Annoying problem

When mixing down a number of tracks to stereo I am finding the levels in the mixdown file are difficult to manage.

I have all my levels right on multitrack playback ensuring that the output does not clip. Let's say the master fader is set on -4db.

Then do a mixdown and find the stereo track levels way to high and clipping all over.

So I turn down the Master level - a lot (say to -15db), do a mixdown - low levels on the stereo track.

I do some more mixdowns, each time creeping the Master fader up a bit, until I get a reasonable set of levels and find I am back at -4db on the Master fader again - but now there is no clipping.

I have changed no other parameter, just the master fader.

Anyone else experienced this?

It has happened in every session today.

Strolls

I have similar problem except that most times, the master fader has no effect on the level of the stereo mixdown file. I thought that maybe I was overlooking some kinda "pre/post" setting in Session Properties, but it looks like there is no such thing...

I thought that there was an FAQ about this, but there doesn't appear to be one. In Audition, mixes are generally carried out in 32-bit Floating Foint (FP) mode, and even though you appear to get clipping in the output file, normalizing the waveform back so that the peaks are just below 0dB will remove all of it. This is due entirely to the nature of FP audio - it seems rather weird, but it makes more sense when you understand what it does (and this there is an FAQ about this in the 1.5 section).

But, it does still matter a bit about the levels you use in your mixdown, because to get into your soundcard the FP signals (which are scalable) have to be turned into integer ones, and they are the ones that can clip. So, if you have the levels too high when you mix, you'll overload your soundcard, and that will sound distorted, giving you an incorrect idea of what your mix sounds like anyway.

The good thing about these scalable signals is that this works with quieter ones as well - with FP, you can mix at a quieter level, and subsequently increase the audio level in your finally mixed file without the noise penalty you'd get from integer mix-downs.

And yes, there is something a little strange about some of the levels transferred around the mixer - there's an AudioMasters thread about this somewhere, but I couldn't find it at a quick glance. But if you aren't aware of what happens to levels with the different panpot options selected, then you could easily experience levels that weren't quite what you expected - but for perfectly valid reasons.

master fader has no effect on the level of the stereo mixdown file.




That's because you are using Export, not Mixdown. In Export, the 'mixdown' setting exports a mixed-down version of what is sent to the Master output, not what comes from it - the help file is quite clear about this. If you used Edit>Mixdown to New File>Master Output in session, then the position of the master fader would affect the output level.

One little detail to add to Steve's excellent contribution: the difference that he's described between Export and Mixdown does not apply to AA3.0, which only offers Export, and the master fader does apply at all times.

SteveG, Thanks for your help.I never used "Export". I have been using "Edit>Bounce to new Track>All Audio Clips in Stereo" to do mixdowns and getting these mixes where sometimes the Master Fader controls the level, but usually it doesn't. I don't know if I'll ever figure that out, but from now on will just use "File>Export>Audio Mix Down". So far today, this always produces a file that is post-Master fader. BTW, I don't have the "Edit>Mixdown to new File" option in my menu..

One little detail to add to Steve's excellent contribution: the difference
that he's described between Export and Mixdown does not apply to AA3.0,
which only offers Export, and the master fader does apply at all times.




So your AA3.0 doesn't have Edit>Mixdown to New File, then? That's strange, because mine does...

OTOH, if you'd said AA2.0, I would have concurred! But there again, I should have noted which forum this is in - which isn't so obvious when you use the 'subscriptions' system... ho hum.

I find this problem as well that the Master Volume has no effect when you bounce all audio tracks down to a new track. But if I turn it down a lot it does affect it but so much so that the mixdown is nearly in audible. Its strange. Its like it only affects it when you go below a certain volume. But if the mixdown is clipping it doesnt matter a simple negative amplification will bring all the clipped peaks below the threshold and they will be fully intact.

Hi I know this is an Old discussion however I have only just obtained Adobe Audition 3.0 and it is a very nice package which I enjoy using. I am not the most technically minded person in the world and I have ran into a problem when trying to mix down my tracks. I have read SteveG comments above regarding mix down to which I was already aware of. My issue is that like Strolls issue when I have down all my mixing down of all the tracks in multi-track view and I then mix them down as one complete file my software keeps lowering the instrumental so that the vocals or blatently louder then the backing track and I don't know why its doing this as I have never had this issue with any of the other adobe/ cool edit packages.

For example if I have an instrumental on its own which I have edited and then click mix down to a new file the new complete instrumental is now lower and I either have to normalize it back to 100% or raise the volume to get it back to the original loudness (DB's) it should be but the moment I mix down the complete product I'm back to square one has anyone else encountered this problem and if so how do I fix it?

Is this a brand new session in AA 3 or is it one you have transferred from a previous version?