Mixing and Volume Faders

S

Stephen Jones

New member
Forgive me if this question sounds rudimentary. Any help would be very much, much appreciated.
When you folks are mixing audio and you want to try to find a good level with the faders, what is the proper course of action with regards to making the faders stick, so that they don't revert back to the "initial volume setting" on playback? I've been tampering with this problem for a while now - it seems that if I go the Track View and put the volume amount to -1, the faders seem to hold in place when playback starts again. Is this the correct method for mixing down with faders? Should anything else be done concerning fader levels before mixing down/saving the song (ie - locking the fader position)? I can't believe there is nothing written on this subject in the PA9 User's Guide or Online (unless I am blind) - this is an integral part of the Cakewalk recording process, no?
Thanks a lot,
steve
 
Set the volume levels where you want them, then hit the snapshot button (the button that looks like a camera). Then Cakewalk will remember the settings and when you rewind they'll stay in that position.

But I personally NEVER use the faders in Cake (they seem to have a mind of their own sometimes), I always use the volume envelopes in the Audio View. That also makes automation (volume changes throughout the song) alot easier.

The volume envelopes should be easier to find in the manual....but if not, let us know and we'll get you set up. :)

Good luck,
-tkr
 
I was and still am a beginner with this computer recording shtick and thanks to this forum(Ihaven't been here in a while)I've able to move into the mp3 mixing forum so be alittle patient it should come. IN regards to your problem I would play around with the automation after awhile I got the hang of it but I am still a newbie good luck. Gag
 
Hey again,
Thanks for posting. I am familiar with the volume envelopes, and I do use them in place of automation when I can (easier to see and fix errors, and probably better on the CPU). However, setting the general volume for a track using envelopes seems silly to me, especially when we should be able to move up and down by a db with faders in the console view... - that's what they're supposed to be there for, right? And lemme tell you, getting a general fader level setting for a song is a real headache when it constantly reverts back to the initial volume when you push play. You basically have to find your fader level twice - once when you're playing the song to get the level, and then plug it in again at the beginning of the track in order to make them stick...
Anyway, I think I figured out what to do, and mainly by trial and error. Someone correct me if I'm wrong:
If before you do any mixing, you go to the beginning of the song and change the track view volume levels to -1, it seems then all new fader settings in the console view will stick. I had tried this before, but I must have changed the track view volume setting while in the middle of the song rather than the beginning, because all the work I did was not saved when making bundle files. (You have no idea how annoying this was). But doing it at the beginning of the track seems to hold up.
Again, the fact that this stuff is not in the user's guide or at cakewalk's site baffles me, but I guess it's made for some interesting trial and error exercises.
steve
 
Are you using Sonar or CW PA9?

In either case, I would stay away from the Console View. Nothing but headaches (however, that's much easier to do in Sonar than in PA9).

Anyway, in CW PA 9 you should be able to set your initial track volume in the Track View under the Volume column. You can set it anwhere between 0 - 127. If you haven't opened Console View and enabled a snapshot - it should stick at this setting. Play your track, and adjust this setting up or down until you are comfortable with the level. Then use a volume envelope to adjust passages within the Track where needed.

The approach with Sonar is similar, except there is a volume slider in Track View rather than a numerical setting.
 
You are correct...

The correct way to mix using the console view is to first set your track view volume settings to -1. Then the mixing console faders will work just like you would expect them to. I mix using a combination of console faders and envelopes generally leaving the track view settings at -1.

There is no right or wrong way to mix - just what works best for you (assuming of course you understand that the track view takes priority over the console view.)
 
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