Why do DAWs sound different?

[cryophonik]

The second one in waveform sounds like it's summed to mono. I am on my laptop but even on the laptop it sounds suspiciously monophonic.

Could be different pan laws for each DAW?

(caveat: I haven't listened to the OP's example because I'm at work and currently only have my built-in computer speaker).

[machinesworking]

Could be different pan laws for each DAW?

A little, but the 400HZ dip is too drastic for pan laws.

[BONES]

Exact same plugin and same preset on a brand new, blank project.
Why so different?

Hardly definitive. The first one sounds louder than the second, for a start, like the level is too high and there is some saturation being introduced. It's possible one of the hosts is simulating a saturated circuit at high levels and the other isn't. Try your test again with everything at half the level you had it at for this test.

[BertKoor]

https://github.com/rncbc/qtractor/issues/391

[BertKoor]

there's a significant cut to zero at 400hz

Exactly 400 Hz, or closer to 375 Hz?
That's a period of 128 samples @ 48kHz...

[lmv]

Looking at a metering suite while playing it there's a significant cut to zero at 400hz with the Qtractor section, that's going to cause it to sound a lot less full, which it definitely does. I think of the two the Qtractor one is suspect, because the cut is drastic for such a normal sound.

I wouldn't say "less full," I think the Qtractor sample sounds harder, even slightly harsh. It's supposed to be a guitar, but it sounds like a bell. It has its own beauty to it, I don't really dislike it, but I don't think the plugin is supposed to sound like that.

Can you share a screenshot of that cut to zero at 400hz that you mention?

[lmv]

https://github.com/rncbc/qtractor/issues/391

That's interesting. Good find, thank you.
But maybe I should have disclosed that I never exported those tracks. I recorded them as the computer's master output with jack_record while I repeatedly played the small passages in real time. So it has nothing to do with file/wav rendering.

[lmv]

New test:

https://0x0.st/X7qV.mp3

Same as before, but this time it features Qtractor, Waveform and Mulab.
Mulab is Windows software so it runs and plays through Wine.

Qtractor and Mulab sound quite similar though not identical.

(Again, I think Waveform has a more natural sound. Which is kind of funny because I was disappointed at first, I was porting the project from Qtractor to Waveform and was not pleased because it sounded different, but on second thought now I think it sounds better on Waveform and maybe I should replace that instrument or maybe just EQ it.)

[machinesworking]

New test:

https://0x0.st/X7qV.mp3

Same as before, but this time it features Qtractor, Waveform and Mulab.
Mulab is Windows software so it runs and plays through Wine.

Qtractor and Mulab sound quite similar though not identical.

(Again, I think Waveform has a more natural sound. Which is kind of funny because I was disappointed at first, I was porting the project from Qtractor to Waveform and was not pleased because it sounded different, but on second thought now I think it sounds better on Waveform and maybe I should replace that instrument or maybe just EQ it.)

Hey you need to explicitly state the order of the audio files. I don't think it helps that we have no idea which is which. I'm almost 100% certain the second file in both uploads is Qtracktor but you're not listing the names of the DAWs in that order.

[lmv]

It's Qtractor, Waveform and Mulab in that order.

[machinesworking]

It's Qtractor, Waveform and Mulab in that order.

OK cool, it's Waveform that has the 400hz dip. Got that backwards.

[machinesworking]

there's a significant cut to zero at 400hz

Exactly 400 Hz, or closer to 375 Hz?
That's a period of 128 samples @ 48kHz...

pic above.

[lmv]

I don't know, I think they all have that 400Hz gap.
https://0x0.st/X7bs.mp4
(video, 1 minute, 6MB)

[Papuzzo]

Nuendo sounds 20-40% better!!


Who remembers that?

[lmv]

Can we please focus on the topic?