Meters

V

vicevursa

New member
Meters and things...

1) If I'm not mistaken the playback/record meters can not be resized. I happen to love the meters in Sound Forge. They are really big plus they give a number readout of the max peak opposed to the little line that you have to guestimate with in Sonar. Does anyone know of a plug-in(?) or whatever that all it does is show the playback/record meter? I know I'm probably asking too much.

2) Panning and volume envelopes... I have confused myself, thoroughly. Maybe I just need someone else to put me back on track. (I could have sworn I understood this at one point!)
Let's say I have track's volume set to 0db when I record it and decide that it is too loud then lower the track's volume by, say, -2db. While I am mixing I find that I want to make more changes in the track's volume level on a more intricate level like lower the attack portion of a drum sample. If I make an envelope to affect that change on the drum sample is the track volume at this point reset to zero or is the overall track volume offset by -2db to start with?
3) If I pan a track hard right but then send it to an Aux buss for some reverb, does the aux send panning take over or does that need to be panned hard right? I have noticed the pan on the return, too. I am not sure what to do with that one.

I appreciate your help.

Thanks,
Vice
 
Last edited:
Can't help you with #1, but I'll take a crack at the others -

2. First, there are two types of volume envelopes that you can use on a track: the track volume envelope, or a clip gain envelope. Their behavior is a bit different.

The track volume envelope is probably the one you are referring to. If you have the track volume set at -2db - as in your example -and you create a track volume envelope, the initial envelope with be established at -2db. You can tell this by letting your cursor rest on the envelope and you should get a pop-up reading that says -2db. The envelope now takes precedent over the volume slider in the track controls. If you change the track's volume to something else (-10db), when you start playback it will jump back to -2db due to the envelope.

If somewhere during the song you create nodes and implement a volume change, the track's volume setting will change to the new setting for the length of the change. Again, start your playback and look at the volume slider box, when it hits the node you will actually see the numbers change to the new setting.

So the track envelope is an absolute setting. That is, the track's volume will change to the actual setting of the envelope.

A clip envelope, on the other hand, is a relative setting. That is, it adds and subtracts from the track's volume setting. When you establish a new clip envelope, the first reading you get will be 0db. That means it is not adding or subtracting anything from the track's volume. So if the track volume in this case is set a -2db, a 0db clip envelope will maintain the track at -2db (or whatever the track volume setting is). When you move the envelope up or down you will see numbers like +1db or -1db. What that means is that the envelope will be changing the track's setting by that much. So if the track's volume setting is -2db, and you add a clip envelope of +1db, the actual track volume should be -1db at that point (-2 + 1). You'll also notice that a clip envelope does not change the track volume readings in the volume slider box.

3. When you send a track to an Aux Bus, some of the sound goes to the Bus (wet) while some continues straight through the track (dry) (i.e., just like on an analog console). So the pan setting on the track effects the dry portion, while the pan setting on the Bus effects the wet portion. If you want both the dry and wet sound to come from the same place in the mix, you need to set both pans the same. Some people here (ChuckU are you listening) have been playing around with having the dry and wet sounds eminate from different places in the mix. All depends on what effect you are going for.
 
Last edited:
Dachay and Chuck... Thanks for the advice on the panning! I read that other thread and I have some ideas I want to test out. I love this stuff!
I need to be in front of Sonar when I check out the track/clip envelopes to actually see what is going on... But, as always, Dachay very helpful!


Any takers on my first question about the meters, yet?



Thanks,
Vice
 
...Sonar's meters seems to get peak before it clips. I mix my song, use compressor to make sure it doesn't go to the red clip. Finally, I play the result in winamp. The peak goes hard below normal. So, I remix it with same compressor, just slide more threshold out to the right about to 10db. See in the meter, always get red cliping warning over and over, (eventhough I never heard distorted sound nor any cliping), export to wave again, play it, that's it, it sound kicker than before...alot better... Is it true, that SONAR's output meter's clip before it's peak ? Why ?
 
Um... James Argo, I have been reading your post all day. It has been my understanding that you can go into the orange all day but once it stays red then you have actually clipped.

Is it true, that SONAR's output meter's clip before it's peak ? Why ?
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what exactly you are asking here. Digital zero is an absolute value to my understanding. I am not sure if it has been posted before, but I find that a reading I get off the meters in Cakewalk/Sonar appears like a hotter signal than in Sound Forge. But with the accuracy of the meters in Sound Forge I am able to tweak my signal precisely (enough for me, at least). Anyway, could you re-word your question. I'm not sure what you mean by the meters clipping before it peaks. If a signal's peak is above 0db, then it clips (digital).


Sorry,


Vice
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top