Different sound in different situations, help!:)

[Audiomancer]

 

Ok, so I have some questions, and I apologize ahead of time if my post comes across as rambling, and I give thanks ahead of time for any suggestions given:)

I am using BandLab's Cakewalk as a DAW, my computer has 8 gigs of ram with an i5-7400 processor. I am running a SSD.

First off, I noticed when I export a WAV file through my DAW (that's using ASIO), if I open it in a WAV editor that's also using ASIO, it sounds the same. If I play the WAV using a run of the mill file player on my computer, such as Windows Media Player, the file sounds SIGNIFICANTLY different. If I alter the WAV file in the WAV editor, and then play it on a standard file player, the altered sound occurs then too.

I've changed the sound driver option in my DAW to not use ASIO, but it really doesn't run very well, and you get some audio oddities while working on the track..however, the export sounds the same when played between your audio software, and the standard audio players.

Also, If I get my WAV to sound how I want in my WAV editor, and then export to MP3, the sound is altered then too...and I'm not just talking about a lossy sound either. The resultant MP3 is over a decibel louder, and the waveform is altered visually in relation to the original WAV. Is this normal? 

I searched the internet for answers to these questions, and couldn't find answers that helped....or at least my novice self couldn't understand them. The only one I found was about not using ASIO in the first place...but there's got to be a better way, and that doesn't explain to me the MP3 issue.

This is something I discovered after submitting something, and not realizing the change in sound of the MP3 submitted. Oh well.

Thanks again ahead of time!

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by Audiomancer

[Jorito]

I am not a Windows user, but it sounds like your regular Windows playback system is using a different output device that probably has some effects/processing on it. And that doesn't seem to happen with ASIO. I'd probably check the Windows audio drivers and/or processing settings in Windows Media Player and have a look at what other apps might be running (for example in the system tray or whatever it's called these days).

[timaeus222]

I'm not sure which version of Windows you're using, but I'd try checking your Speakers properties (click the Speaker icon on the taskbar, then click the Speaker if Windows 7, for example. Then click the Enhancements tab and click Disable all enhancements). That's what comes to mind for me.

[Audiomancer]

Thank you both for your responses:) I did check for enhancements under audio properties, and nothing is selected there. I'll have to see if there is some sort of properties menu in the media players. 

I don't know if this is a dumb question, but when judges listen to submissions, do they use a daw or wav editor when they do so, or is something else used? Thanks again for the responses!

[Dextastic]

On 10/2/2019 at 8:03 AM, Audiomancer said:

Also, If I get my WAV to sound how I want in my WAV editor, and then export to MP3, the sound is altered then too...and I'm not just talking about a lossy sound either. The resultant MP3 is over a decibel louder, and the waveform is altered visually in relation to the original WAV. Is this normal? 

Yes, that is normal.

[Audiomancer]

Thank you for the clarification on the mp3 question.

 

[Seth Skoda]

Something is wrong. Are you absolutely certain you turned off audio enhancements?

My only issue where anything sounds different is when I play it back in Windows Media Player at high volume. It has a limiter that really screws up the volume leveling in the parts of music with less going on.

That aside, everything sounds the same played on everything within my PC.

The only thing I can think of is that any editors you're using are using different audio drivers, but even that shouldn't cause a significant difference.

[Audiomancer]

I turned off absolutely everything...it's been double checked:( Oh well, I assume when most people on this site listen to the tracks, they are sure they're hearing unadulterated music. I listen on my phone through headphones much of the time, as I notice my WIP's sound the same on my phone as through ASIO on my pc.