From the course: Audio Recording Techniques
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Setting the record level
In this video I'm going to show you the best way to set your levels throughout your signal chain. (music playing) Let's dispel a myth right upfront. For the most part you do not have to record with level close to 0 dB these days. That's the highest it will go before the red overload indicator on the meter lights and distortion occurs. In the early days of digital recording this practice was a necessity in order to keep the noise to a minimum. A modern 24-bit recording no longer has this limitation. (music playing) The ideal signal level has peaks that go between -10 and -6 dB. Even if they are lower on the channel meter it will sound fine, and you still have plenty of headroom. (music playing) Headroom means that by recording at a level of around -10 dB or so, there's plenty of room left to adequately record short bursts of sound called Transients without causing any distortion. (music playing) Sometimes these bursts of energy are so short that an LED overload indicator might not even…
Practice while you learn with exercise files
Download the files the instructor uses to teach the course. Follow along and learn by watching, listening and practicing.
- Ch_02_Microphones_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_02_Microphones_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_03_Preamps_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_03_Preamps_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_04_Microphone_Placement_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_04_Microphone_Placement_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_05_Drums_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_05_Drums_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_06_Guitar_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_06_Guitar_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_07_Bass_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_07_Bass_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_08_Vocals_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_08_Vocals_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_09_Piano_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_09_Piano_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_10_Horns_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_10_Horns_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_11_Strings_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_11_Strings_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_12_Percussion_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_12_Percussion_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_14_Stereo_Techniques_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_14_Stereo_Techniques_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_15_Recording_The_Session_PT_Sessions.zip
- Ch_15_Recording_The_Session_Raw_WAVs.zip
- Ch_16_Simply_Falling_PT_Mix_Session.zip
- Ch_16_Simply_Falling_Raw_WAVs.zip
Contents
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Explaining the microphone preamplifier3m 59s
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Choosing a preamp1m 35s
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Setting up the mic preamp1m 39s
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Setting the record level2m 29s
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Using proper gain staging1m 46s
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Knowing what to do if distortion occurs2m
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Using the compressor during recording2m 58s
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Using the equalizer (EQ) during recording2m 24s
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Using the high-pass filter during recording1m 4s
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Exploring the principles of EQ47s
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Avoiding latency3m 51s
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