Volume on Low Samples

[bknot1]

ok..everyone know i dont sample or use samples..but this question was ask..and he havent been giving a real answer and the poster is confessed why he just can normalize the samples and be happy...

if anyone have any info on doin this..post it in here so i can pass on the good information..and it might help others here in the mean time..

 

[Mindset]

ok..everyone know i dont sample or use samples..but this question was ask..and he havent been giving a real answer and the poster is confessed why he just can normalize the samples and be happy...

if anyone have any info on doin this..post it in here so i can pass on the good information..and it might help others here in the mean time..

Normalization should never happen during mixing or any other stage other than mastering. And usually the mastering engineer will try and steer away from using normalization.

If the volume of the sample is low, (depending on what the sample sounds like) I would run it through an expander if needed, after throwing it into a parametric eq and shaving off any noise that might be there. That's if the sample is real low. By doing normalization, it will bring all frequencies to the peak that you set. This includes bringing up the noise floor. If it is really low, that can cause a major problem. I would take out any noise possible, and then run it through an expander to drop all the noise & bring up the volumes of the actual sample. EQ it to taste and there you go. Sometimes a simple gain plug-in is needed, but never normalization. After running it through an expander, one might need to run it through a compressor too. Depending on sample, you might want to band-pass the thing in a parametric EQ or a simple graphic eq.

 

[bknot1]

LOL..it funny cause i told him when you normalize you bring up the floor noise and you dont want to do that..

good info..will pass it on..maybe he wil listen to what me and a few others have been saying about normalizing..

good look Mind...

 

[ammarg89]

couldnt you just normalize and then filter out frequencies?

 

[ndutle]

i always went with gating and compressing and then trying to eq the actual sample up i.e. try to find a good frequency that it fits into the rest of the mix.

BTW, this is all with limited success, but success nonetheless.

 

[Mindset]

couldnt you just normalize and then filter out frequencies?

no because, then your noise floor volume will be right there with the sample's frequencies a little bit, and that's harder to work with. I rather have the noise reduced if not eliminated before working with the overall signal.

 

[TelePaul]

Normalizing = obsolete. It'll ruin your mix, and I'd only use it if I were in a real hurry and not concerned with the sound quality of something.

 

[Change of POETS]

i always went with gating and compressing and then trying to eq the actual sample up i.e. try to find a good frequency that it fits into the rest of the mix.

BTW, this is all with limited success, but success nonetheless.

I'm an advocate of this philosophy as well.

Run a gate compressor on the sample, say the overall volume is low.... -30db. Find your noise floor volume, and use that as your main setting in the gate. Eliminate all noise below that, and you'll be left with (hopefully) almost all of your sample. The sample should be many db higher than the noise floor.

If it's not, I'd run a noise reduction profile on it, and do your best to eliminate it. Then run it through the gate with the new noise floor positioning.

 

[WPBEATS]

wow this same thing happens to my vocals when recording into cubase sx3.
in order for me to hear the vocals after i record them i have to normalize the track in order to hear the vocals. I also click the track it self and lower the wave . the mix comes out pretty decent but id love not to use the normalize if its not needed..

 

[Change of POETS]

wow this same thing happens to my vocals when recording into cubase sx3.
in order for me to hear the vocals after i record them i have to normalize the track in order to hear the vocals. I also click the track it self and lower the wave . the mix comes out pretty decent but id love not to use the normalize if its not needed..

That's a problem with gain staging, not your DAW. Are you running your vocs through an outboard mixer or pre? Are you using a separate mixing console for your soundcard than your DAW?

 

[jibran]

I'm thinking that dude mentioned in the first post is recording directly from his turntable without an amp. That would explain the low volume issues - check with him about that.

 

[WPBEATS]

That's a problem with gain staging, not your DAW. Are you running your vocs through an outboard mixer or pre? Are you using a separate mixing console for your soundcard than your DAW?

yes im running my vocals through a Mixer ...

 

[Farview]

yes im running my vocals through a Mixer ...

What are you setting your levels at?

I see people run into this problem when they record the vocals at normal levels, but the rest of the music is way too loud. (sometimes because someone normalized all the samples)

If you have the music bed averaging around -18dbfs, your vocals recorded at that level will fit perfectly.

If your levels are lower than that, turn up the preamp on the mixer.

 

[Mindset]

What are you setting your levels at?

I see people run into this problem when they record the vocals at normal levels, but the rest of the music is way too loud. (sometimes because someone normalized all the samples)

If you have the music bed averaging around -18dbfs, your vocals recorded at that level will fit perfectly.

If your levels are lower than that, turn up the preamp on the mixer.

This is true, I usually have everything around -18 to -12db until I'm done. When I'm done, everything does not go over -6db. -6dB is what post production max is before distortion etc.