Recording Levels.....PLEASE HELP!!!!!!!

[danbs10]

Hi, I have been told by several people that when I'm recording (acoustic guitar) that I should not let it peak over about -15db. Now the only problem I have with this is once I have recorded and then I play my recording back it is far too quiet because, like I said, it is only peaking at about -15db.
What can I do to resolve this?
What I usually do is when recording I will let it peak at about -1db so at least when I play back the recording I am getting the required volume that I want.

This is probably a very stupid question but I am at a loss with this.

The software I'm using is Adobe Audition CS5 if that helps.

Many thanks

Dan

 

[miroslav]

... I play my recording back it is far too quiet because, like I said, it is only peaking at about -15db.
What can I do to resolve this?

Turn up the volume of your monitors to where you think the level is good...then adjust the track levels to where the mix is balanced.

Recording level....track level....monitor level....all different things.
You don't adjust your monitoring level by turning up the recording level.

Recording levels are set so that you capture a good/clean signal.
Track levels are set so that you have a good balance between tracks in the mix.
Monitor levels are set to how loud you like to monitor in the room.

 

[Bristol Posse]

The software I'm using is Adobe Audition CS5 if that helps.

Many thanks

Dan

The more pertinent info would be what converters/audio interface are you using and how are they calibrated against 0 dbFS in Adobe

If your converters are calibrated to 0VU = -20 dBFS then aiming for peaks of no more than -15 dBFS may be appropriate. If your converters are calibrated to 0VU = -9 dBFS (like an RME interface in high gain mode) then peaking at -15 dBFS could be tracking too low for that converter to get ideal signal to noise ratio

In any case, what you should be aiming for is an RMS level (not peak level) around where your converters are calibrated to 0VU (RMS Line level) and let the peaks fall where they may so long as you do not clip (that is go above 0dBFS on your daw meters)

If you do not know how your converters/interface is calibrated then a general rule often quoted is to shoot for an RMS level of around -18dBFS on your DAW meters and let the peaks hit where they may (often around -6dBFS but it will depend how you are miking and playing and what you are miking and playing)

This is why it's important to understand your gear, signal flow and gain staging rather than just listening to random people

And Miro is right about turning up your monitors rather than trying to record hotter, a raw recording will never be as loud as a finished, mastered song and you shouldn't be recording super hot to try and get a loud track. Just turn up the speakers to a comfortable level.
If you are listening to a song on the car radio or on an MP3 player and it's not loud enough do you reach for the volume control or do you reach for a phone to call the band and ask them to re record it louder

 

[grimtraveller]

If you are listening to a song on the car radio or on an MP3 player and it's not loud enough do you reach for the volume control or do you reach for a phone to call the band and ask them to re record it louder

You're damn right I call the band ! "Rerecord that shit properly if you want my custom, buddy !".

 

[Massive Master]

Try this -- Proper Audio Recording Levels | Rants, Articles

But in short, you're in good shape at -15dBFS (assuming you're talking about 'dBFS' as opposed to 'dB' which by itself, means nothing really). You could probably hit peaks around -12dBFS and still be in reasonable shape -- But as mentioned, your tracking levels can be (and many times are) completely different than your mixing levels. And (even in more cases) your post-mastered levels will be considerably different than your mix levels (but that's for another thread).

 

[Farview]

There is almost no reason why you need to record with your peaks way down there. It won't hurt anything, but that's more headroom than you probably need for something as dynamic as an acoustic guitar.

Bristol Posse has it right with worrying more about the RMS level as opposed to the peak level.

Miroslav is correct about making sure that you are adjusting the level with the appropriate control for the task you are trying to accomplish.

One thing that no one has mentioned, compression. Almost every acoustic guitar recording you have ever heard was run through a compressor. That lowers the dynamic range of the instrument and makes it so it can be turned up louder without clipping. This is generally done during mixing, not recording.

So you would record it at proper levels to get a good recording, then process it and mix it to get good levels and balance in the mix, then the song will get mastered, which will tend to bring up the volume even more, then you will adjust the volume on your playback system to your desired listening volume.

 

[Bobbsy]

I had a feeling of deja vu and think we answered the same question over on the Adobe forums.

Rather than repeat myself, I'll just say that the above advice is correct. Record at the lower levels you've been told about--maybe with peaks up to about -12dbFS--then process your recording after recording. This might be as simple as just normalising up to around -1dBFS but will likely include a bit of compression.