How to set the levels right?

On 2011-09-09 00:46, Alien Bug wrote:
a good tip is to make a groups like: kick-bass, hihats,drums,synths... then do a mix of all tracks from a given group, and then make a mix of all groups together

On 2011-10-09 07:18, Vermeee wrote:
are u putin it in the insert or usin a send?

if in the insert try in the send....

send the bass to a send/bus then filter 300hz above then use the delay the way u like but at 100 per cent mix so from the send only the delay effect to widen will come out...so u avoid any phase..

will try this tecnic.... thanks for the light..

Floating-point can support
very small or large numbers, but no number can extend beyond the precision of the
mantissa. A deeper exploration into the floating-point notation reveals that each mantissa
always starts with binary 1, so this ‘implied 1’ is omitted and replaced with one more
meaningful binary digit. Thus, the precision of the mantissa is always one bit larger than
the amount of bits it consists of. For instance, a 24-bit mantissa has an effective precision
of 25 bits.
The precision of the mantissa defines the dynamic range of a digital system, where each
bit contributes around 6 dB (more closely 6.02 or precisely 20log2). Many people wrongly
conclude that the famous 32-bit floating-point notation has 193 dB of dynamic range,
where in practice the 25-bit mantissa only gives us around 151 dB. Two samples on such
system can represent a very high amplitude or an extremely low amplitude, which can
be around 1638 dB apart. However, when the two samples are mixed, the loud signals
‘win’ the calculation, and any signal 151 dB below it is removed.

Debunking some Myths

Here are some examples of when overloading does not degrade or even change the result
- as long as you pay attention. However, this does not mean that overloading is
encouraged since other stages of the audio chain can be susceptible to overloads.

Myth 1: Overloading the output of a channel will cause irreparable damage to the audio

Fact: There is no damage or even change to the audio if you lower the master fader until
the overload goes away on the master bus.
 Overloading a channel by 6 dB and lowering the master fader by the same amount
makes the overload go away even though the channel output is still overloading. This is
possible due to the lossless scaling used in the DAW summing engine.
LEFT Channel fader overloads by 6 dB but the output fader recovers perfectly
RIGHT Channel fader down by 6 dB and the output fader scales the signal up perfectly
Both results are 100% identical in sound, despite the left example having an overloading
channel, and the right example is using an upscaled signal.

Myth 2: Using high levels on many tracks can cause problems in the summing engine

Fact: While there are some definite workflow benefits to using lower levels during mixing
thereʼs nothing inherently better sounding about using lower levels as long as you pay
attention to not overloading plug-ins or overloading the D/A.
 Summing 60 tracks using low levels and then pulling up the master fader will result in
exactly the same result as summing the same tracks with high or overloading outputs and
then pulling down the master fader. Again, this is possible due to floating point math and
works in exactly the same way as described in myth 1. Even if you overload all 60 tracks
each by 12 dB you would not be able to exceed even half the headroom of the summing
engine.

Myth 3: Using low levels means better channel fader resolution

Fact: Since a channel fader has most of its resolution at the top of the scale, the myth
stipulates that using high levels will force you to set your faders at the bottom of the scale
where resolution is worse. However, this argument for using low levels has little impact
since you can overload the individual channel outputs or the master output - and then
lower the master fader without any quality loss. Still, there are some workflow benefits to
using lower levels because you avoid having to use gain or trim plug-ins on the busses.
Levels Matter with some Plug-ins
Once you start using dynamic plug-ins without input attenuation the rules change a bit.
This is why gain structure still matters when working in all kinds of DAWs.
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How to Avoid Overloading a Bus or Master

If you are not using any plug-ins on the bus or master channel you can simply lower the
relevant bus or master fader to remove any overloads without problems.
If you are using plug-ins then the best option is to use a gain or trim plug-in as the first
insert on the bus, and use that plug-in to lower the level until it is safe again.
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On 2011-09-08 20:22:24, Conny wrote:
Hi have had a lot of problems setting the levels of my instruments right in the mix.
The reason i post here is to have some guidelines on how i easier can find the right levels for my instruments.
There is allways some sounds which are either to loud or quiet in my mixes.
What about mixing at really low levels, is that an good idea?

On 2011-10-11 00:05, Colin OOOD wrote:

Quote:

On 2011-09-08 20:22:24, Conny wrote: Hi have had a lot of problems setting the levels of my instruments right in the mix. The reason i post here is to have some guidelines on how i easier can find the right levels for my instruments. There is allways some sounds which are either to loud or quiet in my mixes. What about mixing at really low levels, is that an good idea?

No-one has actually addressed the main issue raised in the OP.

The reason why some sounds are always too loud or too quiet is that you need to work on your EQ skills. Unless a sound is properly balanced within itself, you will be forever unable to find a place for it in the mix: if you turn it up so that you can hear all of it, some parts of it will be way too loud; if you turn it down so the loudest part is at the right level, some parts of it will be too quiet to hear.

I think you need to listen into those hard-to-mix sounds and identify the frequency ranges which are either too loud or too quiet, and EQ them so that the sound is balanced throughout its length. This can take a long time to learn on your own though, so if you have a local friend who is a very good producer, you can speed up your learning by asking him to demonstrate this to you.

Floating-point audio has nothing to do with this.

On 2011-10-11 00:05, Colin OOOD wrote:

Floating-point audio has nothing to do with this.