Hi,
I record my mixes at -4db gain otherwise it goes into the red, but then the mix is too quiet and when I upload it to soundcloud people have to turn their speakers up to hear it.
How do I solve this problem?
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Hi,
I record my mixes at -4db gain otherwise it goes into the red, but then the mix is too quiet and when I upload it to soundcloud people have to turn their speakers up to hear it.
How do I solve this problem?
You need to be sure your Master Volume is high enough and that the Record Volume is low enough.
:)
I don't understand... My master volume is -6db to avoid clipping, and my recording volume is -4db, so are you saying my recording volume should be 6db to level it out?Quote:
Originally Posted by sarasin
I set my recording volume to the max with no clipping.
But it goes into the red doesn't it...Quote:
Originally Posted by photojojo
That's what I mean by no clipping. I set it and monitor it during recording to make sure it doesn't go into the red.
I normalize it after using peak pro but you could use audacity, it's free.
http://audacity.sourceforge.net/
What do you set your recording volume at?Quote:
Originally Posted by MaxOne
this. in audacity, you do that by going to Effects --> NormalizeQuote:
Originally Posted by MaxOne
I set my Master to -3.
Then the recording volume -1.
No problem at all.
I up the level a bit in Ableton when producing my radio show using my and guest mixes.
Rather come in cold than too hot.
You can always up the volume. You can't undo distortion\clipping.
i play the master at 0 and the recording at +2 if i ever see it in the red, i just turn down the booth knob on my mixer (ive got master to my speakers and booth into my A8, and it records from the A8)
I have em' both on + - 0.
It has worked well on my tunes remixes and such.
I just make sure it's not in the red by some way... I figure it's a digital recording so as long as it doesn't clip it's better to stick to the quieter side, then I normalize in Peak Pro...Quote:
Originally Posted by DJWilliams
But Audacity has the same function, normalize is normalize
I use master at around -5db and record at -2db. They do come out a little quiet but nothing a quick audition session cant fix. Normalising will make it louder, you can use audacity or mp3gain to do that if you like, both free.
but what's the point making it quiet in the first place if you're going to make it louder by normalising? Does this method reduce clipping? I don't understand.
If you record it hot....you record the distortion that it creates with it when it clips.
If you record it cold (really below the clip line), you can always boost the volume by normalizing. This will not ruin the audio quality at all.
However, if you record it too loud, normalizing will not remove the distortion and noise created. It will make it all softer...but the distortion will still be there. Just also...softer.
While I agree with you and do the same thing if I have to, I must point out that Normalizing does change the audio quality as it also raises the noise floor. Now this may be imperceptable to ones ears BUT needs to be mentioned.Quote:
Originally Posted by sarasin
i record cold and use the "volume" setting in Soundforge to push the level of the mix...i never use normalize for raising the volume of a mix...maybe i should start...or atleast do it last...
"All this function does is it expands the highest peaks of amplitude to their greatest allowable levels (which should be just below 0dB), raising the amplitude of softer sounds by the same proportion...
So in effect you're boosting your track volume to its highest possible without affecting the audio quality and without clipping/ distortion."
That's not really true, normalizing raises the over all level of the track, also bringing up the noise floor with it. If you wanted to expand the dynamics a bit you might try a multiband expander. If you're really curious about this stuff check out any Mastering suite plugin's ie Waves and you'll begin to see the differences. That being said, Normalizing is the easiest & cheapest way of increasing the volume of a mix to its maximum level. But the better practice is to establish your gain staging for maximum maximum levels when recording.Quote:
Originally Posted by keithace
Yeah...look normalizing is not the best method to use.
But its the quickest and easiest for non producer folk.
Don't over do it....
+1 mate. The process you are thinking of is "Hard Limiting" (In Audition, other apps may call it something else) which is a more advanced way to boost your mix up and smooth levels. I use this technique to master our recordings and with a bit of trial and error have got it sussed now. Normalizing is a pretty basic technique and wont solve your clipping issues if you have those.
... Or you can just play PSY :) no worries with quiet spots there lol
Something I might suggest to people for checking the "nominal" or Unity level through your setup for recording is to use a 1k tone@-20dbfs(I have a test tone CD I use with many frequencies, pink noise & sweeps) and play it through your recording chain. When your gain staging is set properly, it should be -20dbfs on the record input.