Mastering songs

[andreh]

Quote:Quote:Why do the numbers on the decibal scales of my Masterlink and HD24 all begin with a minus sign, while the scale on my board has both negative and positive numbers?The answer is your ears.Ern I completely agree with Ern...it's easy to get all caught up in flashing lights and forget about how things actually sound.A quick note on levels - in the analog realm, it's still generally wise to push levels as hard as possible (without undesirable distortion occurring) to maximize signal-to-noise ratios. However, in the digital realm it's better to leave some headroom when tracking or mixing since the math used for signal processing and summing doesn't work as well near peaks, and with modern 24-bit systems noise isn't really an issue anymore.To answer your question, Horace, your digital devices only go up to "0" dB [dBfs, actually, or "decibels full-scale] because numbers are absolute...it's not possible to represent a higher signal level than "full scale," which equates to all 1's in binary. Your analog devices, however, have variable headroom and are based on a relative reference level (often determined by the user), and their markings are measuring voltage as opposed to a digital signal level. The "0" point on these devices is there for reference, but the headroom of each device varies so the maximum level cannot be standardized.Here's a link if you'd like more info about this:http://www.johnvestman.com/meter_madness.htmAndre

[hephaluemp]

Quote:Here's a link to a timely thread about ears vs. meters:http://www.gearslutz.com/board/masterin ... s.htmlThat reminds me of my car-driving - I never use the speedometer when I drive - I just drive kind of like suitable to the terrain and to where I am.If in doubt, I look at the other cars.How did I get there?Well, some years ago I had a car where the speedometer stopped working, and I didn't fix it for almost a year.During that period I learned how to drive without looking at the speedometer - a bit scary in the beginning - but now I don't use it in any cars I drive, I just don't use it anymore! (well - almost never )So, if anyone ask how fast I drive, and if I follow the speed-signs, I just say, - just feel the speed and drive according to your surroundings. This can of course also be used in the audio-world.If anyone ask a question about recording, tracing, mixing or mastering, the standard answer would be to them all:Just use your ears and turn those knobs till it sounds good!! Hepha Luemp

[ernstinen]

Quote:Here's a link to a timely thread about ears vs. meters:http://www.gearslutz.com/board/masterin ... htmlThanks Andre, that's very interesting!Re: "Fish Finder" ---- This may seem an odd parallel, but I'm a pretty good fisherman, and a few years ago bought a fish finder to use up at our family cabin in Minnesota. After a few weeks of staring at the damn computer screen, I had to admit to myself that I was catching LESS fish than I normally would.The reason? Like mixing/mastering, a good fisherman relies on INSTINCT. You need to sense the water flow, the wind, how the bait may bump off the bottom now and then, if it's rocky and deep or getting shallow and weedy.My fish finder is now on the shelf. Ern

[andreh]

Quote:It was a very interesting link Andre. Thanks. But dang you, you hooked me on another forum. I was trying to quit. I feel your pain...my laptop is my mistress, and she keeps me up all night. The gearslutz.com folks are a lot cockier than this crowd, so be prepared for far fewer smiley's than you see around here...but you'll learn a LOT about production there (even though just about every suggestion is countered with an opposing one...maybe it's not so different after all). Andre