overreading meters

timtimtim

Member
I drag and drop a pre-recorded track into Reaper. The level on the track does not (obviously it cannot) exceed 0dB, but when I play it in Reaper, the master level control and the track level control both show it going up to +4dB on the loud parts. This is impossible. Why is it overreading? Does it measure RMS or something stupid like that?
 
The digital waveform as you mention can't exceed 0dB, however - full scale digital comes out of a professional product at +4dB as an analogue signal, or the lower consumer level - so the meters are reading output level, not digital level. Cubase doesn't;t do this - just goes up to 0dB FS - but the output sockets are +4dB, as proven by input level meters on an analogue record I have.

There's probably a setting somewhere to change this.
 
What a silly system. Well thanks for telling me, I was worried it was increasing the digital level so it clipped. Why would anyone want to have the meters reading 4dB too much? It makes the meters almost useless!
 
Intersample peaks

It MOST CERTAINLY can go well over 0dBFS, especially if its being converted from one format to another

Bitter << Stillwell Audio

Have a look at that track on bitter, or any other intersample peak reader

REAPER will tell you what it would have added up to, but happily clip the output if you exceed 0dBFS
 
Back
Top