Record levels
- Thread starter BTStudio
- Start date
Serendipity Records
Well-known member
I tend to push the gain up to clip minus ~3-6db on my Zoom H6.
rob aylestone
Moderator
Your recording level nowadays is not really important. Noise is so tiny a problem now that the old system of finding the loudest and backing off for recording, isnt quite so vital. My past few Cubase projects have been recorded lower, simply because I did not realise I’d changed the display magnification. The waveforms looked normal, plenty of headroom, but only during the mix did I realise they were all much lower than I thought. When mixing, people always have the LUFS discussions, but in my studio, output level is kind of brain controlled as I never adjust the amp setting and my levels always seem to end up the same, depending a bit on the genre.
LazerBeakShiek
Tell Tony, Eddie an the Cruises IS here
+4 line level.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
You know, I have no idea ! Whether I'm using an external pre~amp or the onboard pre~amp on my ancient Akai DPS12i, I just set the knobs and shout really loudly or play vigorously and back off the level if my noise clips. Once not clipping, I like to keep a healthy {ie, loud} level.
I used to work with someone called Linda Luff, but that's about the only LUFS I know anything about !
I get what Rob was saying and in principle, I agree with it, but I still approach some of my digital workflow with an analogue mind. The only sensible way to go for me is "don't clip."
keith.rogers
Well-known member
Well, digital recording along with pretty dead quiet mic pres in even basic interfaces gives you a lot of room to adjust things after the fact, but -18dB doesn’t mean much by itself. Is that peak? RMS? LUFS? Eyeballed nominal? And, then what and/or who are you recording and what will you do with the tracks? An experienced session player can be dialed in tightly while your buddy from high school probably needs a little more room so the stray peaks don’t clip.
For me, recording level needs to take into account, to some degree, how many total tracks I’ll have (usually just a few) and so I try to simply keep peaks at -10dBFS plus or minus. That’s a place where I can get a “static” mix quickly with just a few gain adjustments on the tracks before messing with automation and compression, and still have plenty of room to land at a target loudness and keep the dynamic range where I’m happy.
For me, recording level needs to take into account, to some degree, how many total tracks I’ll have (usually just a few) and so I try to simply keep peaks at -10dBFS plus or minus. That’s a place where I can get a “static” mix quickly with just a few gain adjustments on the tracks before messing with automation and compression, and still have plenty of room to land at a target loudness and keep the dynamic range where I’m happy.
BTStudio
Active member
Basically doing the eyeballed nominal setting. Usually about 12 to 15 tracks recording a classic rock style song. Is there anything to trying not to overdrive the master buss or do I just simply turn it down?
Guy
keith.rogers
Well-known member
If you’re overdriving the master bus with your initial tracks, assuming it’s not just some sporadic peaks that will get automated away, you’re probably making a lot of work for yourself having to pull everything down before you can really mix. Don’t have a lot of experience with that, so maybe a lot wil be quickly tamed when you bus together your drum tracks, guitars, and vox (e.g.) so you have some big knobs to turn and get things under control.
BTStudio
Active member
Yah this sounds about right. Pretty well fighting everything from the get go lol.
"-18dBFS" means, for most DAWs the level they indicate on software meters that give a reasonable indication of level but they don't indicate "intersample peaks" I don't know a lot about this (but I know a man who does!) but they can arise when recording live instruments and push signals reading only -6dBFS into digital clipping.
As has been said, modern AIs have such a low noise floor (@24 bits of course) that there is really no reason to track hotter than -20dBFS if you are doing a 'scratch' recording of an unknown band even -30dBfs is not at all silly.
Dave.
As has been said, modern AIs have such a low noise floor (@24 bits of course) that there is really no reason to track hotter than -20dBFS if you are doing a 'scratch' recording of an unknown band even -30dBfs is not at all silly.
Dave.
rob aylestone
Moderator
Headroom now is just so forgiving mistakes have to be huge ones to be heard.
spantini
COO of me, inc.
I have found when recording DI with my project bass with EMG-GZR pickups, lower input levels don't really allow the character of the PUs to come out, so a -18dB setting (at the fader meter) results in tame sounds. Increasing to +4dB or +6dB (at fader meter) produces the characteristic growl the PUs are noted for.
No, you have something wrong there friend. Digital recording systems sound exactly the same whether recording at a gnats under 0dBFS* or way down at -50. Obviously you have to increase the GAIN of the monitoring system to hear the same SPL.
*but never over.
Dave.
grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
What does that mean ?
LazerBeakShiek
Tell Tony, Eddie an the Cruises IS here
A Gnats , is the name of his buddy?
bouldersoundguy
Well-known member
For the most part I want a given track to average -18 dBFS over time. That is, I want to see it spending roughly equal time above and below -18. That said, percussive sources are different. You have to set those by peak, keeping their peaks below 0 dBFS. I typically set them to about -12 dBFS with the expectation that they'll tend to hit a higher level at some point during recording. I'm fine with -6, and if it gets to -1 without going over, I call that a win.
As far as tone changing with record level, that's possible if it's due to something in the chain changing with gain. Most gear we use doesn't do that very much in the normal ranges we use, but it's possible.
As far as tone changing with record level, that's possible if it's due to something in the chain changing with gain. Most gear we use doesn't do that very much in the normal ranges we use, but it's possible.
LazerBeakShiek
Tell Tony, Eddie an the Cruises IS here
Ya , so record the track..Don't go above zero.
set the limiters there? Them who? -12..and smash it against the wall?
frickn' A
Ahh. I was talking about running +4 line level as opposed to -10(or-20)instrument. Not cranking it past 0 dbfs on the 'magic meter'. You may have been joking..Are you Joe King?