Translation, please? I need help (insomanyways)

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cellardweller

cellardweller

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For simplicity sake, let's say;

I have my tracks recorded already. With my faders at their default position of 0db (i think), where do I want my levels to be?
Kissing yellow?
Just tapping it ever so occasionally?
What about headroom?
Are we to incrementally touch them down for every additional track added?

By bumping our faders down, aren't we killing our signal (not using all of our "bits"?)????


So if we anticipate using many tracks, should we record less "hot"?

But then we are increasing floor noise, etc... right???


I am so confused!!!
 
Are we talking about the mixing phase, CD? Cause recording and mixing are two very different things.

Consider that each phase generates a WAV file. This WAV file has a bit rate (and sample rate, but that's another topic). Taking advantage of each bit is important, but how you take full advantage depends on which phase you're in.

I'll assume you're mixing existing tracks and that you recorded those tracks in the red. That means that each WAV file (track) has taken best advantage of the bits and therefore includes the most info possible.

So you're set if you record just into the red and never hit Zero.


When mixing a bunch of these tracks together, you have to turn down the volume of each track so the sum doesn't clip. That makes sense, right? If one singer almost clips a mic, then 5 singers (all singing just as loudly) will certainly clip the mic. So you have to have all 5 singers singing more softly.

Same with tracks in N. They add together.

When you set the level of each track, you have to be careful to keep every step along that signal chain below clipping. Look at each plugin's input to make sure each plugin isn't clipping.

During the mixing phase, you're better off a bit too low than too high. This is true because we're in the digital domain. The whole signal-to-noise thing is for analog (mics pick up noise, so sing loudly sorta thing). But once it's digitized, you can turn it up as loud as you need without adding more noise. So keep levels low until the very end.

When you're ready to render your mix and create a new WAV file, THEN bit depth comes into play again. I always suggest that folks take advantage of N's ability to work with 32-bit files. So render to 32-bit WAVs. Then do your pre-mastering and mastering at 32-bit. That way, you have LOTS of bits to work with.


tj
 
Wow, I've apparently been recording WAY too quietly!!!
I've been going about it somewhat bass-ackwards.

I think I got myself confused WAY back, before I had decent monitors I was using really crappy speakers which screamed nothing but low-end distortion. I recorded on my MR8 with drastically reduced levels and voila. As it is, I'm probably only using 2/3 of max."?bit resolution?" (is that the correct phrase, it sounded good!).

How do you know when you hit zero/peak (assuming they are one and the same)? What type of bell/whistle/hey dummy alert does N throw at you?

Just an aside here, Do you remember the painter/artist Bob Ross? As I read Teej's posts sometimes, I can hear a Bob Ross-ish voice, calmly and gently chipping away at the obscurring complexities, making the mysterious apparent, with my inevitable reaction of "oh wow, it all makes sense now"!!!
 
How do CD,
On my version of the big n, I have two rows of buttons up on the toolbar. Bottom row of buttons, seven buttons from the right, next to the "view track mixer" button is the "output VU meter" button.
Try it.........you'll like it,
Bill
 
haha.. Bob Ross. Yeah, i see him on PBS every once in awhile. The man was a genius with a paintbrush.

What Bill said! There's an LED meter for both Playback and Record. You should be monitoring the Record LED when you lay tracks. If the signal gets too loud (hot), the clip light will show.

Shoot for around -3, but make sure the signal never clips.


tj
 
I don't have a soundcard, only an integrated soundchip, so I record on my MR8 and dump them on the PC, then apply my skills in sonic mutilation with N.

Ive seen the output VU meter, but rarely use it, I've always watched the meter in the mixers top right corner... I'll give that a try...

Ever watch MAD TV? They have a guy who does a pretty good impression of Bob Ross on there, shortly after his divorce apparently...

"and over here we have this happy little rock..."
 
mr 8

hey cellerdweller, as we were talking about before, i too use the mr 8 to record, just record your tracks so they are as hot as they will go without any clipping, then use that output meter, i keep it open all the time, i keep the signal once again, just below clipping...

bob ross hahahaahah'
ill never read one of teej's posts again without hearing bob ross hahaah

(lets put a happy little cabin right here)
 
"...and a happy little track lives right here... put 'em wherever... wherever you think they should live..."

Recording as hot as possible leaves plenty of head-room/space/whatever for effects/etc. in nTrack?

BTW dave & teej, what kind of mics do you use?
 
mics

i use a mxl 990, sm 57, sm 58

i have not had any problems with needed headroom, i just adjust the channel sliders as need after effects and compression or whatever...seems nice and loud with no distortion problems at all
 
mxl 990

Who make the mxl 990, and what do you use it for???
 
CD,
Oops.. missed your question about mics. I don't have a huge locker of mics, but i'm quite happy with the few mics i do have.

- Studio Projects B3 - large diameter condensor.. great for vocals and acoustic
- Shure SM57 - totally rocks for guitar cabs, drums, and screaming vocals
- AudioTechnica MB4000c - small diameter condonsor.. great for overheads and acoustic, not bad for vocals.
- Peavey PVM45 (cheapie knockoff of SM57) - does a surprisingly good job on guitar cabs and drums

All are considered inexpensive.



tj
 
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