Why such a low level to my Daw. ?

R

RFR

Well-known member
This one has got me scratching my head.

In Reaper my tracks are about 30% lower in level (maybe more) than other mixes.


Here's background with gear used.

1)16 track tape outs from tascam msr 16 to allen and heath ice 16
It is converted to 16 wav files

Note: when I run the 16 wav files into my analog console, all meter levels are the same as if I ran my tape deck into the console.

2) I transfered the wav files to my computer and then inserted them into Reaper.

The individual wav files are tiny. I have to zoom in to see anything other than little blips on the screen.

That would make editing tougher.

And as I said the volume is 30% at least lower.

Any idea. What im doing wrong?
 
bouldersoundguy said:
Consumer line level into a device expecting pro line level?
Click to expand...

Hmmm I think you could be onto something.

The Tascam msr16 outputs are -10 , The Allen and Heath Ice16 is said to operate at a nominal level of 0. So it would seem that the ice unit is running a compromise between -10 and +4 by using 0.

The thing I dont understand is this;
When I run the ice16 outputs back into my board, levels all match up. And the board, a tascam m520 is running at -10 also.

How would I correct this? Obviously I'd need to boost the analog signal into the ice unit.

I went direct from my tape machine into the ice unit to avoid any coloration of what's on tape. I wanted a clean as possible transfer of the source material to digital.
 
Most likely the ICE's floor is still well below the tape noise floor. Boost levels digitally.

Of course the levels match up, you're reversing the process exactly. Voltage out equals voltage in.
 
Ah! I get you. The thing on the levels makes sense when I'm going back into the board.

But, for going into the Daw, how would I boost the levels digitally to create a larger, more visible waveform on the screen? I've played with mixing but no editing yet. It seems a tiny waveform would make editing much more difficult.
 
There are two things you can do. One is to actually boost all the levels, which would be fine. The second is to magnify the amplitude dimension of the track display. I think Reaper is the same as my more familiar DAW, Sony Vegas, in that you Shift-Up Arrow to increase the size of the waveform display. This doesn't change the actual audio, just the display. I generally do both, adjust the gain (actual level of the audio just before it goes into the channel processing) to my liking and then frequently fiddle with the amplitude magnification as needed for whatever I'm doing at the moment.
 
  • Like
Reactions: RFR
You posted that the levels match but I didn't see any details on those levels? -18, -20, etc. The AandH ice 16 appears to be an A/D converter appliance with disk based or USB media. Honestly, tape outs, like old record players, are very low and with no idea on how much gain was used on the original recording, it really looks like you just need to adjust the gain upwards so the tracks import into reaper at a decent level. Alternatively, you can use Reapers track gain to 'digitally' raise the amplitude of the tracks. Adjust the gain up significantly, test importing a few tracks and then re-import them all at that same setting once they are hot enough for your tastes. Or, if memory serves, right click on one of the tracks in Reaper, Item Properties and use the horizontal fader to adjust the gain for each track right in Reaper.

Best of luck!
-PC
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top