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Does doing this avoids clipping?
Say I have a instrument that is peaking at +2 db (Yeah horrible I know..)
But if the master channel's volume is decrease such that the instrument only appears to be peaking at -10 DB in the master channel , does that mean that it has stopped clipping?
just lower the gain on the instrument instead.
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| Originally posted by SDM just lower the gain on the instrument instead. |
lol lower all of them before mix. dont lower the master
You can lower the master, its fine. It stops clipping.
ull loose headroom if i understand shit right
No you won't. What makes you say that?
Turning down the master has the same effect as dropping all the individual channel levels.
depends on the plugins but yes it is very possible.
If you are using 24 bits , just lower everything. You have so much headroom that maxing everything is pointless.
Thanks for the tips guys
Been really having troubles with mixing lately , espically problems with the kick.
I really cant seem to let it shine outstandingly 
thats not werd at all if all your instruments are at +2dB, where the hell would the kick fit in? lower all of them, then raise up the kick first and then raise the rest one by one.
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| Originally posted by SDM thats not werd at all if all your instruments are at +2dB, where the hell would the kick fit in? lower all of them, then raise up the kick first and then raise the rest one by one. |
its good practice anyway to stay a little under peak. on all instruments, not only master. like if u plan to add a spectrum analizer to the instrument it will just look like a square.
unless you are recording live audio, I would stay well away from the peak.
Well, I used to mix to -6 dB but these days I find I get better results out of mixing into a compressor and an EQ and then mastering as I go. And trying to keep the levels high.
It makes no difference where the channel levels are at or where they're clipping. The only thing that needs to be under 0 dB is the master. Beyond that you should do what you like. The only reason to keep the levels on your channels low is to make sure that the signal hitting any plugins on the master is at the right level. But this can be corrected with a gain reduction plugin first on the master chain anyway. A lot easier than stuffing around with your finely tuned levels IMO.
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| Originally posted by kitphillips Well, I used to mix to -6 dB but these days I find I get better results out of mixing into a compressor and an EQ and then mastering as I go. And trying to keep the levels high. It makes no difference where the channel levels are at or where they're clipping. The only thing that needs to be under 0 dB is the master. |
does this really apply on all daws or just some? to me it seems like the audioquality is more clear when leaving the master level, and acutaly the individual channels too, untouched, and rather adjust gain on the acutaly synths and drums etc to get at the level i want. id never know though, this is one of the parts that really separates software from hardware and im use to hardware kind of mixing as im a former dj using my experience by keeping all possible meters under red.
| quote: |
| Originally posted by SDM does this really apply on all daws or just some? to me it seems like the audioquality is more clear when leaving the master level, and acutaly the individual channels too, untouched, and rather adjust gain on the acutaly synths and drums etc to get at the level i want. id never know though, this is one of the parts that really separates software from hardware and im use to hardware kind of mixing as im a former dj using my experience by keeping all possible meters under red. |
the faders are usually after the plugins and i'm sure they're all linear in todays DAWs. unless u have some plugins with non-linearities in the master channel where u cannot adjust the pre-gain - do whatever u please. just keep the master below 0dB.
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| Originally posted by RichieV +2 doesn't exist in digital. It is quite weird. |
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| Originally posted by RichieV it applies on all daws. I own a powercore with the virus , mastering suite and oxford plugins and they will all clip if you run a signal too "hot" . I'm sure diginut has a better grasp on why, The point is that you have absolutely nothing to gain and making things near 0 provides a psychological boost in audio quality. Keep things low and turn up your speakers. Adjust all the tracks before mixdown if you want to have things closer to 0db. |
| quote: |
| Originally posted by RichieV it applies on all daws. I own a powercore with the virus , mastering suite and oxford plugins and they will all clip if you run a signal too "hot" . I'm sure diginut has a better grasp on why, The point is that you have absolutely nothing to gain and making things near 0 provides a psychological boost in audio quality. Keep things low and turn up your speakers. Adjust all the tracks before mixdown if you want to have things closer to 0db. |
Bottom line don't touch the master unless all else fails. The master channel is your benchmark to mix to - move that benchmark and a lot of your reference goes with it.
That means, do everything you can to avoid having to bring down the master.
You should be able to get the instruments/audiofiles to balance wihtout having to lower the overall summed gain.
If your instrument is at +2dbfs to make it sound "right" - do you mean it's clipping on it's channel fader at +2dbfs or do you mean the instrument is showing some kind of output value as being +2dbfs?
If it's clipping on the channel fader then chances are you're squaring off the waveform, which unless that's what you're going for, is not a good thing. This squaring off is then reproduced by your audio interface and the resulting percieved sound is digital distortion.
Diginut has done some great explanation in the past but can't find them now - try reading this in the meantime:
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...48&pagenumber=1
If the instrument is shwoing some kind of +2dbfs output and the channel is NOT clipping then the ony thing you have to worry about is possible distortion from the instrument and frankly if it sounds good to you then don't worry too much. Personally, I'd prefer that nothing clips anywhere in my projects, again unless a distortion type affect is what I'm going for but then agan I'd probably do that with a dedicated FX.
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| Originally posted by DJ RANN If it's clipping on the channel fader then chances are you're squaring off the waveform, which unless that's what you're going for, is not a good thing. This squaring off is then reproduced by your audio interface and the resulting percieved sound is digital distortion. |
Lets say I have layered percussions playing(each sound on a different channel), and on each channel the percs dont go past -4db,but when I look at the master it blows over 0 db. Should I turn down all the percs until the the meter shows lower than 0 db on the master? Keep in mind there isnt any clipping, it acually makes my snares sound much crisper.
If you have an individual instrument "clipping" (and it's not actually clipping until it's bounced or hits the DAC) at +2 dB, then lowering the output gain of that instrument is a perfectly valid way to prevent clipping on the master. In fact, you should rarely have the entire output chain of any instrument cranked all the way up to 0 dB. Lower the fader of the loud channel, and lower other channels to compensate if necessary.
I would not fiddle with the master itself. It is "OK" to do technically, but it's bad to get into that mindset, because you'll end up lowering the master, then cranking up other instruments to get them loud again, then lowering the master again, then cranking up instruments more, and so on.
If your master is in the red, take a step back, fix your mix. Don't just sweep the problem under the rug.
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