What´s this trim thing good for?

[Eisenbart]

Hi folks,

I got a question concerning the trim feature of each track. Basically I found out that it adjusts the level before the fader, and the documentation also says

For example, let's say you have four tracks, three tracks have their volume fader set to 0 dB while the fourth track's fader is set to +10 dB. You want to group the faders and do a slow fade out, but the slightly higher level of the fourth track causes its volume to be higher in relation to the other tracks towards the end of the fade out. To balance the fader levels, reduce the fader level for the fourth track to 0 dB and raise the Volume Trim value for that track to +10 dB. The resulting volume levels for the project are the same, but now you can group the faders and perform a fade out with no track standing out disproportionately at the end of the fade out.

This is what I don´t get: Is this just an optical issue? I mean, what´s the difference between shifting a fader from 0 to -10 and shifting from +10 to 0? In the example above, why is the adjustment necessary?

 

[Ethan Winer]

E,

> what´s the difference between shifting a fader from 0 to -10 and shifting from +10 to 0? In the example above, why is the adjustment necessary? <

If you raise the Volume and lower the Trim, the net volume ends up the same. What that example addresses is when you want to group several tracks so the Volume sliders all work in tandem.

When the Volumes are linked, they all have the same setting. But if you want one of the tracks to be a little louder - maybe on that track the background singer was a little too soft compared to the other takes - you need a way to keep the tracks linked yet also raise that one track a little. This is what the Trim can do.

--Ethan

 

[crosstudio]

in addition to the above post, i use the TRIM rather than normalising the individual tracks.

i try to record so that the greatest peak is near -6db. i don't use compression during recording at all.

then, for the tracks that don't quite get there, i set the trim on my individual tracks so that the greatest peak is at -3db.

then i start mixing using the volume envolope.