Audio track volume lowers automatically

[sounds]

Hi,

Working with a few audio samples, some I've created, some are pre-made wav/mp3 samples.
I noticed as the first audio track plays, when the next audio track (beat) starts, the volume lowers on the first track.
Even if I just listen to the beat in the left panel in ableton, the audio track in ableton still auto lowers the volume.
Is there an auto volume control turned on or something?

Any tips appreciated.

[Tarekith]

Do you have a compressor on the master channel?

[sounds]

Hi,

No there is no effects dropped on the master..
Seems to happen a lot with different sounds.

[Tarekith]

No idea then. Maybe your soundcard has some type of auto volume thing happening? There's definitely nothing in Live that should do this outside of compression or limiting being used wrong.

[chrk]

Maybe your soundcard has some type of auto volume thing happening?

It may even be at system level (Windows Audio): A good while back after Focusrite have updated their Windows drivers I have noticed an unpleasant pumping on any material peaking just below 0dBFS using Windows DirectX/MME Drivers. Nothing like that listening to the same files using ASIO drivers (my Saffire Pro24 DSP has the tendency to clip audibly when touching 0dBFS, though). The limiter or AGC built into the Windows audio system seems to be aimed at catching true peaks and squashes the signal quite brutally.

Since then I tend to use ASIO-capable audio wherever possible (foobar 2000 has an ASIO extension, for example).

[sounds]

I don't know what it is but sometimes it's pretty annoying.. I don't think I have anything enabled in sound settings.
Other than loudness eq in realtek, which enhanced the loudness a little.

[Tarekith]

Umm, well, there you go then

[chrk]

I don't think I have anything enabled in sound settings.

To this...

The limiter or AGC built into the Windows audio system seems to be aimed at catching true peaks and squashes the signal quite brutally.

...I forgot to add: It's independend from the soundchip vendor and burried in the Windows audio system deep down below the drivers's user interface. I have found no user accessible setting anywhere to switch it off.

[sounds]

I'll ask on the windows forum and see if anyone knows about this
I can hear the volume go up and down as I listen to my creation in ableton.

Last night when I went into realtek and ticked that loudness equalization box, that increased the sound a little.
Just now I went to task bar and right clicked volume icon, clicked sounds, went to playback tab, right clicked
speakers and selected properties, then went to enhancements tab and unticked loudness equalization, the sound goes up.

Weird.

[Tarekith]

If you're malking music, you should just leave those off anyway IMVHO.

[sounds]

I think so too, that might have been the cause, or some of it,
I usually do leave everything off but this laptop has kind of low volume.
I'm gonna use my old toshiba for audio editing in future.