When I send my Avid Cinema project out to tape, the audio sometimes sounds "tinny" or distorted. What could be causing this?

On Power Macintosh 6400 and 6500 models the rear sound output jack behaves differently than the front sound output jack. The rear jack is intended for external speakers, so the lower frequency range of the audio is still diverted to the built-in subwoofer speaker. Because of this, if you use the rear sound output jack when sending your movie out to tape from Avid Cinema on these models, the resulting audio will probably lack bass frequencies. Note: The Avid Cinema "Setting Up" manual instructs you to use the rear jack; this is incorrect for Power Macintosh 6400 and 6500 models.

If the resulting audio sounds distorted, it may be because you have SRS Surround Sound enabled. SRS Surround Sound is only intended for external speakers and should be turned off when using headphones or sending audio to an external device.

Customers running System 7.5.3 or System 7.5.5 on a 6400 should verify that the "Sound Out Level" slider in the Monitors & Sound control panel is set to midway before bringing video in. This is because the output volume in these versions of the system software also controls the volume of your clips when you bring video in. This problem only affects the 6400 and only with System 7.5.3 or System 7.5.5.

For optimal sound quality when sending your movie out to tape with Avid Cinema on a 6400 or 6500, use the front sound output jack and disable SRS Surround Sound in the Monitors & Sound control panel. You should also set the "Headphone Volume" slider in the Monitors & Sound control panel (or the volume control in the Control Strip) to about midway. Note: In some instances the resulting volume will be significantly lower than that of the source. If this is the case, increase the Headphone Volume to maximum before sending the movie out to tape.