A Question Regarding Output Levels

[Paulie Jay]

Hello everyone. I've just recently joined this immensely helpful website after having lurked for a few weeks. Although I am not new to being recorded, I am very new to being my own engineer. I have done a lot of reading through the forums and have taken on board the importance of not recording with a hot signal. I've also read the excellent outside articles that are frequently linked to about gain staging, and for my first "test" recording I am making sure to keep the peaks nice and low: around -14 right?

Anyway, my question is about the master fader, and the stereo out fader. (I'm recording digitally with Logic Pro 9)

Master fader: Just checking, this should stay at unity, right?

Stereo Out fader: this is feeding signal to my interface, so is it ok to turn this up as loud as I like without it effecting the "quality" of the individual channels?

I've searched a couple of the boards and haven't really found a thread regarding this. Maybe it's such a basic thing that it doesn't need asking?


edit - just an additional. If I'm sending various channels to a bus for the sake of adding reverb, the bus's fader should be at unity, shouldn't it?

 

[Dogbreath]

Just my thoughts here but...

When I'm tracking, I set the levels with my trim. My input faders are at unity, my track faders are at unity and the master is at unity. I get my -18 level by my input trim.

When mixing, I still keep everything "lower" (-18 to -12 (ish).

As to the Stereo Out Fader...keep in mind the AD/DA converters. If you push them to a level they're not comfortable with (calibration), you get into the same boat and you'll start to lose your punch and clarity.

What I do is...keep my levels at -18 to -12 (ish ) until the last mixdown. The very last pass is where I'll be pushin for more volume. And even then, I don't push it as hard as others.

Food for thought mang.

 

[Massive Master]

Master fader: Just checking, this should stay at unity, right?

Absolutely.

Stereo Out fader: this is feeding signal to my interface, so is it ok to turn this up as loud as I like without it effecting the "quality" of the individual channels?

This one I'm almost not understanding - The stereo out fader of what? A mixer? Unity. If the levels are too hot at unity, they should be adjusted at the head amp (preamp / pre-gain / Whatever it's labeled).

just an additional. If I'm sending various channels to a bus for the sake of adding reverb, the bus's fader should be at unity, shouldn't it?

You should be using an aux send for such purposes (and in theory, the aux return should be at unity - although generally you're dealing with such low levels on an aux buss that it's just a good place to keep it.

 

[Farview]

I don't use Logic. I'm assuming the stereo out fader is a volume control that doesn't affect the level of the mix when you are rendering. If this is the case, then it's just a listening level control. You can still clip your converters by turning it up.

If you have a volume control for your monitors outside the computer, just set the stereo out to unity and use the real volume control.

 

[Zeppe]

In Logic there is a stereo channel for Output 1&2. If you had things routed to Output 3&4 logic would create a stereo channel for that output as well. These channels coorespond to the outputs on your interface. The channels have inserts and sends that the master fader does not have. These channels should also be left at unity. Use the monitor level on your interface. The level of this channel wont affect quality of the individual tracks but it might mess you up when your monitoring or mixing.

As for aux sends you should try to stay at unity. Sometimes when you have multiple tracks going to one processing unit keeping all the levels at unity is not possible. I use the aux return fader to blend the amount of processing I want with the original signals. Keep your knobs static and adjust the level on your faders. Thats what they are there for.

 

[Paulie Jay]

Thanks for the replies, they have all been very helpful!

This one I'm almost not understanding - The stereo out fader of what? A mixer?

Sorry, I wasn't very clear about that. As Zeppe explained, Logic has a fader labelled Stereo Out which is for output 1 & 2.

In Logic there is a stereo channel for Output 1&2. If you had things routed to Output 3&4 logic would create a stereo channel for that output as well.

Ah yes, in fact I was thinking of using Output 3&4 solely for a monitor mix that I could send to my headphones (my interface has two headphone sockets, one of which is for output 3 & 4). When I'm tracking I don't usually like to hear everything else at full blast, so I thought that creating a monitor mix through 3&4 where I could highlight the individual instruments that I want to hear. Is this a practical thing to do, or is it overkill?

 

[Zeppe]

Ah yes, in fact I was thinking of using Output 3&4 solely for a monitor mix that I could send to my headphones (my interface has two headphone sockets, one of which is for output 3 & 4). When I'm tracking I don't usually like to hear everything else at full blast, so I thought that creating a monitor mix through 3&4 where I could highlight the individual instruments that I want to hear. Is this a practical thing to do, or is it overkill?

Sounds pretty practical to me. I say go for it.

 

[Paulie Jay]

Cool. Thanks!