Audio Desk Layout

Does anyone have a good understanding of the audio layout in Davinci?

For a long time I have struggled with the issue below

In its simplest form take something like a VO ..I add some effects like multiband compressor, eq, soft clip, maybe change the level of the Audio clip etc BUT I make sure to ONLY add effects and adjust the AUDIO CLIP itself .. never making any adjustments to the audio track mixer ..everything there remains in detent.
Then I right click to turn that clip into an audio compound ... and boom my levels are different !!
If I open in timeline the compound clip and play inside it then levels are correct and back where they were. Just the act of playing a compound clip that contains the worked on clip changes levels.
It must be that the audio is not arranged to how I'm thinking. It's the same result in V20, 19,18 etc

Anyone know about this? or how it is connected / laid out?
Thanks Robin

Have you taken any of the Fusion classes available from Blackmagic? Do that, and most of the setup will be explained there.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/produc ... e/training

I also find if there's a level problem somewhere in the signal chain, I have to start with feeding a good "known" 1kHz signal at 20dBfs through every part of the faders. Eventually, I'll find where the signal is changing and isn't at "unity gain." Only when it's at unity does 20dBfs = 20dBfs, from first input to final output.

Hi Marc
Thanks for looking at this. Fusion I have done quite a bit, but this is an audio question.

If you have an audio clip with various audio effects on the clip and NO effects on the audio mixer or level changes ..why should anything change if that clip is playing inside an audio compound ? Makes no sense to me... what's even worse is that it isn't across the board... so if you setup an audio mix with various effects on different audio clips ... you like it and lasso all clips into a stereo audio compound .. to keep it nicely boxed up, and you can copy and paste it to make other versions .. BUT shame the mix is all out of balance..playing the same clips inside an audio compound is not transparent!
Why is that? Surely it should be, otherwise what is the real point and power of an audio compound?

Robin

Anyone know about this?

A lot of folks do.

Compound Clips in Resolve have issues. Until they work reliably, it may be best to just not use them.

If you have an audio clip with various audio effects on the clip and NO effects on the audio mixer or level changes ..why should anything change if that clip is playing inside an audio compound ?

Are you seeing similar behaviour with nested Timelines?

Ok I have spent time experimenting on this ...

Take tone and on clip level pull it up high say to around -4db level. Add soft limiter to pull it down to say -12db ...put that clip into a container and play it ... the soft limiter effect seems to be ignored
However, the multiband compressor does appear to work, and the limiter effect maybe works a bit. As in the result in my logic should be identical ... if everything is clip based then surely how that clip playbacks on the top of a timeline or a timeline inside a compound clip should be identical. What's even more odd is that the results change depending on the audio level... so if you repeat the same tests but at lower levels..maybe clipping a test tone to -18db then it holds true the clip itself and the compound clip play the same. The same problem happens if you 'nest by taking a timeline into a second timeline. This is not a V20 issue it has been around since I can't remember.
Maybe I don't properly understand the internal architecture, as I can't believe that this has not been a big issue for people using fairlight... if you containerise an audio mix you just can't be sure that the result remains true. Maybe this is what Avid would call a 'feature' when most of us would say buggered.
My only workaround is to do a mixdown each time. It would be great if BMD could fix it

Frequently use nested Timelines and not experiencing the described behaviour with audio levels and nested Timelines on the systems here.

Interesting Reynaud... can I check that you have tried this with audio that is at a high level and being forced down by a 'soft clipper' effect that has been placed as a clip effect and not as a track effect. When I then put the audio clip into a compound clip ... it seems that the soft clipper no longer has an effect and the audio level shoots up.

Thanks
Robin

Interesting Reynaud... can I check that you have tried this with audio that is at a high level and being forced down by a 'soft clipper' effect that has been placed as a clip effect and not as a track effect. When I then put the audio clip into a compound clip ... it seems that the soft clipper no longer has an effect and the audio level shoots up.

Thanks
Robin

I tried to replicate your issue but all levels remain as expected when creating an audio compound clip with the setup you are using. I would be checking every aspect of your audio signal path because there must be something local causing your issue.

Thanks Peter, I have checked, and I still see this problem consistently.
I think the bare bones of it are :
take an audio clip and make the level high (using the audio clip level adjustment) ... just under 0db. Then pull the audio level down with a soft clip effect ... placed as a CLIP effect .. say -10db.
NOW ....... right click the clip to turn it into an audio compound ... and the soft clip effect is no longer functioning. All mixer and track levels are left in default.
I don't see an issue with my workflow just that Davinci is not working how I expect, but maybe I'm wrong?

Robin