Pitch/Tempo Change affecting quality of Playback

Aeronk

I generally use one stereo file with click on the left and music on the right. When I select pitch or tempo change or both this affects the quality of the sound playing back. Mostly it is distortion on the click track with some bleed of music from the right channel coming though with the click/left channel.

This happens on my iPad, iPhone and iMac installations. The only way I can avoid it is to make the changes in Logic before bouncing the tracks. However, it does mean a revisit to the DAW if any further fine tuning is needed.

Is this expected results or is there something I am doing wrong with my tracks?

Aeronk

I will try attaching two sample files -one without the adjustments and another with the adjustments but they will need to be listened to through headphones to hear the issues.

no-adjustment.mp3

737kB

speed-pitch-adjusted.mp3

772kB

peter

I don't hear anything unusual. This is the quality you can expect from a speed optimized real time effect.

Aeronk

OK, thank you Peter. Maybe I was expecting too much, its the click track affect that is the issue really I think the music side is probably ok. It is certainly usable so I will work with it, Thanks again.

davedroug

firstly you lose quality as soon has you change pitch or speed and using MP3 is really not the best way to go for live music backing tracks far better using wave files ,and if you splinting the stereo to put a click track in, mixdown your original stereo track to mono and use that on one track the add you click track

Aeronk

davedroug

Thanks davedroug, I have tried with both Wave and mp3 and get the same issue. All my tracks are mixed in Logic, converted to mono and panned right, with a click track panned left. (I know some recommend panning the opposite way).

The music is ok but it is the click mainly that seems to distort and I often get some bleed of the music track into the click track channel. Thankfully, there does not seem to be any bleed going the other way. Not a big issue as its only me that gets the click but it is just a little off-putting and I would prefer a cleaner signal.

If I make the changes to tempo and pitch in Logic before bouncing the track then I dont get those issues.

peter

Make sure when you convert to mp3 that the option "Joint Stereo" is not active. I think that should get rid of the bleed.

Aeronk

peter

Thanks Peter, I will check that.

davedroug

peter hi peter the track in question the click track was not getting bleed from the main track.who ever edited the click track i.e removed the music track did not clear the track properly and left some of the music track in it ,so the music is actually on the click track although very low, which in affect sounds like bleed from the other track ,

Aeronk

I have double checked that and Normal is selected not Joint Stereo.

davedroug

Aeronk your gain on your click track has probably been recorded to high thats why its distorted ,can you record it again at 0db or load the track onto your daw and take the gain down that way

Aeronk

davedroug - I only get the issue when using pitch and/or tempo adjustments. Just mixed a test version of a track in Logic with max volume of both click and music at -3db. Imported the track without using mp3gain on it first (just incase that is causing an issue) and its ok again until I adjust tempo or pitch, then the distortion and bleed starts.

Aeronk

Its not a big issue and the affect can be heard in the sample tracks I uploaded in the second post above. Can only identify it when listening through earbuds as I would be when using the tracks live.

davedroug

Aeronk i've just upload you backing track and put it through audcity ,your track is running at minus 12db which is way to low, then i run them at 0.0 db null both tracks where peaking out, so the gain record level was too high when the track was first recorded

its not volume its the recording level it was recorded it at ,two different things volume and gain the gain is the recording level when you first record the track ,and gain is what you set all your mics and instruments at on a mixing desk 0.0db ,then you turn the volumes up to fit the mix this stops everything from peaking out and distorting

Aeronk

davedroug

Tried the gain setting in the track inspector in Logic and the result was the same. The click track is the one that comes with the track(s) from Karaoke Vision.

I just experimented with an empty left channel by muting the click track and bouncing the project as a test and when put through Stage Traxx there is no bleed when tempo and pitch are adjusted. So, you are probably right that it is something to do with the click track being too hot.

davedroug

Aeronk the click track is to high ,but on saying that the whole track sounds like its been recorded with the record level to high ,its sounds all OTT when you take the tracks up to 0.0db just a bad recording can you not get hold of another backing track ?can you send me a copy of the original track i'll see if i can get it remastered may improve it ,,,,davedroug@gmail.com

Aeronk

davedroug

I have sent you two emails regarding this.

By the way, the samples I uploaded here were captured with a screen recording plug-in so I cant vouch for the accuracy of the record level, they were only done to illustrate the undesired effect I was getting.

davedroug

there's not a lot i can do with it ,the reason your getting bleed over on the click track is because actually you have a small amount of the lead track on the click track ,the recording levels is way out has soon has you lift the gain up just becomes a load of mush just basically a poor recording .i sent you a recording of the same track rip from you tube ,if you can cope with the drums 🙂

Aeronk

davedroug

Thanks for trying - see my email response.

Aeron