look at this compression/limiting....

[danielRR]

Re: look at this compression/limiting....

It seems like there's a bit of a movement by producers across all genres to stop the hyper-compression. I think there's a website with such a mission statement.

Ah, read here:

http://audio.tutsplus.com/articles/general/are-the-volume-wars-killing-music-which-side-are-you-on/

Any beginner/intermediate producers out there should definitely be following the above website... I've learned a lot there!

[diegoff]

Re: look at this compression/limiting....

^ nice one! thanks

[diegoff]

Re: look at this compression/limiting....

could you please elaborate ?

I'll give this example: open a track in an audio editor (peak pro, soundforge...), and normalize it to peak 0dB (that's at the max of amplitude that digital systems go - after that, clipping happens). Save the track, already normalized. Then open a session in (i.e.) Logic pro, drop the track, and you'll see in the VUmeters that the level is +3dB... not 0dB, that's the real amplitude. Multitracks often work in virtual volume units.
What I say is, it doesn't matter if you set the kick to -3dB or 0dB, because if the mix goes too high, then you can turn down the main output volume. This is different working with real hardware, due to the signal/noise ratio and the headroom you work with.

[danielRR]

Re: look at this compression/limiting....

I'll give this example: open a track in an audio editor (peak pro, soundforge...), and normalize it to peak 0dB (that's at the max of amplitude that digital systems go - after that, clipping happens). Save the track, already normalized. Then open a session in (i.e.) Logic pro, drop the track, and you'll see in the VUmeters that the level is +3dB... not 0dB, that's the real amplitude. Multitracks often work in virtual volume units.
What I say is, it doesn't matter if you set the kick to -3dB or 0dB, because if the mix goes too high, then you can turn down the main output volume. This is different working with real hardware, due to the signal/noise ratio and the headroom you work with.

I'm not sure I follow you entirely, but I think I'm catching on a bit. I do all of my audio editing inside of Logic, so I don't have a separate editor for that. Well, I've got Audacity...but I never use it.

I've actually had a question for awhile now that I think you've addressed. If my master output (in a DAW) is clipping, can I just turn down the master fader a few Db so that it stops clipping? Is this effectively the same thing as going back and lowering a channel fader(s) ?

thanks diegoff

[diegoff]

Re: look at this compression/limiting....

^ make sure that any channel is clipping, then you can turn down the master fader. Youīll loose whatīs called "headroom", but youīre working at home, so you wonīt care.
If you are mixing real instruments in a real mixer (hardware), best thing you could do in that situation is to mix again, with lower levels for each channel.
Thatīs what Iīd do. if you find a more accurate answer, please share!