CollywoodGuitars (Space Cadet) 10/21/17 04:09 PM	Output Levels
	Whenever I do mix/master the levels are are good and high, but soon as I convert the CD to something I can post to sound cloud, they barely audible. What's with that???
uptildawn (Planeteer) 10/21/17 05:47 PM	Re: Output Levels
	Generally and without knowing what machine you're using, or whether or not you're using effects, etc., I'd guess that your 'master tracks' are - 1- not the only thing you're hearing when you check your levels before creating the CD (in other words, you're still hearing the individual tracks) or 2- you're not performing the final mixdown to two 'master tracks' properly, so you're losing essential effects processing, etc. If you've done everything correctly, there should be no difference in volume between your master tracks and the final CD, when played over the same monitoring system and with the fader levels matched.
CollywoodGuitars (Space Cadet) 10/21/17 07:08 PM	Re: Output Levels
	I am using a VS2480CD. My CD levels are fine, but when I load the CD into my computer and convert the project in ITunes, everything becomes weak. I am actually monitoring the mastered track and the levels are where they should be. The CD playback levels are identical.
uptildawn (Planeteer) 10/21/17 08:45 PM	Re: Output Levels
	Just wanting as complete a picture as possible - when you load the CD into your computer and play it from the cd drive it sounds just like you expect it to? But after converting it in iTunes (to wav format?), the playback from the iTunes player is weak? Or have you taken the converted filed and played it in another media player on your computer? Or have you even tried burning it to a blank cd-r on the computer and then playing that in your VS cd drive, maybe? I've never used iTunes to convert a track (although I have use iTunes just a little bit), instead usually using something like SoundForge, or dbpoweramp on a PC. I've never run into the problem of one of these converting tools lowering the playback volume, although I had run into the problem with the VS cd burn not sounding like my mix (and that's why I asked those other questions). Can you burn your converted track to CD and compare it side by side to the CD you burned with the VS? I'm trying to establish whether there is an actual change in volume happening in the conversion, or whether it's something related to different playback mixer settings on your computer, for instance - like on the PC I can set a different playback volume in the Windows mixer applet for CD audio and .wav/media player audio (or at least I used to be able to).
CollywoodGuitars (Space Cadet) 10/22/17 01:14 AM	Re: Output Levels
	The levels on the CD and on the 2480 are identical and strong (meters just slightly under clipping). It seems that I Tunes is doing something when it converts from the WAV file to the I Tunes format. Will Soundcloud accept Wav files?
uptildawn (Planeteer) 10/22/17 01:32 AM	Re: Output Levels
	Are the levels on the CD - played on the computer (pc, or mac, whatever you're using) - the same as the iTunes converted files burned to a CD? Have you tried that? I would suggest (again) making a CD of the iTunes-converted tracks and playing them on the same system as the VS-generated CD - either both through the VS, or both through the computer. I would want to just to confirm this, if it were me. You should go to Soundcloud and read up on whatever file formats they accept and also what format they convert to in order to host them on their site. Some sites, for instance, would allow 44.1k/16bit wav file format to be uploaded, while converting whatever they receive to 128kbps mp3 in order to play them on their site (which most still do, I believe).
CollywoodGuitars (Space Cadet) 10/22/17 03:34 AM	Re: Output Levels
	For some reason the CD played on the Mac are the same as the I Tunes track. All the levels on the computer are boosted and it is still weak. I am baffled, unless the computer is buffering the track for some unknown reason.
uptildawn (Planeteer) 10/22/17 05:58 AM	Re: Output Levels
	I can't even guess at why there's a difference, since I have no idea how your equipment is set up and how you are monitoring your various playback systems..... but if your computer and the VS are running through the same amplification and speakers, then there certainly must be a difference at some input/output gain stages that isn't readily obvious. If the VS main outputs and the mac main outputs aren't running through the same amp/mixer/speakers already, then it seems your next test should be to feed the two playback devices (VS and mac) one at a time into the same inputs on the same playback/monitor system...... ideally, with some way to register playback volumes on a meter, or to somehow get observable playback levels, otherwise you have to rely on your ears for determining the differences - but if they're significant, then it would be obvious to your ears, I imagine. Don't try to use a Y-split into an input on your monitoring system to avoid hooking one up and then the other. It won't work right. I still think another test that should show something meaningful would be to put those iTunes converted tracks onto a CD and play it on the same burner that you use to make the CD on the VS and compare the two through the VS. If what you suspect is true - that there's an issue at the mac's playback - then I would guess that the two CDs would sound the same on the VS (louder than on the mac). That would also confirm that the problem would not be the iTunes converter.