Just set your VU-meters to around 0dB and you should be set.

0db is the standard level.

If a track comes in too loud, use your EQ more. Cut out some highs and mids, and the track will be brought a little more to the background. Than slowly fade in the track using your fader untill it's noticable, and start adding the frequencies slowly.

This is just a hint, not a mixing guide though. Each track requires a different 'mixing-strategy'. And again: practice is the keyword here.

I think "four or five green bars" might be a little tough to judge by, seeing as many people have many different mixers with different designs of VUs.

If youre talking about where my gain knobs usually are?
Usually at 12 o clock, but for some songs i have to change it alot.

I just do whatever to make the incoming track range around -3 to 0dbs.

This thread may interest you, i made yesterday i think.
http://www.tranceaddict.com/forums/...threadid=229094

0db normally
some tunes seem to be very quiet and have to turn the gain up quite alot

___________________
http://www.prizelive.com/r/sleepydragon

quote:

0db normally some tunes seem to be very quiet and have to turn the gain up quite alot

so you mean ... for the best sound , preferably at 0db on the gain??? does it really matter ??? does this improve sound quality to have it at 0db? or is this only deal w/ volume? Can i compensate w /the master volume, and have the gain lower ??? sorry , dont know anything about this .. thanks for the feedback everyone.

___________________
dj Lam.com

Sound quality becomes poorer over 0db.

Some people also claim it will be hard on your mixer over time, and may cause it to screw up.

you want your volume to be topping out at 0db
i see this all the time where djs will push the mixer to the limits and wonder why it sounds crappy

___________________
Tony Morello Dot Com
Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter
The Drunken Monkey Podcast
The Mixdown Podcast presented by Tony Morello

Track A is playing. It's hitting 0db. I cue track B and make sure it's also hitting 0db (adjusting gain if necessary). Bring in track B's volume control to the same level of A's, and the tracks are matched.

i play it at +1 so that it gives me that little more leeway when im mixing so i can adjust the volumes

but i wouldnt push my mixer to more than that if recording!

___________________
This was a place of fun and madness that is sadly long gone now

All the best to all the UKTAs

08/01/16

Big Dave/little Dave

As long as it's in the green

___________________
Latest releases:
Endless Cycles [Capital Heaven]
The Charlatan [Morphosis]

i usually have it around -3dB or -2, just to allow for the odd little slip up.. some tracks will sound louder at the same dB level than others, that is down to the mastering. you can usually tell by how flash the lights are below the peak light.. i.e. a louder one will have all the lights permanantly on up to say -3dB, whereas another might peak at -3dB yet have a few lights underneath flashing. nthis generally means its less compressed etc

but yeah keep it out of the red, you don't want your mixer to do all the work with regards to amplification, thats what amps are for..

___________________
MUGGETS

I set the gains so that the track peaks at +2db and averages 0db. I adjust the gains for each track but only slightly.

___________________
I've never been able to eat a whole baby.
Kill the women. Eat the children.
It's just one of those days where you want to bend over everyone you know and kiss their ass goodbye with a big sideways boot.

Latest Mix