In that way, mixes end up being more consistent, and working to the new loudness standards becomes easier because we know intuitively when something is 'too loud' or 'too quiet'.Ī comparison of typical analogue signal levels and their ideal digital equivalents to maintain similar headroom margins. Our ears quickly become used to a 'standard' volume, and we can then judge levels, loudness and dynamics by ear - and surprisingly accurately too. The nominal operating level we establish with our headroom margin can usefully be translated through to a reference listening level from the control room's speakers too. It also makes mixing much easier for similar reasons, but also because many plug‑ins, especially vintage emulations, simply sound better when used with typical analogue levels and headroom margins. So it's no wonder they can sound a bit strained!įrom a practical recording technique perspective, working with sensible headroom margins makes tracking far less fraught (because the risk of clipping is removed), so you can concentrate on performance rather than level watching. What that means is that the analogue front end and the analogue monitoring chain electronics are all operating with much higher average signal levels than their designers intended, and are often on the verge of clipping. This headroom margin (typically 20dB in professional systems) helps to avoid accidental clipping and unplanned distortions - and it is frequently overlooked! In fact, one of the most common complaints about digital working, the 'harsh sound of digital', is often caused by working with a negligible headroom margin in the DAW. Gain staging is all about setting a reference signal level - the operating level - through both hardware and software signal paths, which provides a sensible headroom margin above while simultaneously ensuring signals remain well clear of the system noise floor below. The good news is that this is very simple to achieve, and doesn't require any major investment in new equipment, although it's certainly easier and more intuitive if you have a well‑designed monitor controller and a simple SPL meter. In essence, what I'm talking about is establishing a reference listening level in the control room, to use as a reliable base from which to make aural decisions. In both cases, it makes a lot of sense to extend these gain staging and loudness concepts all the way to the monitors, the listening environment, and ultimately our own ears. There's also a growing movement to set levels according to the material's overall loudness, rather than the signal peaks, as I described in my feature on the BS.1770 loudness standards recently (SOS February 2014, ). Setting up and maintaining optimal signal levels through an audio chain, from the microphone preamp right through to the DAW, brings many important practical and sonic benefits, as Matt Houghton explored in his article about gain staging in your DAW (SOS September 2013, ). Our seven‑step guide explains how to do it. If you're serious about recording and mixing you need to set a consistent reference level to which you can always return.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |