Rendering Audio Vegas Video

[201flyer]

I must be making a very basic mistake in Vegas Video.....

I have a stereo .wav file from a SoundDevices 744T that has two empty channels. Thus, the file size is 2x larger than necessary. I know I can use SoundDevices software to rewrite the file but what I don't understand is why I cannot seem to use Vegas to do the same task.

When I load the file I can see all four channels. I ungrouped the channels and delete the two empty channels. Then I render as a stereo .wav file using the default template 16 bit 48khz. The resulting file contains what looks and sounds like clipped data. The attached capture shows what I mean. The original is unclipped and the output file in the 3rd down audio track looks clipped, yet everything is set to 0db in the master output levels. Should not the rendered file have the exact levels as the original? I must be missing something obvious.

Thanks for the help!!

[Subtitles]

I must be making a very basic mistake in Vegas Video.....

I have a stereo .wav file from a SoundDevices 744T that has two empty channels. Thus, the file size is 2x larger than necessary. I know I can use SoundDevices software to rewrite the file but what I don't understand is why I cannot seem to use Vegas to do the same task.

When I load the file I can see all four channels. I ungrouped the channels and delete the two empty channels. Then I render as a stereo .wav file using the default template 16 bit 48khz. The resulting file contains what looks and sounds like clipped data. The attached capture shows what I mean. The original is unclipped and the output file in the 3rd down audio track looks clipped, yet everything is set to 0db in the master output levels. Should not the rendered file have the exact levels as the original? I must be missing something obvious.

Thanks for the help!!

I don't think Vegas has a very good audio support in it.
It is disappointing to pay so much for this software only to discover the audio isn't as good as you would expect.
I would use a different audio editor instead.

[Cornucopia]

Look at your image again. The channels are panned to Center, so they are mixing to mono. If the mix doesn't follow correct panning laws (sometimes even when it does) you will be adding the channels' volumes together, raising the overall volume by ~3dB. If you were already close to 0, that can push it into clipping. Plus, as it is right now, you would be left with a 2ch mono signal.


Scott

[Subtitles]

Vegas Pro uses SOUND FORGE Audio Studio which is just a cheap Audio Editor.
https://www.magix.com/us/music-editing/
https://www.magix.com/us/music-editing/sound-forge/
https://www.magix.com/us/music-editing/sound-forge/sound-forge-audio-studio/version-comparison/

[Cornucopia]

Sound forge is cheap as in inexpensive, but not bad quality. It has been usable for these purposes for over 2 decades.

The settings are wrong. ANY audio editor set with these settings would have a similar issue (unless it had special auto-compensating capabilities).


Scott

[201flyer]

Thank you Cornucopia! You are correct, and I was correct in saying it would be something obvious that I didn't understand!

Yes, setting the panning to R and left and then reducing the output master volume by 6db gives me the result I need (and seems to match Wave Agent Beta's output)