Lowering the Volume
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Posted on Feb 13, 2011 12:13 pm
mclir9
www.witchsmark.com
Member Since: Aug 13, 2006
Using Sonar 8.5PE, none of my individual tracks clip, not even close, however on occasion I am getting a clip in the Master channel. What is the best way to handle this in regards to making things easier for my mastering guy in the end?? Is it as simple as just bringing down the Master track volume in the end so that it doesn't clip anymore leaving my Master guy headroom?? Also, what is a sufficient amount of Headroom I should leave him??
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Feb 13, 2011 01:27 pm "Best practice" would be to leave the master fader at unity and lower the individual faders. With some programs, lowering the master fader will technically prevent clipping, but it's 'better form' to just not need to do that.
Lower is almost universally better -- tracking *and* mixing levels.
As far as the amount of headroom, 3dB is a nice place to be. But really anything between 20dB and 1dB is reasonable.
cruxTypo SzarMember
Since: Jul 04, 2002
Feb 13, 2011 09:58 pm If ur faders arent clipping but ur master out is, it might be an eq problem, where the inidivudal tracks add to eachother in certain frequencies at certain times, clipping the out buss. Check the exact instances of clipping for wat instruments are hitting all at the same time and maybe u can EQ them for more headroom.
Usually this problem is caused by low end build up.
Feb 13, 2011 10:57 pm It's going to happen anyway -- Any two tracks peaking at -6dBFS simultaneously is going to clip the main buss. Any 3 at -12, any 4 at -18, etc. Even with conservative input levels, I've never done a mix with all the faders at unity...
Well, maybe just a few - But not many to be sure.
mclir9www.witchsmark.comMember
Since: Aug 13, 2006
Feb 15, 2011 11:09 am Cool, thanks for the info. My mixing has been overall going quite well. To help battle some of the low end, I have been rolling off the Guitar and Keyboard tracks at 80Hz, and the OHL & Right at like 200Hz as I am just using those for Cymbals & Hihats. When I go to mix in the Vocals, to get them to stand out I generally end up struggling and that's when clipping begins on my master. I have her tracked at -18dB, but then I add some effects and compression and by the time she is mixed in well I am peaking the Master. I have been selecting all of the tracks at once, except for the Vocals, and bringing them down as a group for consistency... doing this is leaving my mix levels in tact and allowing me to fit the vocals in without clipping the Master.
