-18dbfs = 0vu

[mixsit]

In that case then "peaks less than 0" is all that really matters. These interfaces usually have low enough noise floor and are clean enough right up to digital clipping that you can pretty much set your levels anywhere you damn well please. I very often just leave the gain knobs all the way down and go. Then I know there won't be any clipping, and I can and will adjust things later down the line.

Grins..
'Live --HD24 my band. No time to 'ride/worry levels, just 'shoot on the low side to avoid fuking oop.

Home, Shit. I need +20 - 30 gain processing on most of them for the mix. Huh.

Hmm. No one 'died. On with the show

 

[bouldersoundguy]

'Live --HD24 my band. No time to 'ride/worry levels, just 'shoot on the low side to avoid fuking oop.

I used to have my HD24 connected to the insert sends on my live board, also split to the compressors. I would run the comps' make up gain at +3dB or so, even if I didn't compress that channel, just so I could run the input gains a little low for more headroom at the recorder. Worked fine.

 

[garww]

I just like the pretty colors : ) I guess I'm 14-16 over, or, something

 

[snow lizard]

Yellow is the new red.

 

[davecg321]

Using the t-racks metering plug. Should I observe the rms meter (bottom left) for average dbfs levels?

 

[ecc83]

Now, I KNOW I had said this before and I PROMISE I don't have shares in MAGIX! But!

Many of you might find the Demo of Samplitude useful because the meters give indication of both peak AND rms signal levels (rms is sort of, roughly "average" and what a VU meter would approximate to.)
This means you can get an instant feel for the relationship of peak to rms for the same signal.

Plus, I really would not sweat "levels" in a DAW! Err low not high but after that just get on with it. I would suggest it is FAR more important to calibrate your monitors. Splash $20 on a basic C weighted SPL meter.

Dave.

 

[ashcat_lt]

Hmm. No one 'died. On with the show

On my Tascam US1624, it makes a difference in noise. There seems to be a noise floor that is post preamp so that adding gain at the preamp can improve S/N a bit. I tend to think that this tiny bit of hiss is not a good enough reason to throw away the best take I'm ever going to get from this guy, but if it clips when he starts hollering, the only thing I can do is make him try again, but since we just had the best ever, we'll be settling...

And the whole thing can depend on your interface, though. Sometimes there's more noise either before or in the preamp, so that adding gain also adds noise. With guitar amps and even not-super-quiet rooms, there's already so much noise that interface won't be the problem anyway.

 

[mixsit]

Using the t-racks metering plug. Should I observe the rms meter (bottom left) for average dbfs levels?

Is it this?
IK Multimedia | Metering
A quick read I couldn't tell if thye do peak + RMS- or if you have to use two separate views'?
In Sonar it's so- intuitive. The RMS (on typical instruments/vocals and such) hangs out towards the bottom (duh :>). But then there's a bit of 'gap and the peaks are spots up on the top. This thing looks like one continual blur'? Interesting.
FWIW, I also use track view- and horizontal meters. That means more length space for the meter, and I can get a 16 track session on my little 19" screen.

 

[ecc83]

Attached is what I mean. You can work it out I am sure but the rms value is the broader, shorter indication.

The meter can be resized in X and Y directions and moved and parked where you like, removed from screen and incorporates an RTA and scope function.

Dave.

 

[garww]

Ya, I was tickled with that meter when I first saw it. My Music Studio version doesn't have all the displays of pro x, but I still get 5-6 basic displays ?

 

[ecc83]

Ya, I was tickled with that meter when I first saw it. My Music Studio version doesn't have all the displays of pro x, but I still get 5

That meter is in the free Sam Pro X Silver. You only get 8 tracks max at a time but I think it is a great DAW for the noob.

Dave.