Hey man, I appreciate that you gave some historical relevancy to this video. Anyone could make a DAW video saying “don’t exceed 0.0DB” - but the detail you went into was great. Subscribed!
OK, but how do you set the recording level? And where should the meters be? all meters on -12 and adjust the volume of the signal coming in? Or can you adjust the recording sensitivity in Logic? (You say what the readings should be, but not how to get there.)
Awesome video! Do you know why my audio waves are very small? yours look like how id think they should. my levels are floating around -6db and I can hear everything fine but the audio wave look small. Also, when I export to aiff file it's really quiet
When I record the harp its usually between -35 and -18 (I vary the volume when I play), is this too quiet? shall I just turn the gain knobs up on my interface? I'm really trying to avoid any horrible hissing noise
Very clear video and great demonstration of the effects of bouncing at high levels. Wish I saw this video a couple years ago when I was starting out recording. I typically aim to clip at -12db, and gain-stage every track to do so. I’m still relatively new to recording... have been starting to think that rather than focusing on clipping at -12db, perhaps I should focus on having an average level of -18db. Here’s an amateur question: Many loops, midi files, and Drummer have levels that are too hot... my Logic Drummer tracks often clip at around -6db. What would you say is the best way to drop the levels of these? Adjusting the velocity, adding a gain-plugin, something else? With audio tracks I change the gain of the actual track with the gain feature in the inspector on the left. I’m still a bit confused with how best deal with midi information. Another confusion that I still have is to gain-stage before or after a digital guitar amp is used. I usually adjust the gain going into that plugin... but then I may have to do it again after the amp is turned on. For this, I add a gain-plugin after the amp. Anyone do anything different?
Thanks for the comment Jack! At -6 dB, that's not actually clipping. Clipping is anything above 0 dB on Logic's meters. They're definitely hotter than what you might record. Whether it's MIDI or audio, all you really need to do is make sure the Stereo Output isn't clipping above 0 dB. To do that, you can either turn down the fader of each track, or insert a Gain plugin to turn down each track. Amp sims are a special case scenario. If you have a HI-Z input on your interface, or an instrument input, this should send the correct level to Logic for guitars and bass. My PreSonus Quantum has an Instrument input switch on the front. But I tend to find the signal doesn't push the Logic amp sims as much as I want them to. So I'll use the gain knob on my interface to drive the signal up, and use the Master volume knob on the Logic amp sims to bring the overall level down. Hope that helps!
Thanks a lot for the explanation! But one thing I do not understand is why does the scale of the fader (first track) go up to +6db whereas the others only go up to 0db ?
The biggest problem with recording vocals at say -15 db is the way it sounds on playback. It sounds too low and distant and the artist swears that it was recorded too low. You try to explain about headroom but they aren't trying to hear it. I personally go for around -10 to -7db peak. Anyway do you have this issue when tracking vocals? Do you play pack with compression and or gain plug in?
Great video and love your channel! The only thing I'm confused about is what to do with the "Input Gain" knob on the channel strip. It seems to be set at -5 by default but I don't know what it should be at - any help would be greatly appreciated!
I think it will depend on how much signal you're feeding into the mic. Let's say you're too close you wouldn't have to add so much gain knob. Try to level it till meter hits that "-12dBs" or whatever dBs youre trying to maintain. I'm still learning
I think the disparity you speak of in regards to vocalists singing at their 'loud' during soundcheck and then significantly louder during the actual recording has to do with a either or a combination of: 1) the general stress associated with getting the recording perfect and 2) conserving their voice for the recording itself (either consciously or unconsciously). I suppose recognizing the phenomena as existing is more important than understanding why though. Thanks for this video, and for sharing your tactics when it comes to adjusting dB levels.
As a singer and sound guy - I think adrenaline with a crowd also is a factor then confidence as the volume is higher they gain confidence and then go louder too haha. Which is ironic cause the sound person wants the level right and when it's good I gain more confidence on stage and then go crazy 😂😂
how does one change the RECORDING LEVEL? if you can't change on the interface. GarageBand used to have "Recording Level" easily displayed on the channel strip..
clear vid thank you! i feel like i understand gain staging for my audio tracks. i set the preamps on my apollo to hit around -18 so i have room. but when i load software instruments in logic im not sure whats going on. the patch itself may have processing on it, as well as buses it routes to. in that case should i just view the faders in the mixer or on the channel strip as my gain stage control ? in some cases the patch is very loud.
Very useful. But I have this issue where I do get that soft hissing sound with my samson mic for vocals and I don't think it's the mics problem. Any solutions or recommendations?
Hello i use logic x 10.4.8 how to set perfect volum ,i play a korg karma and use also omnisphere 2.6 and dexed and valhalla super massiv, in every recording what db? should i start with when i later will work with mixing and mastering what is the main rule for db? some tell me -0,6 db is a good start?
I'm new in logic, not sure any tool can use to cut the noisy behind the vocal record, I found SOUND FORGE Pro 12 in offer price $25 do you think is worth to buy? Since I already own logic, do I still need this plugin, I don't know what tools in Logic can do the same thing? Would you suggest any tools in logic to use ,or buy plugin instead.
Hi Yen, thanks for your question! Unfortunately Logic does not have a great solution for Denoising. I use a plugin from Acon Digital called DeNoise. It's a great solution. All you need is a short moment in the recording of *just* the noise (no music). Denoise can identify the noise and then remove it. Sound Forge is its own standalone software. DeNoise is part of Acon's Restoration Suite: acondigital.com/products/restoration-suite/
Hey watching this reminded me of something: When I have input on my RME interface at a good level, it then comes through LPX at a hotter level. Maybe 2dB or so. Very weird because that happens when there are no plugins or anything that would change the gain (including faders). ... ever see something like that?
I don't own a RME interface, but generally speaking, the input gain on your interface is independent of the levels that are coming into you DAW/Logic. They may just happen to be in the same numeric ballpark. Just worry about what you see coming into Logic not your mic preamp input. (Unless you're using external mic pre's for color/tone etc)
I sometimes record in Logic sending just the preamp settings from my board. I notice that at times, a specific channel’s preamp level on my board is hitting -18db, while the channel’s level in Logic is hitting maybe -12 or -15db. If I want to drop the gain in Logic, for it to not get close to distortion, can I just throw a GAIN PLUG IN and bring it down there or would it be pointless because what matters is what the board is sending? Ps. I try to not to move the preamps on my board because while I’m recording in Logic, I’m running a church service with my board (I don’t want to sacrifice my levels in House).
F. Meilleur I understood perfectly, thank you! However, I’m not sure if I’m able to do either one of your options. The console I use is an X32. I use a USB 2.0 to USB cable to send the audio to Logic. The problem with this is that I’ve never seen an option in Logic to customize the way it wants to receive audio. With this I mean that when I’m connected from the x32 to Logic, my main option in Logic is to select Logic’s “routing.” In other words, Logic’s channel 1 might receive signal from the board’s channel 1, etc. I’m not sure if there is a way to send ALL X32 channels to just one track in Logic. Kind of like if the X32 was an interface.
F. Meilleur You are correct! What I attempted to say in my last paragraph is that I don’t what how to do what you said (sending x32 audio to a Logic track, decrease gain & then record the audio in another track). The way I know how to do it is to simply, send all 32 channels from the x32 to Logic, add the GAIN plugin to each channel and decrease the gain there. Sorry if I can’t explain it the appropriate way. I’m still getting used to this new audio terminology.
🤪that’s the way digital audio sounds🤪 in the early days of digital audio, even seasoned engineers were sometimes confused between the level that the audio was encoded at digitally and the level that the digital stream was printed to the medium; think Dat tape, CD, hard drive. This sometimes lead them to misunderstanding the levels needed for digital recording. The notion of headroom died hard🤓
Absolutely! All these values mean different things for different reasons. Making sure to not clip in Logic is really what most users need to be concerned with :)
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Hey man, I appreciate that you gave some historical relevancy to this video. Anyone could make a DAW video saying “don’t exceed 0.0DB” - but the detail you went into was great. Subscribed!
So glad you found that valuable Jack! Thanks for subscribing :)
OK, but how do you set the recording level? And where should the meters be? all meters on -12 and adjust the volume of the signal coming in? Or can you adjust the recording sensitivity in Logic? (You say what the readings should be, but not how to get there.)
Very well done! Tell me; is there a guideline for all instruments in db to shoot for or do you just go by what sounds good?
Thanks so much!
A discussion about pre and post fader gain would have been useful here.
i realize Im pretty off topic but do anyone know of a good place to watch new movies online?
@Braydon Augustus i would suggest flixzone. Just search on google for it =)
@Anders Kamden Yea, I have been watching on FlixZone for since march myself :D
@Anders Kamden Thank you, I signed up and it seems to work :D I appreciate it!
@Braydon Augustus you are welcome xD
Awesome video! Do you know why my audio waves are very small? yours look like how id think they should. my levels are floating around -6db and I can hear everything fine but the audio wave look small. Also, when I export to aiff file it's really quiet
When I record the harp its usually between -35 and -18 (I vary the volume when I play), is this too quiet? shall I just turn the gain knobs up on my interface? I'm really trying to avoid any horrible hissing noise
Very clear video and great demonstration of the effects of bouncing at high levels. Wish I saw this video a couple years ago when I was starting out recording.
I typically aim to clip at -12db, and gain-stage every track to do so. I’m still relatively new to recording... have been starting to think that rather than focusing on clipping at -12db, perhaps I should focus on having an average level of -18db.
Here’s an amateur question:
Many loops, midi files, and Drummer have levels that are too hot... my Logic Drummer tracks often clip at around -6db. What would you say is the best way to drop the levels of these? Adjusting the velocity, adding a gain-plugin, something else?
With audio tracks I change the gain of the actual track with the gain feature in the inspector on the left. I’m still a bit confused with how best deal with midi information.
Another confusion that I still have is to gain-stage before or after a digital guitar amp is used. I usually adjust the gain going into that plugin... but then I may have to do it again after the amp is turned on. For this, I add a gain-plugin after the amp. Anyone do anything different?
Thanks for the comment Jack!
At -6 dB, that's not actually clipping. Clipping is anything above 0 dB on Logic's meters. They're definitely hotter than what you might record. Whether it's MIDI or audio, all you really need to do is make sure the Stereo Output isn't clipping above 0 dB. To do that, you can either turn down the fader of each track, or insert a Gain plugin to turn down each track.
Amp sims are a special case scenario. If you have a HI-Z input on your interface, or an instrument input, this should send the correct level to Logic for guitars and bass. My PreSonus Quantum has an Instrument input switch on the front. But I tend to find the signal doesn't push the Logic amp sims as much as I want them to. So I'll use the gain knob on my interface to drive the signal up, and use the Master volume knob on the Logic amp sims to bring the overall level down.
Hope that helps!
Makes sense! Thanks a lot :)@@WhyLogicProRules
Thanks a lot for the explanation! But one thing I do not understand is why does the scale of the fader (first track) go up to +6db whereas the others only go up to 0db ?
Thanks for the info
Thank you!
The biggest problem with recording vocals at say -15 db is the way it sounds on playback. It sounds too low and distant and the artist swears that it was recorded too low. You try to explain about headroom but they aren't trying to hear it. I personally go for around -10 to -7db peak. Anyway do you have this issue when tracking vocals? Do you play pack with compression and or gain plug in?
Turn up your speakers
Great video and love your channel! The only thing I'm confused about is what to do with the "Input Gain" knob on the channel strip. It seems to be set at -5 by default but I don't know what it should be at - any help would be greatly appreciated!
I think it will depend on how much signal you're feeding into the mic. Let's say you're too close you wouldn't have to add so much gain knob. Try to level it till meter hits that "-12dBs" or whatever dBs youre trying to maintain. I'm still learning
Where is this button?
Thanks so much for this great explanation! It helps me a lot! 😎🎸😎
your tutorials are superb
Thanks so much G M!
I think the disparity you speak of in regards to vocalists singing at their 'loud' during soundcheck and then significantly louder during the actual recording has to do with a either or a combination of: 1) the general stress associated with getting the recording perfect and 2) conserving their voice for the recording itself (either consciously or unconsciously). I suppose recognizing the phenomena as existing is more important than understanding why though. Thanks for this video, and for sharing your tactics when it comes to adjusting dB levels.
As a singer and sound guy - I think adrenaline with a crowd also is a factor then confidence as the volume is higher they gain confidence and then go louder too haha. Which is ironic cause the sound person wants the level right and when it's good I gain more confidence on stage and then go crazy 😂😂
how does one change the RECORDING LEVEL? if you can't change on the interface. GarageBand used to have "Recording Level" easily displayed on the channel strip..
I got you Bro, I'm asking question and i have the manual right here. gonna listen to you still thought.
clear vid thank you! i feel like i understand gain staging for my audio tracks. i set the preamps on my apollo to hit around -18 so i have room. but when i load software instruments in logic im not sure whats going on. the patch itself may have processing on it, as well as buses it routes to. in that case should i just view the faders in the mixer or on the channel strip as my gain stage control ? in some cases the patch is very loud.
Very useful. But I have this issue where I do get that soft hissing sound with my samson mic for vocals and I don't think it's the mics problem. Any solutions or recommendations?
Hello i use logic x 10.4.8 how to set perfect volum ,i play a korg karma and use also omnisphere 2.6 and dexed and valhalla super massiv, in every recording what db? should i start with when i later will work with mixing and mastering what is the main rule for db? some tell me -0,6 db is a good start?
I'm new in logic, not sure any tool can use to cut the noisy behind the vocal record, I found SOUND FORGE Pro 12 in offer price $25 do you think is worth to buy?
Since I already own logic, do I still need this plugin, I don't know what tools in Logic can do the same thing? Would you suggest any tools in logic to use ,or buy plugin instead.
Hi Yen, thanks for your question! Unfortunately Logic does not have a great solution for Denoising. I use a plugin from Acon Digital called DeNoise. It's a great solution. All you need is a short moment in the recording of *just* the noise (no music). Denoise can identify the noise and then remove it. Sound Forge is its own standalone software. DeNoise is part of Acon's Restoration Suite: acondigital.com/products/restoration-suite/
Thank you! Very helpful 😄
thank you
Hey watching this reminded me of something: When I have input on my RME interface at a good level, it then comes through LPX at a hotter level. Maybe 2dB or so. Very weird because that happens when there are no plugins or anything that would change the gain (including faders). ... ever see something like that?
I don't own a RME interface, but generally speaking, the input gain on your interface is independent of the levels that are coming into you DAW/Logic. They may just happen to be in the same numeric ballpark. Just worry about what you see coming into Logic not your mic preamp input. (Unless you're using external mic pre's for color/tone etc)
pre-fader metering? (enable pre-fader metering via an option-click on the tools bar)
i understand this. but i needed to learn about "how to record softer" and get perfect levels.
how'd you know I had a scarlet that I run onto my MacBook
I sometimes record in Logic sending just the preamp settings from my board.
I notice that at times, a specific channel’s preamp level on my board is hitting -18db, while the channel’s level in Logic is hitting maybe -12 or -15db.
If I want to drop the gain in Logic, for it to not get close to distortion, can I just throw a GAIN PLUG IN and bring it down there or would it be pointless because what matters is what the board is sending?
Ps. I try to not to move the preamps on my board because while I’m recording in Logic, I’m running a church service with my board (I don’t want to sacrifice my levels in House).
F. Meilleur I understood perfectly, thank you!
However, I’m not sure if I’m able to do either one of your options.
The console I use is an X32. I use a USB 2.0 to USB cable to send the audio to Logic. The problem with this is that I’ve never seen an option in Logic to customize the way it wants to receive audio. With this I mean that when I’m connected from the x32 to Logic, my main option in Logic is to select Logic’s “routing.” In other words, Logic’s channel 1 might receive signal from the board’s channel 1, etc.
I’m not sure if there is a way to send ALL X32 channels to just one track in Logic.
Kind of like if the X32 was an interface.
F. Meilleur You are correct!
What I attempted to say in my last paragraph is that I don’t what how to do what you said (sending x32 audio to a Logic track, decrease gain & then record the audio in another track).
The way I know how to do it is to simply, send all 32 channels from the x32 to Logic, add the GAIN plugin to each channel and decrease the gain there.
Sorry if I can’t explain it the appropriate way. I’m still getting used to this new audio terminology.
*Plays distorted track*
-"It sound awful"
Kids today listening to "phonk" and brazilian "funk"
-"Amazing"
🤪that’s the way digital audio sounds🤪 in the early days of digital audio, even seasoned engineers were sometimes confused between the level that the audio was encoded at digitally and the level that the digital stream was printed to the medium; think Dat tape, CD, hard drive. This sometimes lead them to misunderstanding the levels needed for digital recording. The notion of headroom died hard🤓
It sure did jdanielcramer. But it seems to be resurfacing with analog-y plugins and the new loudness standards!
0 dbfs and 0 dbvu very different
Absolutely! All these values mean different things for different reasons. Making sure to not clip in Logic is really what most users need to be concerned with :)
Why Logic Pro Rules all great vids!
does not have a translator
-18
hi 5
i know everyone is selling something but please get right to the answer next time