Exporting Issues

[Robin_G]

I'm wondering if anybody else has had this issue. My exported song sounds nothing like how it does in the Waveform studio. If I export with the option "Adjust Level Based on RMS", it comes out way too loud and distorted. If I export with the option "Normalise", the problem is a little trickier to describe but basically the balance is out of whack. Certain parts stick out as too loud while others are too soft and in general it lacks fullness. Yet in the program the mix sounds right. My first couple of songs don't have this issue, but when I export my current one with the same settings, I get these strange results. Any idea what I'm doing wrong and how it can be fixed? Thank you!

(Btw I am using the free version for Windows)

[dysjoint]

Sounds like a mixing issue. So when you're working in Waveform it's like putting stuff in a box with the lid open, you can chuck stuff in randomly and it will be fine, it will sound exactly as you created it. When you export the lid of the box is firmly closed at 0db and anything above that will be clipped off or squashed in depending on the export method. Ideally you don't want waveform to be doing any adjusting or normalising when you export, you need to do all that work beforehand. Look up gain staging and mixing advice.

[Dark Lane]

I agree with dysjoint. Don't rely on Waveform to normalise or make any auto adjustments to levels as it's unpredictable and undocumented so God knows what is going on or how it works. Best to follow good gain staging practice and adjust track and mix levels manually, then you know where you are and there's no unpleasant surprises.

FYI, I aim for a peak value of -3db to -6db for the mixed song which I then export and create a new edit to master it. With limiting, I can then aim for a peak of about -1db for the final mastered song. (I also use LUFS but that's a whole topic on it's own

[Robin_G]

Thank you this was really helpful! I learned up on gain staging and fixed the volume levels. It's exporting just fine now.