Analog or Digital Volume Control?

  • Thread starter Thread starter darkecho
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darkecho

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What are the benefits of an analog knob for Studio Monitors volume over the computers soundcards digital volume sliders?
 
When you are changing the volume in the analog realm, you are just changing the volume. When you do it digitally, you are changing your resolution.
 
is that a bad thing? cause I can either run my monitors directly from my delta's breakout box and use the software volume, or i can run them through my HP4 headphone amp and control the volume through that..
 
Every 6db you turn down the volume, you lose 1 bit of resolution. It also gives you one more way to screw up your gain staging.
 
Use the headphone amp instead. If you look at the motu interfaces and some other ones..you will see that the interfaces accommodates a volume knob that controls your headphones and monitors.
 
Farview said:
Every 6db you turn down the volume, you lose 1 bit of resolution. It also gives you one more way to screw up your gain staging.
Click to expand...


this is quite incredible......I have never thought of this particular subject in a 'practical' sense.

May I give you a scenario, and see if what you said would affect this application ion the same way?..


On the basis that lower 'digital' volume can equate to lower resolution,
if I have 24 tracks on my multi-track program, and have now had to turn the master volume (of the multi-track program) down 10-12db to keep it off the reds during playback, have I lost resolution??
(I've always had to gradually reduce the master as I add tracks, to keep a nice mix of instruments)
So....
Should I go back and drastically reduce each tracks output individually to obtain '0' or lower on the meters, while bringing back the master to around actual '0'??

Is that a practical test of what you say above?
I hope I haven't missed some theory here that makes my question sound utterly stupid!! :)

All the best,
Superspit.
 
In that instance, no, you are not losing resolution. You only lose resolution when you come out of the DA converters too quietly, like when you are using your master fader as your monitors volume control.


You do have a bigger problem however. You are obviously recording too hot. I have projects with over 50 tracks and I don't have to turn down the master fader...ever.

You should be recording at line level, which means your tracks should average about -18dbfs. This will take care of the problem.
 
Farview said:
In that instance, no, you are not losing resolution. You only lose resolution when you come out of the DA converters too quietly, like when you are using your master fader as your monitors volume control.


You do have a bigger problem however. You are obviously recording too hot. I have projects with over 50 tracks and I don't have to turn down the master fader...ever.

You should be recording at line level, which means your tracks should average about -18dbfs. This will take care of the problem.
Click to expand...

much appreciated......I thankyou.
I guess that recording too hot can result in the same net effect???

Regards,
Superspit!
 
superspit said:
much appreciated......I thankyou.
I guess that recording too hot can result in the same net effect???

Regards,
Superspit!
Click to expand...
Recording too hot just makes your recordings sound small and lifeless. It taxes the preamps and other stuff in the analog chain leading up to the converters. It also screws with the plugins you are using in your DAW.
 
what is a good method of figuring out if you are recording at a good level or too hot?

if a guitar, maybe just playing a nice long power chord and adjust the preamp volume until it levels out at -18 on the PC?

would you do a similar thing with a keyboard, just hold out a nice common (to your style of playing) chord, and adjust the keyboard volume until in the progeam you are using, the volume is about -18?
 
darkecho said:
what is a good method of figuring out if you are recording at a good level or too hot?

if a guitar, maybe just playing a nice long power chord and adjust the preamp volume until it levels out at -18 on the PC?

would you do a similar thing with a keyboard, just hold out a nice common (to your style of playing) chord, and adjust the keyboard volume until in the progeam you are using, the volume is about -18?
Click to expand...
Yes, that is about what you need to do.
 
what about with more dynamic things like vocals and drums where it can be super quiet to really loud? just try to get as close to the average being -18? or would you have the singer go as loud as he/she is going to go, and then adjust their loudest to -18?
 
With singers, I set it so that long loud sustained notes are sitting at -18dbfs.

With drums, I just get the peaks between -12 and -6dbfs.
 
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