T7's meters show more room above that... then clips the values at the "zero" level when exporting.

Somehow the export from MRecorder seems to have worked around that, although its meters did max out a few times during the process... I did the export as 32-bit and had MRecorder normalize it, so maybe that is what allowed it to capture the extra detail and not start clipping?

This seems like an issue that TSC needs to resolve as it is a bit problematic.

[AegisPrime]

One thing I've noticed: my metering plugins (non-T7 supplied) and the meters in MRecorder show the levels as very nearly clipping (if not doing so) while the main bus meter in T7 is showing lots of headroom. I suspect that there is headroom above "zero" in T7, and that the plugins show clipping at zero, but T7's meters show more room above that... then clips the values at the "zero" level when exporting.

Apologies if you already know this, but by default Tracktion applies a -3dB cut on the master fader - since this is the last thing in the audio path then that's shown on the master VU meter too - might be worth checking?

[fde101]

I wasn't aware of that, but a bit lost on how this would relate to the problem with exporting directly from T7?

If I am seeing headroom on the master VU meter and that is the last thing in the audio path, where is the export taking its signal from that it winds up being clipped?

EDIT: I guess my expectation is that the exported audio should generally match what it sounds like when played back in the DAW - it sounds clean in the DAW, but the export is distorted/clipped, which is the issue I am scratching my head over.

[pough]

Could you maybe create a simple (no plugins?) project that exhibits this problem and make the project and an export available for others to test and compare?

[TSC]

The likely culprit is a plugin that is failing during the render process - try experimenting with simple edits to track and identify which one is the culprit

Sample rate can also play a role in that equation - we have seen plugs that have bugs rendering at specific sample rates - what rate are you using? if 44.1 try 48 and see if that helps