setting levels

r05c03 · #1 02-07-2007, 10:01 AM

Alright, I have been doing a bit of recording lately, the drums are mic'ed (kick, snare, x-y overheads, low tom), bass is direct from amp DI, guitar direct at first and overdubbed with mic, vocals are overdubbed. I use a firepod and Logic Express. However I am somewhat concerned about the levels I set during recording. I was under the impression that one should record at a levels that are just under clipping at there loudest point. So when I am recording for exampe I set the levels so that only during cresendos do the levels dip into the red and then only for second, generally, the clip lights on the Firepod do not light up. Is this okay or should I leave myself more headroom? Thanks.

NJW · #2 02-07-2007, 10:42 AM

im not familiar with the firepod... does the light have written next to it what it represents? (i.e. -4dB, +6dB).

lemur821 · #3 02-07-2007, 10:50 AM

If you're not clipping you're fine. What does the red represent? If it's at around -6 dB that's probably a good spot to aim for.

NJW · #4 02-07-2007, 10:53 AM

i just checked presonus's site and it tells me the light simply represents 'clip'. I'd back off the gain a tad to avoid that.

these_go211 · #5 02-07-2007, 11:17 AM

yea, leave headroom.

r05c03 · #6 02-07-2007, 11:29 AM

Ah yes, I was inspired to look in the manual. The manual indicated that Firepod has 22db of head room and that the clip light comes on at 18db, so I guess there is a little wiggle room, so would that make it -4 db?

chrisp2u · #7 02-11-2007, 10:04 PM

Pushing stuff to just under clip (or into clip for more tape saturation) is from the analog days. In digital, you never want to clip as it's not as forgiving/pleasant sounding as analog.

Accounting for headroom depends on your bit depth. If recording at 16-bit, I usually track around -6 to -8dB. At 24-bit it's -10 to -12 (depending on what's being recorded) as there's typicallty a much lower noise floor @24. You'll find that your mixes will really open up and are much easier to work with if you keep your levels in check. Also, be very careful of overloading effects busses in your DAW too... try to keep those a decent distance from clip as well. These things will help keep your mix from sounding dull or muddy and preserve air/detail.
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