Cheers!
I've been making songs for some time now, but until now I haven't paid much (or more preciesly enough) attention to my recording levels. I already feel little embarrased to even ask this, maybe it's so obvious nobody even asks it, but...here it goes, cause I need an answer to this.
I'm recording my electric guitar straight to Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 preamp, with "Inst" switched on from MixControl. I'm using Reaper, 44.1 kHz, 24 bit. I get a good and excellent-sounding signal. Unfortunately, as I play louder parts especially from lower positions or open chords, the dynamics are all over the place! Let's say I record this riff, then I listen it, and watch what happens in "JS: schwa/audio_statistics"-plugin, or straight with meters, doesen't matter. The recorded signal hovers somewhere between -33 dB and -2 dB. Total RMS is somewhere -22 dB. Scarlett's mic preamp gain knob is at zero.
I think this dynamic range is bit too much. I think the -2 dB peaks are too hot. Why is this happening? Is my playing too rough in some places so the preamp clips? I think this is ridicolous cause there's supposed to be dynamics in playing...
What do you think? Is my playing so crappy it blows the signal all over the place or is it my guitars pickups, or is this happening because the 18i8:s preamps are not good enough to capture the dynamics or SO good I don't just understand this?
I'd like to know how fellow musicians are able to record with these preamps guitar straight in if you HAVE to play softly...everything else (vocals, keyboards, enviromental samples) works and sounds like a charm when recorded, no complaints. This happens only with electric guitar. And it souldn't have hot picks, just stock Alnicos.
And, if this all is perfectly OK, I'm curious to will these brief -2 dB or so ruin the WHOLE recording, given it's "normally" at some -22 dB RMS?
Thank you in advance!
I've been making songs for some time now, but until now I haven't paid much (or more preciesly enough) attention to my recording levels. I already feel little embarrased to even ask this, maybe it's so obvious nobody even asks it, but...here it goes, cause I need an answer to this.
I'm recording my electric guitar straight to Focusrite Scarlett 18i8 preamp, with "Inst" switched on from MixControl. I'm using Reaper, 44.1 kHz, 24 bit. I get a good and excellent-sounding signal. Unfortunately, as I play louder parts especially from lower positions or open chords, the dynamics are all over the place! Let's say I record this riff, then I listen it, and watch what happens in "JS: schwa/audio_statistics"-plugin, or straight with meters, doesen't matter. The recorded signal hovers somewhere between -33 dB and -2 dB. Total RMS is somewhere -22 dB. Scarlett's mic preamp gain knob is at zero.
I think this dynamic range is bit too much. I think the -2 dB peaks are too hot. Why is this happening? Is my playing too rough in some places so the preamp clips? I think this is ridicolous cause there's supposed to be dynamics in playing...
What do you think? Is my playing so crappy it blows the signal all over the place or is it my guitars pickups, or is this happening because the 18i8:s preamps are not good enough to capture the dynamics or SO good I don't just understand this?
I'd like to know how fellow musicians are able to record with these preamps guitar straight in if you HAVE to play softly...everything else (vocals, keyboards, enviromental samples) works and sounds like a charm when recorded, no complaints. This happens only with electric guitar. And it souldn't have hot picks, just stock Alnicos.
And, if this all is perfectly OK, I'm curious to will these brief -2 dB or so ruin the WHOLE recording, given it's "normally" at some -22 dB RMS?
Thank you in advance!