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

[Sock Monkey]

A while ago I downloaded and tested 60 free and almost free Compressors and limiters. The one you are showing failed my tests. First it coloured the sound and second it output something like -0.03 db when set to -1.0  

  To test I used Meldas tone generator as well as some full songs and things like vocal, drum and bass tracks. 

To test a brickwall limiter I set at -1.0 db. Then I used 3 analyzers - You Lean, Span and Melda to read results.  Take note that the You Lean is the most sample accurate analyzer of all my collection. The others would always show -1.0 they miss the sample level stuff. 

The winner of the Brickwall test was Loudmax. when pushed hard it seem to never drop below -0.8db.  And it had no colouration.  https://loudmax.blogspot.com/

    Boost 11 was actually  pretty good to but cannot be pushed as hard.  

Examples of real pathetic results were ones like you are using of which there were many. Not free but it came with Sonar years ago was the BT limiter which I had used for years, it failed outputting peaks of -0.4 db. And a lot of them have harmonic distortion which has it's uses but not on a whole mix! 

Take note that these were all free limiters and compressors. 

Compressors for the most part were all different and the ones the one favoured were the ones with user manuals and logical controls. My top pick was the Melda  and second was the Focusrite Red which you get free with their products. 

Cakewalks CA 2 is a good compressor if you want some colour. The Melda is clean.