Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
gotcha ....
FunkDaddy
New member
After you've recorded everything to -12 to -18 dBFS or so, you should aim to bring your master stereo mix up closer to 0 right? In the final stage of mixing/mastering I mean.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
In the very final point in the mastering stage, sure. But during mixing, I'm usually at around -30 to -24dBRMS with around an 18dB crest (so maybe an occasional peak of -6dBFS or so).
And you're not going to be "bringing it up" by any means --- If you have a bunch of tracks *peaking* at -12dBFS, you're going to have to attenuate many of them during mixing to avoid clipping the 2-buss. I tend to track somewhere around where things are going to sit in the mix (so I might have a bunch of incidental percussives at -40dBFS, overheads at -30dBFS, etc., etc., etc.) and more times than not, I'm stil attenuating half the source tracks to keep some measure of headroom.
That said, if you're summing digitally, you're almost always going to peak higher than your average track's peak level... That's just going to happen "naturally" (for lack of better terminology). You'd be fighting it - or at least, doing something very unusual to have something other than that happen.
And you're not going to be "bringing it up" by any means --- If you have a bunch of tracks *peaking* at -12dBFS, you're going to have to attenuate many of them during mixing to avoid clipping the 2-buss. I tend to track somewhere around where things are going to sit in the mix (so I might have a bunch of incidental percussives at -40dBFS, overheads at -30dBFS, etc., etc., etc.) and more times than not, I'm stil attenuating half the source tracks to keep some measure of headroom.
That said, if you're summing digitally, you're almost always going to peak higher than your average track's peak level... That's just going to happen "naturally" (for lack of better terminology). You'd be fighting it - or at least, doing something very unusual to have something other than that happen.
Mo Facta
Farts of Nature
I personally think it's helpful to remember that it's not just about peak level. A lot of this has to do with crest factor. A moderate disparity between peak and RMS will make your mixes more consistent and the dynamic range "easier to manage" (if I can put it that way), which is why tape/sat effects are so popular and why we still use VU meters. Unless, of course, you need a full 14-18dB of dynamic range for your music. Most music can get away with much less and indeed needs to in order for the quieter parts to stay audible under normal listen conditions, especially in the car.
Of course, none of this matters until you understand how it all relates to 0dBu and until you calibrate your system (and your monitor control).
Cheers
Of course, none of this matters until you understand how it all relates to 0dBu and until you calibrate your system (and your monitor control).
Cheers
Lt. Bob
Spread the Daf!
Ok ...... interesting stuff. Thanks to Massive and boulder and mixsit for the info.
I'm gonna be doing some tracking here in the next few weeks and I'm going to try -12 for everything and see if it sounds different.
It might.
While there's definitely no distortion on my recordings ..... there is a hardness to the sound that seems more prominent when levels get higher ..... it's just a little harsh.
Those are older converters on that Fostex ...... maybe they don't like being pushed.
So I'll try the lower level and see if that makes any difference.
I'm gonna be doing some tracking here in the next few weeks and I'm going to try -12 for everything and see if it sounds different.
It might.
While there's definitely no distortion on my recordings ..... there is a hardness to the sound that seems more prominent when levels get higher ..... it's just a little harsh.
Those are older converters on that Fostex ...... maybe they don't like being pushed.
So I'll try the lower level and see if that makes any difference.