Distorted audio samples with high volume on LMMS 1.2.1

[F.D.]

Hello everyone. I'm new using LMMS to produce music, and i have a problem that i may like to fix it. When i turn up the volume on some samples, this sounds very distorted, like compressed or bad quality. I increased the buffer on the settings, restarted LMMS but doesn't work

I want to make loud house and rave tracks but i can't 'cause this problem are constant

My version of LMMS, how can you read on the title, is the 1.2.1 .I tried to download the 1.2.2 version but the GUI is bugged; this displays very huge and i can't see some buttons and windows

Thanks.

(Sorry for my bad english)

[musikbear]

Hello everyone.

Hi, Welcome to the Forum F.D.!
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I'm new using LMMS to produce music, and i have a problem that i may like to fix it. When i turn up the volume on some samples, this sounds very distorted, like compressed or bad quality. I increased the buffer on the settings, restarted LMMS but doesn't work

I want to make loud house and rave tracks but i can't 'cause this problem are constant

My version of LMMS, how can you read on the title, is the 1.2.1 .I tried to download the 1.2.2 version but the GUI is bugged; this displays very huge and i can't see some buttons and windows

I first want to address that 1.2.2 situation, because that is serious weird.
What is your OS?
What is your screen-size and chosen resolution?

Secondly there is this issue with distortion
What you need to look at is several things.
First there is the slim chance that you have chosen a sound-backend that is wrong for your OS.
For Windows always choose SDL
See https://docs.lmms.io/user-manual/gettin ... o-settings
Choosing a wrong backend will create bad artefacts.
The second thing to take notice off is the loudness-display/
ao the Mixer-channels VU-meters
Neither of these should be in red for more than few msecd!
If the curve or the diodes are in red, then you max-out and you will have bad distortion!
The first thing you need to do is to identify the instrument that causes the combined output to max-out, and then you need to lower the output.
That on the other hand does not mean that you must lower the volume!
It is often much better to insert an Equalizer, and only lover some frequencies

[F.D.]

I first want to address that 1.2.2 situation, because that is serious weird.
What is your OS?
What is your screen-size and chosen resolution?

I'm using LMMS on Zorin OS Lite (Ubuntu LTS based linux distro). My display is 1366x768

First there is the slim chance that you have chosen a sound-backend that is wrong for your OS.
For Windows always choose SDL
See https://docs.lmms.io/user-manual/gettin ... o-settings

How i'm using linux, i tried to change to various sound-backends (ALSA, SDL, etc) but with all of these i have the same results

The second thing to take notice off is the loudness-display/
ao the Mixer-channels VU-meters
Neither of these should be in red for more than few msecd!
If the curve or the diodes are in red, then you max-out and you will have bad distortion!
The first thing you need to do is to identify the instrument that causes the combined output to max-out, and then you need to lower the output.
That on the other hand does not mean that you must lower the volume!
It is often much better to insert an Equalizer, and only lover some frequencies

This is not clear to me, my apologies. How can I make the audio not distorted even though the song I'm doing most of the time the graphic shows red and yellow colors? (although more frequently red)

Sorry, I'm really new to this.

[musikbear]

I'm using LMMS on Zorin OS Lite (Ubuntu LTS based linux distro). My display is 1366x768

Ok, but is your LMMS our AppImage from here?
https://lmms.io/download#linux

tried to change to various sound-backends (ALSA, SDL, etc) but with all of these i have the same results

SDL also works fine in Linux, so for starters, try using that

insert an Equalizer, and only lover some frequencies

This is not clear to me, my apologies. How can I make the audio not distorted even though the song I'm doing most of the time the graphic shows red and yellow colors? (although more frequently red)

That is where your problem is.
Your output should most of the time be in green occasionally in yellow, and very rarely in red! In fact in red only if a single instrument is playing! The typical situation is a solo effect!
Such an effect are allowed to go in red, because it does not interfere with other instruments wave-spectrums, because it is solo!
The facts about sound-synthesis is that every time you have max-out-sound, you create what i known as clipping
It means that parts of the frequencies created are either cut away or are distorted, resulting in muddy often ear-crimpling noise, crackles and pops (can fry your speakers, but WORSE !! HARM YOUR HEARING!! -Especially if you use earphones! Never do that when you are creating sounds!
Sometimes you can filter bad frequencies out. That is done with Equalizers -A filter that can lower or raise specific frequencies, but not the complete volume!
Using something like the 10-band-EQ can dramatically improve a project.
Watch this video
I only show how to localise frequencies that are creating clipping, but it is simple to add the EQ and remove them.
Try it and see if your song gets better.
Let us know your results :)

[trancwolve]

NO instruments should EVER go ti red. EVER. Turn the volume down and you are good to go.