dbspl meter

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4tracker

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I was recently reading a book that mentions using a dbspl meter to get to 85db where all frequencies are head evenly, for good mix/mastering.

I don't have money to spend on a meter. I notice there are some apps for iphone that are $1 and claim to get within 2db or so. Question is, how would I meter and calibrate my headphones for 85db (I mix and monitor with headphones due to living in an apartment with no room for equipment)?
 
Is there any other way to mix at 85 spl with only headphones, or is it just guesswork?
 
With headphones, everything is guesswork. That's why people don't mix with headphones.

I won't even get into mastering with headphones...
 
Set the speakers with the meter, set the phones for about the same perceived loudness.

Actually other than getting the meter up under your phones, I'm not sure why it couldn't measure the spl 'in there about as well as in the room with speakers? Never thought about it before.
 
mixsit said:
Set the speakers with the meter, set the phones for about the same perceived loudness.
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Do you mean to set the crappy PC speakers for 85db and use that (give or take) for the headphones, too?
 
Massive Master said:
With headphones, everything is guesswork. That's why people don't mix with headphones.

I won't even get into mastering with headphones...
Click to expand...

Well I read that all mix engineers check their mixes on headphones, and many even mix on them primarily -- the book I am reading says it's perfectly acceptable if that's what you have so long as they are good high quality flat response headphones. I live in a small apartment so I don't have many options and need to make do with what I have. I'm making recordings for me and for fun, not commercial records. But I'd like best accuracy I can get for sure.

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mixsit said:
Yeah, crude' maybe? But why not.
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That's the best idea I had, but wasn't sure if it would work. Thanks.
 
Can the little speakers do 85 comfortably 'in the room? If not get closer to them for more loudness (from the same output) for the reference'?
 
4tracker said:
Well I read that all mix engineers check their mixes on headphones, and many even mix on them primarily -- the book I am reading says it's perfectly acceptable if that's what you have so long as they are good high quality flat response headphones. I live in a small apartment so I don't have many options and need to make do with what I have. I'm making recordings for me and for fun, not commercial records. But I'd like best accuracy I can get for sure. .
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They can give you all sorts of good details, left/right balances.. lots of useful info. But very different from speakers in many other ways.
 
mixsit said:
They can give you all sorts of good details, left/right balances.. lots of useful info. But very different from speakers in many other ways.
Click to expand...

Yeah. I have been mixing on this pair for many years and would move the mixes around to various systems, so I can kind of tell how things will translate -- I think that's most important. If I were doing this for a living I could see investing a lot, but as a guy recording his own songs for fun I can't justify a big investment in the gear. I'd rather just spend my time knowing how the gear I do have translates. I think the 85db thing could help me with mix accuracy so hopefully it will work on the speakers like you mention. I'll try it tomorrow. If not I'll just have to use the old ears I guess.

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mixsit said:
Can the little speakers do 85 comfortably 'in the room? If not get closer to them for more loudness (from the same output) for the reference'?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure yet, but I will try tomorrow. How far away should I be?
I also have a subwoofer and two tweeter in the other room as part of a stereo system, so maybe I can just plug the PC into that? Sorry if these are dumb questions.
 
John is too polite to say but this thread should not be in "Mastering" section anyway! More properly in Digital Recording or similar? (Same reason you don't see me here very often, not worthy)

Even if the OP had "proper" room and speakers he would find 85dBSPL to loud for domestic use (rule of thumb'ish. A decent 32" FST starts to distort at 85dB at 1mtr and is about all they got anyway).

One of the important aspects of monitor calibration is that you listen at the same average level all the time and don't Jodrell the loudness as your guts and the genre guides you. Ears get tired and level shifted downward. In a long session you can find the levels creeping up (every pub band you have ever spent more than an hour with!).

So, a cheap (C weighted for preff') SPL meter can help you keep speakers at a chosen level, be nearer 70-75 than 85 in most homes. Cans are trickier but the idea of matching them to some speakers is a good one then mark HP pot knob and watch the output level in the DAW.

Dave.
 
I could see calibrating the main monitors in a dedicated mastering room so that you could always know where you're at. In mixing, though, I think that actually bringing out the meter is a waste of time. Many people (myself included) like to change the playback level here and there to get a different perspective. Do the bulk of your mixing at a reasonable level. Turn it up once in a while to see if it pounds. Turn it down a bit more often to make sure it doesn't fall apart. Be aware of the playback level, but don't obsess over it.
 
ecc83 said:
John is too polite to say but this thread should not be in "Mastering" section anyway!
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Ah, well I never heard this 85 spl mentioned anywhere that I do research (recordingrevolution, blogs, etc), but did find it in a book I am reading about mastering so I figured it falls under mastering.

For now I will listen to the advice below and not obsess over it. I'll just mix at a low to normal level, bump it up here and there, and then test it on various systems that I know. My fear was my system isn't calibrated so I wouldn't know the true bass response etc, and that might be true, but I can test it on systems that I do know well and compare my mix to records I know, so maybe roundabout way to get to the same place. It's just a hobby so I can't justify pouring expense into this and just want the best mix given what I have.

Thanks dudes.
 
No offence meant 4tracker! Just that Mastering is to me a black art that I shall never aspire to!

No, you don't need to obsess but it is good to have references so DO buy a sound level meter. Need not cost a lot. Mine was £15 from Maplin and the same thing is sold on the web for around $10. It does not matter that they are not NPL calibrated! Just having a standard you can test against is enough.

Dave.
 
ashcat_lt said:
In which case, the $1 app for your phone is probably close enough. :)
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Hmm, not so sure? The microphones probably have a pretty wide tolerance on sensitivity and I cannot see any way to calibrate that?

Come on! 15 quid is good steak and a decent bottle of bo'jolly.

Dave.
 
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