Anyone had this problem with mixdowns?

[pljones]

There are little bridge sections that join across the "songs", so I can see why completely separating them into distinct compositions might make managing the session more difficult. Looks like a very nice demo of using MuLab for a pretty hefty task, though. I hope Solaris65 gets it working!

[Ambient Mechanics]

Just to be on the safe side, is it a limitation of the version you are using?

I have the UL version, as I already said above..there are no limitations with that..it's the full version.

Thanks for taking the time to question it anyway.

[Ambient Mechanics]

I don't know mulab, but it sounds like there's either some interaction between your soloing method and the render, or, there's something strange going on when you have many minutes of silence before you get to the place where the track starts.

That said, what you're doing sounds like a recipe for mistakes. I would just un-solo ALL tracks, render the thing as one LONG wave file, and then cut the wave file at a a good point between each track.

Thanks for the suggestion, GS..much appreciated.

I have to disagree with you though, about what I'm doing being a recipe for mistakes..I've been using MuLab "this way" now for over a year and have NEVWER had this happen before.

Though, to be fair, this is the first time I've used it for such a big project like this..usually it's just for one song/tune at a time..so I guess there might be some truth in your point about about the many minutes of silence before getting to the point of mixdown.

But your suggestions sounds like something that just might be a work-a-round if I can't pin down what exactly has gone wrong and why..be that due to MuLab or myself. So, my thanks again for mentioning that.

[Ambient Mechanics]

Does this one sound similar?
http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=384694

If you're only dealing with WAV files and no plugins, I wouldn't expect so, though.

Thanks for the link, pljones, but I'm sorry to say most of that went completely over my head..not that much of an "under the hood" kind of guy when it comes to these things.

But, for the record, I AM using VSTs to compose and then bouncing / mixing down to WAV files once I've finished composing. Perhaps you might be so kind as to explain what I read at that link you posted..in layman's terms for me.

[Ambient Mechanics]

Hey Solaris65, is there a reason why you do it that way? Are you sure this is the most comfortable way for you? Did you think about putting your 10 songs in 10 different compositions within the same session. That way they would still share the same sound & mix setup. Creating new compositions within a session can be done via the main SESSION menu or via the browser (Composition section -> Options button).

Hey Solaris65, is there a reason why you do it that way? Are you sure this is the most comfortable way for you?

Not sure I really understand..this is the only way I know to be honest..and it has worked just fine for me up until now. One of the main reasons I feel in love with MuLab right from the start was the fact it didn't over-power you with a ton of windows and features ever time you started it up. I know to many out there, that seems to be reason enough to bad mouth MuLab and dismiss it as being somehow "sub-par"..which couldn't be further from the truth of the matter in reality!

Such people might think I'm being naïve when I say this, but I believe the folks at MuTools have really done a lot to open up the world of making music with your PC with MuLab. It's a real joy to use and so simple when compared to the other "big boys" out there. Maybe it's been a case of me wanting to run before I could walk..but I wanted to make music with as little fuss as possible..and MuLab was the DAW that let me do that.

Getting back to the issue I originally posted about..I guess it's entirely possible this is due to something "I" have done or failed to do..and if so, my apologies for not "getting to know" the tools of my trade before using them...as well as for taking up your time over something I might very well could have avoided in the first place, had I known MuLab better than I appear to do.

Did you think about putting your 10 songs in 10 different compositions within the same session. That way they would still share the same sound & mix setup. Creating new compositions within a session can be done via the main SESSION menu or via the browser (Composition section -> Options button).

Isn't that what I have done already?..Isn't that the same thing? I have all of my songs in the one session already. I did try to start a new composition using both the methods as you outlined above..but in each case, if I went to close the second new composition or delete it, the first one would vanish also..with just the message "No Composition" showing in the main project window where the tracks used to be.

I got round this by closing MuLab without saving the project and re-opening it the project again..and everything would be as it was before..with all the tracks in place and playing just fine.

Again, I'm guessing this is due to my lack of understanding..and that MuLab is doing exactly what it should..but it seems a little counter productive to close a new project, only to have the original one disappear as well..or am I missing something here.

Anyway, sorry for the overly long reply and I hope we'll be able to sort this out on way or another. I have yet ot try the suggestions you offered yesterday..or today, depending where in the world you are..been too busy offline to get round to it..but I'll do that next and get back to you once I have.

Thanks again.

[Ambient Mechanics]

There are little bridge sections that join across the "songs", so I can see why completely separating them into distinct compositions might make managing the session more difficult. Looks like a very nice demo of using MuLab for a pretty hefty task, though. I hope Solaris65 gets it working!

Thanks, pljones.

But it's not really an issue for me at all. My release was and still is going to be offered on CD in the usual way..meaning all tracks will play individually like any other CD you would buy. But the digital download would come will come with a bonus track..the entire album as one complete, uninterrupted track..well, that's the plan anyway.

I really don't see how or why this should be an issue for MuLab..which, to my mind, is capable of so much more. What I'm doing is only using it's basic features..mainly due to my own lack of "DAW" understanding in general. I've only been doing this a year now..and MuLab is the first DAW I have spent any serious amount of time using. I tried Reaper and Cakewalk in the past, but just couldn't get past all those windows and features. I just couldn't get to grips with what I was supposed to do in order to make music!

But, with MuLab, I found it to be so intuitive and easy to use..I was up and running..making music within a few minutes of starting the program for the first time.

It's always been easy for me to get around the bridge the tracks. I have two choices really, as I see it..

1)..solo only those tracks I wanted for the song I was mixing down and bounce them down to a WAV file, which is what I did the last time..and which doesn't seem to have worked like it did before for me.

..or

2)..again solo only the tracks for the song I want to mix down.along with the track for the bridge. Then, once the song had been mixed down to a WAV file, I would/could open it in say Audacity and apply either a crop or a slow fade in/out to the ends of the track, just after the bridge ended and/or kicked in.

There's more than likely a very easy way to do all of this within MuLab itself..maybe using automation to get the same result..but I haven't really gone that deeply into MuLab..haven't needed to I guess..and maybe this is the start of that process for me here.

[pljones]

Are you working with any different VSTs on this project from on previous ones? Jo's suggestion of isolating tracks one by one might identify a problem. The post I linked identified an issue with one VST that wasn't happy in "bounce down" mode but was fine during playback.

Jo and David seemed to get a resolution for it identified. (With the VST developer and the MuLab developer talking directly like that, it's a great way to get problems fixed -- not all VST developers or host developers can work like that, of course).

[Ambient Mechanics]

Are you working with any different VSTs on this project from on previous ones? Jo's suggestion of isolating tracks one by one might identify a problem. The post I linked identified an issue with one VST that wasn't happy in "bounce down" mode but was fine during playback.

Jo and David seemed to get a resolution for it identified. (With the VST developer and the MuLab developer talking directly like that, it's a great way to get problems fixed -- not all VST developers or host developers can work like that, of course).

No..been using the ones I always use..that's why it seemed kind of strange to me. Still, I'm not ruling anything out and am still testing to see if it was something I did that has caused the issue in the first place.

[MuTools]

Isn't that what I have done already?..Isn't that the same thing?

Note that a "Session" and a "Composition" are 2 different things. A session can contain multiple compositions. All compositions in a session share the same session mux i.e. the sound/mix setup.

Please see http://www.mutools.com/info/docs/mulab/overview.html

[Ambient Mechanics]

Isn't that what I have done already?..Isn't that the same thing?

Note that a "Session" and a "Composition" are 2 different things. A session can contain multiple compositions. All compositions in a session share the same session mux i.e. the sound/mix setup.

Please see http://www.mutools.com/info/docs/mulab/overview.html

Yes..I've read that before..but I don't understand how this helps sort out the issue I currently have. Are you saying the issue is caused by me doing everything in one session?

And, for the record, I tried exporting all of the songs as one complete WAV file and it worked fine..the play-back was as it should have been..so, with regards to my own situation, the problem of getting my composition out to a working WAV file has been solved. But the reasons why that issue happened in the first place have yet to be explained.

I still have to try exporting each track to help try to find the cause of all of this..and my apologies for still not doing that, but I promise to do this tomorrow and report back my findings here.

[MuTools]

Isn't that what I have done already?..Isn't that the same thing?

Note that a "Session" and a "Composition" are 2 different things. A session can contain multiple compositions. All compositions in a session share the same session mux i.e. the sound/mix setup.

Please see http://www.mutools.com/info/docs/mulab/overview.html

Yes..I've read that before..but I don't understand how this helps sort out the issue I currently have. Are you saying the issue is caused by me doing everything in one session?

No that's not what i was saying. Feel free to use MuLab and the MUX as it's most comfortable & productive for you. Everyone has its own ways of doing things and that's fine.

I just had the impression you were mixing up 'sessions' and 'compositions' that's why i pointed to the docs. Maybe i had a wrong impression.

[Ambient Mechanics]

No that's not what i was saying. Feel free to use MuLab and the MUX as it's most comfortable & productive for you. Everyone has its own ways of doing things and that's fine.

I just had the impression you were mixing up 'sessions' and 'compositions' that's why i pointed to the docs. Maybe i had a wrong impression.

Apparently so..and sorry if something I said lead you to believe so..I should have explained things clearer perhaps.

Anyway, like I said, I'll try to back-trace the issue and let you know how I get on. Thanks for your continued help and support with this.