Multiple ASIO Outputs in Sonar 6

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Member Since: Aug 07, 2007

My previous recording system kinda tanked, so in the meantime I'm using a Dell Inspiron 530 with a RealtekHD 5.1 sound card. Here's my fundamental problem - on each channel in Sonar, you are required to assign to output to a send, a bus, or a main out. Using ASIO drivers, I have four audio outputs, ASIO4ALL Realtek HD ouput 1, 3, 5, and 7. Output 1 is front left/right, 3 is center, 5 is sub, and 7 is rear left/right.

There's no rhyme or reason to which channels or buses I should assign to which channel. I've been sending everything through output 1, which is front left/right. However, when I mix the project down and listen to them on the same set of speakers which utilizes every speaker, I get a completely different sound than what I had heard in Sonar. Is there any way in ASIO or Sonar to possibly chain several buses together, so that I could send all my outputs to one bus, which would go to 1 output, but also bounce to the next bus which would go to another output, etc.? I got fed up after mixing a couple tracks on some bass-heavy DT770s and hearing it sound like crap on my Logitech speakers.

I'm essentially out of money so I really can't afford to purchase anything at the moment. Any work-arounds you can come up with would be greatly appreciated.

Phil

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Administrator
Since: Apr 03, 2002


Mar 05, 2009 09:04 am

Does the Realtek have any sort of control panel that you can just assign it to work in stereo mode so it can ignore all that extra 5.1 stuff? I can see where that would be confusing as heck.

Member
Since: Aug 07, 2007


Mar 05, 2009 09:53 am

Yes it does Masters, but for all intensive purposes the Realtek drivers are being disabled (or wrapped) while I'm using ASIO. Even if I told it to run in stereo, Sonar completely bypasses those instructions and goes straight to the ASIO drivers, which tell itself there are five outputs. (I may be totally wrong on this, correct me if I am)

Believe it or not, I've actually found a halfway decent workaround if none other is available. I've added a surround bus, and begun routing every channel to the surround bus. In the console mixer view, each track then has its own setting for controlling the surround of that particular channel. Once I manipulated the point of center, all the other main outputs began lighting up to my surprise.

I'm not sure why I didn't think about this one before, considering one of the tracks I'm working on has full orchestration. Now I just need to hook up my rear speakers from the move and get mixing!

If anyone else has any other ideas, feel free to let 'er rip. I may not always be using this sound card, or this setup and I might run into the same problem again.

Member
Since: Aug 07, 2007


Mar 05, 2009 04:04 pm

After getting back from work, I did some more double checking and found out that my solution did NOT work. After exporting the song and playing it back in WMP and VLC, I still have the same problem. It feels as if I have an exaggerated bass in Sonar so all my songs have a tinny quality. I tried importing a song from a CD and exporting it to see if the sound card was interfering during the mixdown, but it came through golden. It sounded the exact same before, in, and out of Sonar. Any new ideas?

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 05, 2009 08:51 pm

I'm not sure what is happening there but I've been running Sonar since the beginning of time and not had that issue. Now I don't use an on board sound card but it does not matter.

You should be able to send all your tracks to the sub buss if that is what you want.

In the project you are working on you will be having issues at mix down because you probably are not disabling the other busses and it is mixing them all down to a stereo track which will sound like crud of course because it is overloading the buss on mix down.

What you will want to do to export is assign all the tracks to use output 1 and only that. Mute or delete the other busses before mixing the project down.

Member
Since: Aug 07, 2007


Mar 06, 2009 09:45 am

Hey Noize. I did some double checking and it turns out your solution does help a bit, but I'm still not getting the meaty punch and tone after mixdown that I am while I'm listening back in Sonar. On your suggestion, I sent all the tracks to the surround bus, which in turn goes to my main outputs 1, 3, 5, and 7 and muted all the other buses. In the exporting options, I've tried every combination under "Source Category", which lets me mix down either Tracks, Buses, Main Outputs, or Entire Mix. The last three options give me the correct virtual placement of each instrument I had assigned with the surround bus, but they all seem to lack that mid range punch.

Here's the rest of my export options, in case I've got something wrong (which could very much be the case).

Chanel format: Stereo

Sample Rate: 48000

Bit Depth: 32

Dithering: Triangular

Under the "Mix Enables" section, all options are highlighted except 64-bit engine.

I'm running Sonar 6 Producer Edition on Vista Basic 32-bit, with a Realtek HD Audio onboard souncard.

Czar of Midi
Administrator
Since: Apr 04, 2002


Mar 06, 2009 12:50 pm

I'm wondering if your system is then still trying to play it as a surround file.

I must ask though why you are mixing down to stereo using 48k @ 32 bit? Have you tried mixing to a final of 44.1k @16 bit to see what happens. I'm wondering if the dithering is messing things up at all. It very well could be that. I'll have to look a bit later and see what the default dithering settings was for version 6. I'm on 8 now but still have 6 installed for thins kid of thing.

Also, have you tried mixing it down as a surround mix to see what that does yet?

Member
Since: Aug 07, 2007


Mar 06, 2009 03:33 pm

Okay, I'm using Sonar 8 now. I tried all the combination you told me, Noize. I tried mixing it down in surround, and in the end it seems to have lost volume. I tried mixing a project down in stereo (I only hear sound out of the front left and right speakers, this is because I was using the Master output, which by default is Realtek HD ouput 1 - front left and right). Once I listen back on the full set of speakers, it sounds slightly tinny, more than likely because of the lack of center speaker.

I've also tried mixing in 16, 32, and 64 bit. I've tried the Entire Mix, Sub Outs, Main Outs, etc. I've also tried presets, like "What You Hear," streaming exactly what I'm listening to - no luck on that, either.

I'm in bang-your-head-against-the-wall mode, now! It seems I've tried many different options but everything seems to fail.

I'm wondering if it basically comes down to the issue that I've got four outputs on my sound card and ASIO will never get its head around that. It wants to assign four outputs, but even in Surround Mode mixdown I can't get the sound I'm hearing.

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