Ska snart skriva ett uttömmande svar, är på jobbet...
Men bara för att klargöra en viktigt punkt: Jag har inga problem med att jag mixar för starkt (snarare tvärt om i såfall!), det är inte därför jag
TESTAR detta arbetssätt. Utan det är hur pluggarna reagerar på för stark insignal, oberoende av pluggens gain/threshhold.
Lite tänkvärd läsning för den intresserade: http://www.massivemastering.com/blog/html/blog_files/Proper_Audio_Recording_Levels.html
Ett utdrag:
"Stop recording so hot. Instead of trying to get your tracks to peak at -2dBFS, have them peak between -20 and -12dBFS and your recordings will almost undoubtedly sound better. Mixing will be easier. EQ will be more effective. Compression will be smoother, more manageable and predictable. You're in the age of 24-bit digital recording - Relax and enjoy the headroom. Even if your only concern is the volume of the finished product (which would be a shame, but it happens), recordings made with a good amount of headrom are almost undoubtedly better suited to handle the "abuse" of excessive dynamics control. QUIETER recordings have more potential to be LOUD later. It's because they're usually better sounding recordings in the first place. "
Och ett litet test från samma sida:
"Here's your experiment -- You'll need a few Y-cables (let's not get into the technical aspects of splitting a mic signal - It's an experiment) and at least one stereo (2-channel) preamp.
Record a song using as many tracks as you feel fit. The more, the more apparent. You're going to split the mic signal and record each twice simultaneously. On one channel of the preamp, set the gain so it peaks between -18 and -12dBFS at the converters and record them to odd numbered channels. On the other, set it as high as possible without clipping and record them to even numbered channels. Record some guitars, drums, maybe piano, of course some vocals, keyboards, go nuts.
Set all the odd numbered ("normal" level) channels to unity and toss up a rough mix to a stereo buss - Which should be a piece o' cake. Switch over to the even numbered channels and figure out how much you're going to have to attenuate them all so the main buss isn't clipping constantly. It might be a lot. Could be a 10-15dB cut on all channels before you can even think of starting to do anything else. Send those to a stereo buss. Solo the busses, one at a time, and try to match the levels between the mixes. You'll probably immediately notice that the "normal" mix is much more open, dynamic, airy, clear, clean, with much more "sonic space" between the instruments than the "hot" mix.
Now, add a limiter on the main buss. Run the "hot" mix into it and bring the level up until it starts to obviously distort and fall apart sonically. Then switch over to the "normal" mix - which should now be "rammed" by the same amount. If your experience is pretty much like everyone else's, the "normal" mix is *still* much more open, airy and dynamic with less distortion and more "crankability" than the other. "
eller
http://www.gearslutz.com/board/high-end/420334-reason-most-itb-mixes-don-t-sound-good-analog-mixes.html
Men återigen, detta är mycket nytt för mig och jag håller på att läsa in mig/testa för tillfället. Så jag är ytterst tacksam för inlägg som tsmalmbes och övriga motargument för mina "teorier"
Ett av många citat från gearslutz: "When I started tracking with PT peaks between -15 and -10 dBFS instead of all the way up there I noticed a massive difference in my mixes.
Equally, when I started bringing ALL the faders down by 6dB as the first thing I did in a mix, therefore hitting the master bus with peaks around -10dBFS I noticed and equally massive difference.
Then when I started using subtractive EQ almost as the rule I noticed another huge improvement. I haven't boosted anything by more than about 3dB recently and my mixes sound more balanced and natural and just as bright as the competition.
Say what you want about PT summing but the three points above have opened up my ITB mixes imeasurably.
On the brickwall limiter thing, I use the Massey L2007 plug and I think it is absolutely fabulous. The most transparent limiter I have ever used. Does it destroy my mixes? Hell no. Would I better without? That depends if you're a purist or not. There have been umpteen discussions about how the loudness war is killing music but at the end of the day it is just a fashion and it's fate is uncertain. But given that it is here and happening, I'm sticking with my Massey."
Och andra sidan finns det motargument:
"As noted above, there are only a few reasons this could be the case.
- You are clipping within some plugins along the way. But this has nothing to do with master bus levels, it's just that by lowering the faders you got rid of it
- You don't have good converters so you are pushing them too hard, which may be because you have them misconfigured perhaps. But, this has nothing to do with the levels on the master bus sounding better lower.
- You fail to turn down the monitor levels to compensate so that you are then monitoring louder and it sounds more harsh, or your speakers sound harsher when pushed harder. But that also has nothing to do with the numbers on the master bus.
The numbers on the master bus are numbers. They don't strain as they get bigger. There's zero difference in the tonal quality of a DAW summing engine when the peaks are near 0dB or if they are at -15dB. It's just numbers. The only thing that can affect are possibly plugins being clipped or possibly pushing the converter, speakers, some analog outboard gear, or your ears too hard."
Så vart står man i detta läge? Inte vet jag
/Jon
