audio glitches on render, what could it be?

[PhillipOrdonez]

Hey guys!

If the topic doesn't belong here, please move too a better place, I didn't know where else to put it.

I've been experiencing strange audio glitches on rendered files and is jeopardising my day job any idea what could be the culprit?

I work with various clients editing podcasts and doing DJ mixes. I edit the podcasts in Reason and then convert to MP3 in audacity. The DJ mixes are done in ableton then imported Reason to add the voice (the client is a gym brand and they have the instructions for the exercises ducking the music at specified intervals. So I render rather large files, add your can imagine. And lately I've been experiencing complaints because there are these loud ( +1db plus) glitches for half a second playing sometimes on these mixes and the glitches aren't on the original mixes from Ableton, but only on the renders from Reason. Is this a Reason thing? Is it my hdd as I'm suspecting? Could it be something else? The glitches are random and don't appear on every render, and them being dozens of files nearly an hour long each, it is impossible for me to listen to each of them and do quality control. I've bought "expose" and trying to check the files there, however it is very slow analysing, and I'd really prefer fixing the root of the problem instead...

Any hints, thoughts, ideas, welcome.

Thanks!

[chimp_spanner]

How long are the files? If you give me an example length I can do a test here to see if it’s replicable! Meantime if it’s interfering with your work you might have to assemble smaller renders in a second program for delivery to your client!

[napynap]

Over the years in capturing and rendering audio, I've only experienced these types of glitches when exporting to MP3 using computers or devices that can't keep up.

For example, I have an original Zoom H4N audio recorder. When I record to WAV, there are no glitches. When I record to MP3, I have glitches depending on the type of memory card I use.

Check your WAV exports from Reason. You shouldn't have to listen to them, just check the wav form visually in an editor. You will see if there are pops. Most likely there will be none. I've exported many long live show WAV files using Adobe Audition to MP3 at different qualities like 128mbps, 256mbps, 320mbps, and never experienced any glitches. However, I also use a powerful computer to do it. I'm not saying Audition can't do that, but sometimes the hardware you are running it on from CPU to storage device can be a bottle neck, especially if it's running other processes in the background.

[PhillipOrdonez]

How long are the files? If you give me an example length I can do a test here to see if it’s replicable! Meantime if it’s interfering with your work you might have to assemble smaller renders in a second program for delivery to your client!

Thanks! The times range between 40 minutes to 1 hour. But it does not happen every time, it's at random!

I might try smaller renders and then assemble them back in something like reaper or Ableton live. I'm considering doing the renders from Ableton in the future, at least the mixes, I don't see myself editing dialogue in anything other than Reason.

[PhillipOrdonez]

Over the years in capturing and rendering audio, I've only experienced these types of glitches when exporting to MP3 using computers or devices that can't keep up.

For example, I have an original Zoom H4N audio recorder. When I record to WAV, there are no glitches. When I record to MP3, I have glitches depending on the type of memory card I use.

Check your WAV exports from Reason. You shouldn't have to listen to them, just check the wav form visually in an editor. You will see if there are pops. Most likely there will be none. I've exported many long live show WAV files using Adobe Audition to MP3 at different qualities like 128mbps, 256mbps, 320mbps, and never experienced any glitches. However, I also use a powerful computer to do it. I'm not saying Audition can't do that, but sometimes the hardware you are running it on from CPU to storage device can be a bottle neck, especially if it's running other processes in the background.

Yes napy, the glitches appear on the wave renders too. And funny enough, they started happening with a new and powerful machine (8th generation i7 8750h), which is why I'm thinking it may be the HDD. I cannot check what speed it has because the computer is currently under warranty repair, but even if it is under 720 RPM HDD, that has never been an issue with far far far weaker machines I've used in the past... It's really strange that this is happening... I am considering an SSD upgrade though... Thanks!

[napynap]

Over the years in capturing and rendering audio, I've only experienced these types of glitches when exporting to MP3 using computers or devices that can't keep up.

For example, I have an original Zoom H4N audio recorder. When I record to WAV, there are no glitches. When I record to MP3, I have glitches depending on the type of memory card I use.

Check your WAV exports from Reason. You shouldn't have to listen to them, just check the wav form visually in an editor. You will see if there are pops. Most likely there will be none. I've exported many long live show WAV files using Adobe Audition to MP3 at different qualities like 128mbps, 256mbps, 320mbps, and never experienced any glitches. However, I also use a powerful computer to do it. I'm not saying Audition can't do that, but sometimes the hardware you are running it on from CPU to storage device can be a bottle neck, especially if it's running other processes in the background.

Yes napy, the glitches appear on the wave renders too. And funny enough, they started happening with a new and powerful machine (8th generation i7 8750h), which is why I'm thinking it may be the HDD. I cannot check what speed it has because the computer is currently under warranty repair, but even if it is under 720 RPM HDD, that has never been an issue with far far far weaker machines I've used in the past... It's really strange that this is happening... I am considering an SSD upgrade though... Thanks!

OK, good info. Your machine seems like it could spit audio out with the best of them. This issue is probably something simple. Maybe it's the playback system and not the recording? Do a playback of the file on a different system to hear if the glitches still happen. It could be that these glitches happen always at certain points in your render. In Reason, check to see if there are any tracks that have micro cuts that you can't see. Delete all unused tracks. Zoom in to maximum on any suspect tracks and scrub through them.

[jam-s]

If you've got hyperthreading activated you could try if disableing it fixes those glitches.