Are all techniques to Increase Output Equal?

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singeryadig

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As far as I can tell there are a few ways to mess with Output

1) Turn Fader up
2) Decrease Ratio and/ or Increase Gain (on Compressor)
3) Higher gain on sound card when recording

There might be more but what technique is more effective/ will produce a better sound? I've been hearing thats its just a general good idea to never turn up the fader to above 0.
 
Gain is gain until something hits a limit. Altering the ratio changes the dynamics, which is a different thing.
 
Hmmm...they're not exactly equal in terms of results.

Having a very low signal at an early stage in proceedings then compensating by adding gain later adds noise. Well, being truthful, it doesn't add the noise--it just raises the level of noise already there, but the end result is the same.

Conversely, having too hot a signal earlier on and reducing levels later can result in distortion even after the levels are reduced--if the hot signal got into clipping you can never get rid of it even if you lower the level.

Finally, compression. It depends on your settings but, depending on the setting of the threshold, the extra gain isn't always linear across the whole signal.

Yeah, gain is gain--but the goal should be to stage things to have sensible and well matched levels right through the whole chain rather than adjust things later to compensate for overly low or high levels earlier on.

Bob
 
Always make sure to never clip. That's pretty much the most important thing.

Pushing up the faders just raises the volume, so that is the most transparent way of increasing gain.

Output gain on a compressor can just simply add gain (like pushing the faders), but it can add some of the compressor color.

So, they can all be different, or they can all be the same.
 
Higher Gain when recording on the sound card would be the best way w/o clipping of course...
 
singeryadig said:
I've been hearing thats its just a general good idea to never turn up the fader to above 0.
Click to expand...

That's a myth. Most modern DAW software uses 32 bits floating point math internally, so levels are more or less irrelevant unless you exceed 0 dBFS at the final output. Proof here in this hour-long video:

AES Audio Myths Workshop

That section starts at 53:39.

--Ethan
 
Thanks for all the input, its helping a ton--

I found another way--If you make a copy of the track and play them at the same time(layering i think is the term?)--IMO (getting more credible everyday:P ) --- this technique was the best as far as it producing the best sound quality. Its sounds a lot better to do this than to say compressing/ increasing the fader...Any thoughts on this?
 
singeryadig said:
Thanks for all the input, its helping a ton--

I found another way--If you make a copy of the track and play them at the same time(layering i think is the term?)--IMO (getting more credible everyday:P ) --- this technique was the best as far as it producing the best sound quality. Its sounds a lot better to do this than to say compressing/ increasing the fader...Any thoughts on this?
Click to expand...

Turning up a fader 6dB achieves the exact same thing. Duplicating tracks simply for volume has no credibility.
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Turning up a fader 6dB achieves the exact same thing. Duplicating tracks simply for volume has no credibility.
Click to expand...


But...but...but...one way you have TWO tracks, which is more than one track....therefore it's going to be MORE.
(PS...my amps all go to 11, and they are louder than amps that go to 10, becuase 11 is MORE than 10).


;)

 
:D


My Tungsten Crème Cortez goes to 12 on all the knobs...my Swart SST goes to 11...four of my other amps have no numerical markings at all.
 
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