Gain Staging

[giant ll]

Hello all. I use an app: Mvmeter 2. I usually set it to -18 Db.

Then.. if the 0 in the Mvmeter is set to -18DB.. i use to get all the tracks at about -3(i mean -3 in the scale of MVMETER). It should be a little bit under the -18 ideal value that is the 0.

If i put it on 0.. it get a little bit louder with some guitar sound.

Usually setting my audio Card input level to don't get the red level.. and i have a control panel for this.. i have a little bit lighter signal than 0..

After recording i use the gain, for gain staging.

If a track is too much under -18Db.. so under the 0 of MvTrack i put up the gain with Ctrl left button of the mouse and up mouse..

If it is too high.. i make the opposite.

Is that correct? NB: i use the 0 of MVMeter that is set to -18 DB not as peak but.. as medium value.

After all i make equalization and in the end the mastering

Edited October 7 by giant ll

[giant ll]

I mean this to 0.. this is too high.. for example. 0 should be -18

 

 

Edited October 7 by giant ll

[Glenn Stanton]

back in the bad old analog days, you ran hot to overcome systemic noise and ensure a good level on the tape. now with digital mostly have a noise floor below -100db, running hot will lead to digital clipping which is a problem unless you like that sound...

from the IO unit - most A/D converters are 24-bit - so you need to ensure you're hardware is running low enough to prevent peaks from clipping (or preface the IO with a manual volume control movements / compressor / limiter etc). the DAW will take that input (and presuming it's not clipping) will write that to the file (24-bit or 32-bit). 

reading from that file (clip), you need to consider the summing of all tracks (into buss(es) or your hardware output). decibels are ratios and logrithmic. if you have a single track (say a stereo live recording) you might just set it to -6db before exporting it for a mastering step. if you have 10 tracks, you might set each to -18db and set the master buss to -6db. and possibly tweak each track gain to reliable and as evenly hit those values before adjusting the volume of each.

ultimately adjusting levels depending on the material and export target.

i would just use the builting metering of CbB / Sonar as it has enough options for those types of decisions.

[Bass Guitar]

1 hour ago, Glenn Stanton said:

i would just use the built-in metering of CbB / Sonar as it has enough options for those types of decisions.

100% agree. They are good meters. I'd even say better than most other Daw's. They have a peak and hold reading, use it. If you want to use a meter plug in then the You Lean Meter will tell you all you need to know. The paid version is worth it because you can drag and drop your tracks into the GUI and get a accurate reading in seconds. LUFS are just as important as peaks.   https://youlean.co/youlean-loudness-meter/

If I used -18 on my tracks the overall mix would probably be way to quiet. But I realize many people advise working that way. 

In my world each instrument gets a different peak and I have a system that seems to work for me 90% of the time. 

Example my targets for bass and drums is -8 to -6 db . Because they are midi it is easy to maintain this level using velocity and setting of the instruments.  Then Keyboards and rhythm guitars might be - 10 to -12. 

Vocal and lead guitar depending on music style,   get as high as -3db. They are  brick walled on to catch random peaks. I might use Melodyne to clean those tracks up and set a close level. Or a volume envelope. .  

Of course EQ is a big part of levels and LUFS.  But I start with these ball parks on each track. Then I use Busses to mix. 

My resulting mixes are  around -1.0 and -14Lufs. I put a brick wall on the master and I'm just about there. 

Edited October 7 by Bass Guitar

[giant ll]

2 hours ago, Bass Guitar said:

LUFS are just as important as peaks.   https://youlean.co/youlean-loudness-meter/

Yes. I use Loudness Meter. I've got the free version.

[giant ll]

6 hours ago, Glenn Stanton said:

if you have 10 tracks, you might set each to -18db and set the master buss to -6db. and possibly tweak each track gain to reliable and as evenly hit those values before adjusting the volume of each.

In my last project:

 

Yes i've got more than 10 tracks and i've set each to -18db.

I show you the master buss, with MvMeter  set to -6 db.  Here you can see my master buss settings.  The value of Mvmeter in the master is something like -6.3 that respect -6db that is the "zero" of the counter, is much lower. The medium average value is something like -10(respect the new "zero" set to -6db). Do i have to change something in settings here?

 

Edited October 7 by giant ll

[giant ll]

6 hours ago, Glenn Stanton said:

i would just use the builting metering of CbB / Sonar as it has enough options for those types of decisions.

Ok. I will try also to use just it, i usually used also some other dedicated apps.

Edited October 7 by giant ll

[giant ll]

3 hours ago, Bass Guitar said:

My resulting mixes are  around -1.0 and -14Lufs. I put a brick wall on the master and I'm just about there.

This is my last mix.

It's about -11.7 Lufs Integrated and -1 set by the limiter.

[Amberwolf]

4 hours ago, Bass Guitar said:

100% agree. They are good meters. I'd even say better than most other Daw's. They have a peak and hold reading, use it.

I use the in-track peak markers as well, so I can use automation to deal with the peaks as well as the main level of each track.

For further metering I use the old free version of Voxengo SPAN (which I use to find out things I need to EQ out either to fix problems or to just see what I need to make holes for in other tracks.).    Sometimes I pop in the free version of EAS Inspector to see what it tells me for it's various preset levels of strictness on the master bus.

 

@giant ll

If I EQ out stuff that a particular track doesn't need, then there's more room for energy in other tracks that do need that stuff, so the whole thing doesn't have to be as "loud" to get the same result.  It also makes the audio less muddy.  I use automation for some tracks that do need the stuff in some places, to reduce or turn off the EQ in those places.   

I tend to push mixes as close to 0dB as I can, because if I don't, then my tracks are too quiet and the few people that listen to them won't because they have to turn their volume up for them and then back down for their normal music. 

To help with that, I use the ancient but simple Sonitus Multiband compressor on tracks and/or busses as needed, using automation to turn things on and off whereever needed, bypassing or soloing bands, changing knees or levels, etc.   

 

The actual levels I use will vary (a lot) depending on the specific project, as some will need louder drums, some need quiet ones, etc.  

 

If you want to hear the results I get to see if they are applicable to your mixing / project style, there are a variety of different projects over at http://amberwolf.bandcamp.com 

The only ones that are not done in the methods above are in and below the row starting with the ancient Uncommon Ground album.  Everything above that is done with variations of the above methods, with the newest stuff at the top, which has the most developed versions of these methods and probably the best mixes.