Setting Levels

[xskhaos]

Im new to recording and trying to get my levels set up right in Sonar. The problem is, when im just listening to music, say in windows media player, the volume is dramatically louder that anything in sonar. I have to crank my amp basically all the way up to get an adequete volume. I know that there all a lot of variables like the level of the instrument going into my interface, but those set aside, is there a way to boost the volume of sonar in general?

 

[dachay2tnr]

The reason that the commercial music sounds louder than Sonar is that the music has been mastered. Among other things, that means that it has typically been compressed and limited to increase the volume.

Try and record so that your signals are clean and peak around -12 to -6 db. Worry about comparisons to commerical recordings later in the process.

 

[Autist]

If you want to compare your mix-in-progress to a commercial CD mix you may want to simply do a rough mix of your work and then adjust the level in Media Player to match the level of your mix as close as possible. This is sort of the cheap way to do it and if you are mixing at too low of a level, or not tracking hot enough then you may not get the most out of it. The better way involves setting monitor and Media Player levels using test tones and/or pink noise and an SPL meter.

 

[xskhaos]

thanks

So basically you guys are saying don't worry about the volume at this point in the game, just make sure I stay below -6 db and that nothing is clipping?

 

[Autist]

You don't have to stay below -6. Everyone has their own preferences. -6 is a good target, but some people record up to -3 for peak levels. It depends on the material being recorded. Also, remember that the lower the signal level when recording, the more of a chance there is of making any lower level noise more audible when levels are brought up higher or compression is applied during mixing, or mastering. You can go over -6, or -3 as long as you don't clip, but it is best to leave a bit of headroom in there. I personally think that -12 is too low for peaks. -6dB is significantly louder than -12.

 

[Autist]

Also, the level you are monitoring at can make a difference in your mix. 85dB (comfortably loud) is the recommended and most commonly used level for monitoring during mixdown, but depending on your room acoustics and living situation you may need to use lower levels.

You can calibrate your monitors to any level with pink noise and an SPL meter (such as ones from RadioShack). Once you have the monitors at the level you want, don't adjust the volume during mixdown, or you will end up thinking you need to make changes. Take breaks to rest your ears (10, or 15 minutes every hour is a good place to start). Also, when your mix sounds good, stop for the day and listen to it again the next day. Otherwise, if you ears are tired you may start messing up a perfectly good mix.