Recording with Sonar

[TroubledTreble]

I have been driving myself nuts with trying to get a decent recording. I am using Sonar as the software and a Line 6 Tone Port GX as the interface. The computer is plenty fast enough for the task.

The problem I have is that after recording I play it back and it has a very poor quality sound to it. I am using the on board audio hardware but I don't think that is the problem. If I import a drum loop or a sample that comes with the program it sounds great. I have change settings in both Gearbox (Line 6) and in Sonar with no luck.

Has anyone else had much experience using this type setup?

 

[DangerousR6]

I have been driving myself nuts with trying to get a decent recording. I am using Sonar as the software and a Line 6 Tone Port GX as the interface. The computer is plenty fast enough for the task.

The problem I have is that after recording I play it back and it has a very poor quality sound to it. I am using the on board audio hardware but I don't think that is the problem. If I import a drum loop or a sample that comes with the program it sounds great. I have change settings in both Gearbox (Line 6) and in Sonar with no luck.

Has anyone else had much experience using this type setup?

I haven't used sonar, but i had found a free recording program years ago and tried it and it sucked. So i bought a 8 track digital recorder, less frustrations. :rock-on:

 

[TroubledTreble]

Ya know, I don't know what just happened but it is sounding great! I am befuddled why all of sudden it is behaving.. :tard:

Anyway I would still like to hear some tips and pointers.

Thanks in advance!

-TT-

 

[bpmorton777]

I dont use sonar but anything that is "imported" in any program dosnt use the sound hardware at all...it's all files being copied around and the sound quality should be fine with that kind of stuff. If you are having problems again make a sound clip and post it up, that way we could hear what is going on with your audio.

Brian

 

[PitchShifter]

I use Sonar 6 on a very old PC, and I use  line 6 Pod 2.0 and a Zoom B 2.0 as direct boxes and I have no such problems with quality of the sound recording (or recording..playing is another issue!).  It took a fair bit of fiddling around with Buffer settings to get that working.  I don't use monitoring through the app because the sound runs behind.  i also had to tweak the audio options setup.  I'd have to check at home to see how I've got it set up though.

 

[dbw]

I have been driving myself nuts with trying to get a decent recording. I am using Sonar as the software and a Line 6 Tone Port GX as the interface. The computer is plenty fast enough for the task.

The problem I have is that after recording I play it back and it has a very poor quality sound to it. I am using the on board audio hardware but I don't think that is the problem. If I import a drum loop or a sample that comes with the program it sounds great. I have change settings in both Gearbox (Line 6) and in Sonar with no luck.

Has anyone else had much experience using this type setup?

I haven't used sonar, but i had found a free recording program years ago and tried it and it sucked. So i bought a 8 track digital recorder, less frustrations. :rock-on:

+1, I tried a bunch of things, then said f*ck it and got a BR-600.  Great purchase

 

[TroubledTreble]

Well I managed to get one recording in this evening.(a small sample) Just messing around a bit and it's working ok at the moment. A clean recording is possible, but dirty it up a little and the quality suffers. I will try a more overdriven recording next.

I had tried to record left and right on seperate channels at once. This made a bouncy garbled sound during playback..??? So if I just record stereo on one channel it's ok.

I had to lower the quality a bit to post it, so there is a bit of shuushing at the attack of the note. Oh well.  EDIT* I recuced the length and increased the quality.

It's a bit strange recording this way, I'm not used to headphones only, can't feel the vibes in me bones!

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Can you post a screenshot of the recorded audio tracks as they show in Sonar? I'd be interested in seeing what sort of levels you are capturing - if you can expand the track a bit on screen so I don't need the magnifying glass, that would be useful

 

[GoDrex]

Not sure if this will help but I've found that to get a good recording of guitar on my computer, I need the record level to be pretty low. Like around -20db or lower. I can then increase the level of the track in the mix, but the initial recording is quite low compared to the finished mix.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Just had a look at the spec for the Line6 GX. It's a USB input device, so your assumption about the audio card not being at fault during recording would be correct - it's not involved in the process and only comes into play during playback.

My suspicion would be that something isn't right either with the Line6 drivers, the installation/set-up of GearBox, or perhaps an incompatibility in the set-up between GearBox and Sonar.

Without wishing to teach Granny about egg sucking, have you tried running through the info linked to this page?  - Line 6 Help

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Not sure if this will help but I've found that to get a good recording of guitar on my computer, I need the record level to be pretty low. Like around -20db or lower. I can then increase the level of the track in the mix, but the initial recording is quite low compared to the finished mix.

Personally, I'd be really unhappy with those sort of levels. What I was always advised is to set the input such that the peaks of the recorded wave are just touching -3dB. At that point you should have no issues with digital clipping and you should have the best signal/noise ratio. At -20dB, noise is a far higher proportion of the recording than the -3dB level I've suggested - all you are doing by then increasing the level in the mix is amplifying the amount of noise by the same proportion - perhaps OK for a Korn cover, but not ideal for that sensitive acoustic number.

 

[TroubledTreble]

Thanks for the tips.. I will give em' a try this evening. I have tried sending 3/4 from Gearbox, and also lowering the levels pre-sonar. I will pay more attention to the decible level and try some more.

 

[WMHOLP]

It's all about gain structure and levels.  I use a tube preamp in my signal path.  I have to keep the output level on the preamp fairly low to prevent my USB interface, and thus the recording software from clipping.  For digital recording, I just try to keep all the levels in the green.  As long as I get a good signal, the rest is done in mixdown.

 

[GuitarEC]

I use Sonar in my home studio - I got the "Power Studio" package which included a Firewire interface.  Great product and rock-solid sound quality.  I use it with my Pod XT and Pod X3, but I use the audio outs into the firewire interface.  I've tried recording direct using the USB interface on both of them, but it doesn't behave for me.

The thing I think makes it all wrong is using more than one type of audio device at the same time.  The Firewire interface uses WDM, the Pods like ASIO, and the internal soundcard on my PC uses a thrid type (don't remember right off the top of my head).  The firewire is the most stable of the three, so that's what I use, and the results work for me.

There is no cut-and-dried way to do PC audio workstations (unless you shell out BIG bucks for a ProTools setup) - so just find your best options, and make them work for you.

My $0.02,

Eric "GuitarEC"

 

[Chris of Arabia]

(unless you shell out BIG bucks for a ProTools setup)

Wash your mouth out young man 

There is absolutely no call for language like that in these parts...

 

[tallman]

For maximum dynamic range, you should always record as loud a signal as possible without clipping.  That said, there is an art to finding what kind of headroom you need to leave to be safe.

And nothing compares to a well mic'd amp into a quality pre.

 

[GoDrex]

Not sure if this will help but I've found that to get a good recording of guitar on my computer, I need the record level to be pretty low. Like around -20db or lower. I can then increase the level of the track in the mix, but the initial recording is quite low compared to the finished mix.

Personally, I'd be really unhappy with those sort of levels. What I was always advised is to set the input such that the peaks of the recorded wave are just touching -3dB. At that point you should have no issues with digital clipping and you should have the best signal/noise ratio. At -20dB, noise is a far higher proportion of the recording than the -3dB level I've suggested - all you are doing by then increasing the level in the mix is amplifying the amount of noise by the same proportion - perhaps OK for a Korn cover, but not ideal for that sensitive acoustic number.

Just relaying what works for me. I've had trouble getting a good sound with higher recording levels. My recordings are far from professional, but sound decent for my purposes.

 

[guitlouie]

I'm going to be of absolutely no help, I'll let you know that right off the bat.  I recently purchased a Line 6 UXII, and am baffled by the seeming uselessness of the thing.  I mean I bought it strictly for making demos at home that I could give to the guys in the band.  My problem is that the Gearbox side of things works fine.  It is fun to mess around with all the amp models and effects and whatever, but that is not why I bought it.  I bought it to RECORD!  Ever since I got the thing, the recording side of the dynamic has not worked at all.  Granted I am using the included Ableton software, and not the Sonar, but I can't even get a single note recorded.  When I arm a track for recording, I get all kinds of abberant noises, none of them my guitar.  Also, it occaisionally makes a god-awful horrendous squeal that sends the dog running out of the room with his tail between his legs.  Anyway, I have been poking around the help site trying to figure out what my problem is, I mean other than that I justy bought a $140 piece o' clutter.  I haven't had a ton of time to spend on this, though so I haven't gotten far yet.  If I run across something that works for me, I'll let you know, it may be a related gremlin.  Best of luck to ya!

 

[TroubledTreble]

Ok, I think I'm getting the hang of this. I still have no idea why I got garbled crap a few times. I have tried to recreate it and can't get it to do it.

This time I set gear box for a somewhat distorted sound. Before it just would'nt come out this well.

I've had this program for a while and got really disgusted with it. At the time I was using a Tascam US-122, the older version. There was a great deal of latencey with the signal and it didn't come with any support. Hey anybody need something for target practice. Frikn* piece of *%@&!

I appreciate all the help, keep the tips coming!

 

[WMHOLP]

Ok, I think I'm getting the hang of this. I still have no idea why I got garbled crap a few times. I have tried to recreate it and can't get it to do it.

This time I set gear box for a somewhat distorted sound. Before it just would'nt come out this well.

I've had this program for a while and got really disgusted with it. At the time I was using a Tascam US-122, the older version. There was a great deal of latencey with the signal and it didn't come with any support. Hey anybody need something for target practice. Frikn* piece of *%@&!

I appreciate all the help, keep the tips coming!

I have the older US-122 as well.  I too have run into the latency issue.  Usually, rebooting my G5 iMac will take care of that problem.  I've never fully figured out how to completely minimize the latency problem.  When I was running Pro Tools Free on my older G3, I had a huge problem with latency.  It got so frustrating, I actually dialed in some delay on the click/playback tracks while recording new tracks.  Amateur way to get around it, but it worked once I figured out the exact milliseconds of delay to apply.  What a pain.

I can't afford a fancy new firewire interface, or new software.  C'est la vie.  For home noodling at a non-professional level, it's good enough for my purposes.