If your track goes over 0db, is it safe to lower the volume of the master, instead of each individual track on the mixer.

In my experience with cubase, if you have the master bus slider lower than 0db you will end up with a 'quiet' file at export, that can be messy to boost back up to normal levels depending on how much you reduced the slider.

Not sure if it works the same way in other apps, but yeah with cubase i think it is better to leave your master at 0db and adjust the individual channels (which you can link and do all at once to retain the relative differences).

If your output is only slightly peaking above 0db you could try using a limiter on very relaxed settings so as not to alter the dynamics much but just prevent some clipping.

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True true, but I'm blasting over 2+ db. Just thought instead of lowering each channel, I could just lower the master.

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Originally posted by sako487 True true, but I'm blasting over 2+ db. Just thought instead of lowering each channel, I could just lower the master.

what most people do is put a limiter on the master set to -0.1 then when they're ready to master the track, they take the limiter off, drop the slider so there's 5-10db of headroom, bounce as a 24bit then bring that file back in to master.

by the end of my records my limiter gets pushed 2-4db but i'm use to mixing with it like that so it works for me.

I always thought to never mix down on a limiter, I'll try that next time.

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Originally posted by Osmodiar In my experience with cubase, if you have the master bus slider lower than 0db you will end up with a 'quiet' file at export,

This is nonsense. You use the master fader like any other you can have your master slider at -6 and your mix will still be hitting 0db due to the cumulative gain structure.

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Originally posted by sako487 I always thought to never mix down on a limiter, I'll try that next time.

This is generally good advice for people starting out because it forces them to learn to watch their headroom when mixing. However, once you know what you are doing you can mix into a master chain and it sounds just fine.

cubase gives ou 6db headroom so its not too bad to go over "0 db" once in a while

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Originally posted by gr8ape cubase gives ou 6db headroom so its not too bad to go over "0 db" once in a while

Nope dont tell him that, its not ok to clip on any digital system. So what your saying is that in cubase 0db actually means -6db which is not the case. If you mix something to -0.1 db in cubase then put it into any other wave editing program it will be at 0.1 not -5.9

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Processing a highly structured and complex pattern of sensory input as a unified percept of "music" is probably one of the most elaborate features of the human brain.....understanding how music is perceived and how it may elicit intense sensations is far from being understood.

quote:

Originally posted by Sonic_c This is nonsense. You use the master fader like any other you can have your master slider at -6 and your mix will still be hitting 0db due to the cumulative gain structure.

In the past when i have set the cubase (SX3 back then) master output into the negative, the resulting file has been too quiet and i've had to run processing over it to bring the levels back up, which can mess up the transients in your tune.

I got advice on this problem from others a couple of years ago and ever since then i have left the master slider between 0 and -2 at the least, and my exported files have always had good levels since then. It solved my problem, and i thought that information might help the OP.

So i don't think it's nonsense personally, i'm talking directly from experience i've had with the same problem and describing how i solved it.

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quote:

Originally posted by Osmodiar In the past when i have set the cubase (SX3 back then) master output into the negative, the resulting file has been too quiet and i've had to run processing over it to bring the levels back up, which can mess up the transients in your tune. I got advice on this problem from others a couple of years ago and ever since then i have left the master slider between 0 and -2 at the least, and my exported files have always had good levels since then. It solved my problem, and i thought that information might help the OP. So i don't think it's nonsense personally, i'm talking directly from experience i've had with the same problem and describing how i solved it.

Its 4am here so if i get this wrong forgive me. The master fader doesnt determine the level of the mixdown. For example if you have a kick playing at 0db the master fader will show the same 0db. Add a bassline at 0db and your master level is now well into to red yes? So you trim the master down to say -3db so your master 'level' is back peaking at 0db you then mix that down are you trying to say that the resulting mixdown will be too quiet?

Its wrong it will come out at whatever level the cumulative gain is at not what the master fader is set to. You agree?

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I'm not saying it will, i'm just saying in my experience with cubase that it was.. except that it was more extreme than your example, i had all my tracks running hot, not clipping themselves but by the end of a tune my master slider was way down to keep the final output from clipping. Then yes, even tho the output levels were high when played back within cubase, the exported file was really quiet and needed heaps of boosting.

I asked about this and the advice i got was to cool off my individual tracks and try to leave the master slider as close to 0db as possible, in practice i keep it above -3 as a rule and all my output files are sweet now..

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