What is the consensus/best practise on normalising samples before transferring them to the DT2?
It doesn’t matter if it’s DT2 or any other sampling device. My workflow is in Ableton.
Mono samples:
- Put an Utility plugin on track
- Check what side of sample sounds better if the source sample is in stereo (‘L’, ‘R’ or ‘L + R summed to mono’). Usually I just choose the cleaner/louder side and rarely make summed to mono samples due to phasing issues.
- Export to wav in mono 48k 16 bit with ‘Normalize’ checkbox on.
Stereo samples:
- Put an Utility plugin on track
- Bass mono - choose the cutoff frequency, but default 120 Hz is ok in most cases
- Export to wav in stereo 48k 16 bit with ‘Normalize’ checkbox on
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…dunno…afaik, there’s no difference, before or after, since dt auto normalize everything on default, anyways…aaaand dt talks strictly 48k only…no matter if it’s brand new stereo or good oldschool mono content…
Does it though?
I think it occurs only when sampling. And here the question is about Transfer anyway.
Got to check, but I think that if you upload a silent sample in DT, it stays silent.
If you resample it, it gives (auto-normalized) noise.
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…i see, errr, hear, errr, read, errr, learn, errr, understand…
but either way, consumer file format 44.1 k is OUT…
never used transfer for uploading samples…good to know, if there’s an exeption to auto normalized content, once it’s transferred and dt actually can handle also not normalized audio…
but all preset content is maxed out in level already…
yep, 48k for DT of course.
Copying samples via Transfer does not normalize them.
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Hello
It significantly reduces volume in my experience… I created a sample from my TR8S which peaks at about -5.7 dB. Export it from Logic in 48K 16 bit, using the Transfer app preview it still peaking at -5.7 and as soon as I play it from the Digitakt after the transfer it peaks at about -21 db… not sure if I am doing something incorrectly…
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How do you ‘play it from Digitakt?’
How do you measure the loudness peak?
I guess that you are using USB audio and playing via Overbridge. There is a dedicated USB master volume boost setting withing the Digitakt in the Overbridge settings. It will not affect signal/noise ratio of the signal path, because it’s pure digital audio flow, no preamps/DAC/ADC is used to ‘put’ the signal into your DAW. You can also just raise the volume of track within the DAW of your choice.
Hello
I meant once is transferred to the Digitakt via the Transfer app and I assign it to a track or preview it inside the unit. I use the Main analogue outputs which are connected to my Fireface UCX II for playback, not the USB audio. I compare the output of the original sample within my daw (Logic) before the transferring, also in the Transfer App preview, and lastly once it’s in the Digitakt. Of course aurally there is quite a difference in volume but it’s not my imagination lol…
Also tried using the Digi USB audio to sample and playback and it’s the same thing… decreased volume. And looking to the actual waveform in the SRC screen it looks considerably smaller than what the same waveform looks while still in the DAW. Unless I’m overlooking something truly basic…
I don’t use overbridge, haven’t even downloaded it yet.
Thanks for taking the time to reply!
I guess the sample still remains normalized. Drag and drop it from the unit and check it within the DAW - i bet it’s identical in terms of gain compared to the sample you have uploaded to the unit.
The only scenario of gain loss I can imagine is phasing stereo sample summed to mono and hence cancelling itself.
Still, I believe your case is monitoring gain staging issues.
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That’s my guess too. The experiment to prove it would run something like
- start with a mono sample, 48k, 16-bit, normalised
- come up with several versions of that, maybe attenuated 6db, 12db, 24db or something
- transfer them to DT2 and then transfer them back.
- check original files against transferred files.
That’ll show wether any normalisation happens.
That’s exactly right. I recently uploaded a lot of field recordings to my DT II that are quite silent because I assume it auto normalizes them. Nope, only happens when you sample on the device itself. So this thread is helpful to me, cool someone asked!
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Could be… but why do the Factory Samples sound and peak much louder?
You can not export factory samples, but you can record factory sample as wav file. Normalize it. Send it back to DT via Transfer. Compare re-recorded sample with the default one.