I need help on levels.

[Terry Wetzel]

Is there anyone out there who can help me out by explaining decibles as applied to final mastered cd level.
I'm not new at this and I understand that db can referr to a voltage, a ratio of comparison or as an rms or peak level. I use the Ml9600,Masterlink deck for finishing my recordings. What is the proper method for obtaining a finished master recording with a level of the recomended
0db,(or as close as possible without clipping). It seems that after using the eq, limiting and normalize options of the Maqsterlink, I always wind up with from +3 to +7db and sometimes even higher. Which levels should I be concerned with for the final mix before mastering. My mixer has both analog and digital levels in the output section.

 

[Farview]

Well, you might be getting confused with the different db scales that are being used.

The analog meter on your mixer should be reading dbVU. This scale is referenced to line level, where 0dbVU is line level.

The digital meter is reading dbFS. This scale is referenced to digital full scale, where 0dbFS is the limit. There is no +1dbfs, it doesn't exist. Technically, 0dbfs is clipping.


If you are mixing in the analog realm, the mixes should average somewhere around 0dbVU. Depending on how the converters are calibrated, 0dbVU could be anywhere from -20dbfs to -12dbfs. If you don't know, the rule of thumb is -18dbfs.

Here is where you run into the other snag. dbVU is reading the average level and dbFS is reading peak level. So unless you are recording sine waves, it's hard to look at a peak meter and decypher the average level.

So, the idea is to get the mix to sit around 0dbVU AND not have peaks much above -6dbFS.

 

[Terry Wetzel]

Thanks for responding...

Well, you might be getting confused with the different db scales that are being used.

The analog meter on your mixer should be reading dbVU. This scale is referenced to line level, where 0dbVU is line level.

The digital meter is reading dbFS. This scale is referenced to digital full scale, where 0dbFS is the limit. There is no +1dbfs, it doesn't exist. Technically, 0dbfs is clipping.


If you are mixing in the analog realm, the mixes should average somewhere around 0dbVU. Depending on how the converters are calibrated, 0dbVU could be anywhere from -20dbfs to -12dbfs. If you don't know, the rule of thumb is -18dbfs.

Here is where you run into the other snag. dbVU is reading the average level and dbFS is reading peak level. So unless you are recording sine waves, it's hard to look at a peak meter and decypher the average level.

So, the idea is to get the mix to sit around 0dbVU AND not have peaks much above -6dbFS.

but I'm still confused,(or stupid?) What you are saying then is, I should keep the analog output at Odb level average on the analog meters and peaks at -6db on the digital output. Is this correct? Also is there a signal device that I can use for callibrating both meters before a recording session? I use a Mackie 24/8 board and Alesis HD24 hard disk recorder for tracking,eq and effects and mixdown to a Masterlink 9600 for DSP. thanks

 

[Farview]

What I'm saying is 0dbVU on the analog meters will on most instruments peak at around -6dbFS on the digital meters. Unfortunately this doesn't apply to percussive instruments like drums. Drums have a very sharp attack and quick decay, so the peak level is very high, but the average level is very low.


Here is how you do it.

1. Set the levels of vocals and non percussion instruments with the analog meters on the board and set them to around 0dbVU on those meters. Glance at the digital meters on the alesis to make sure that nothing is clipping. Don't worry if the level seems low.

2. Set the recording levels of percussive instruments using the digital meters and set so that the highest peaks end up around -6dbFS.

3. When mixing, the signal coming out of the HD24 will be line level. Just mix to make it sound good. The output of the mixer will probably be somewhere around 0dbVU on the analog meters. That's where it's supposed to be.

4. Glance at the masterlink to make sure you are not clipping on it's meters.

That's it. That is the mix.

If you want the mix to be louder, like a commercial CD, you will need to send it through a compressor or limiter to bring up the level. This is normally done in the mastering process.

 

[Terry Wetzel]

Thanks, that really helps. I've been turning out some pretty good stuff but it's been hit and miss on levels. One further question and I'll go away. In compiling an album of several songs, will the method you desribed make it easier to balance the final levels of all the songs so that they sound like they belong together? Thanks.