4
votes
Preamp Outs Clipping on my AD Converter ins, but not in DAW. Is it bad?
This is really a fundamental question around recording technique for bands, of which there are a number of schools of thought that are equally applicable.
Personally, I come from a classical music ...
- 8,815
3
votes
Accepted
What is gain when the input is digital and the output is analogue?
0dBFS 1kHz sine defines a peak value.
Alignment of audio levels is usually done at an RMS level of -18dBFS or -20dBFS depending on the standard you are applying.
The line level alignment level that ...
- 8,815
3
votes
Accepted
Shure SM57 with lost sensitivity
Yeah, that happens eventually. I've been working with SM57s in live and studio setups for 15 years. In particular the ones used in live setups, which are used both indoor and outdoor, wears faster.
...
- 3,782
2
votes
Accepted
Can an audio interface's gain control mute the input source?
Many people confuse two similar controls:
GAIN control adjusts the amount of amplification in the first stage of the microphone preamp. It is used to "normalize" the amount of signal coming from ...
- 1,869
2
votes
How to ensure uniform sound levels in multiple WAV files?
You are talking about perceived loudness. This is quite unlike peak level. What you can do is measure the perceived loudness for all your songs and then adjust the gain accordingly. The best way ...
- 104
2
votes
What is 0 dB in digital audio?
Lots of lengthy answers here when all that is needed is a simple answer.
The 0dB that you refer to is actually 0dBFS which stands for dB with reference to "Full Scale".
0dBFS is the highest peak ...
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2
votes
What is 0 dB in digital audio?
Going to next level…
Sound pressure level (SPL), in dB, uses the threshold of human hearing as the reference level (denominator): A fluctuating pressure of 2x10^-5 Pascals. I’d have to dig for the ...
- 21
2
votes
How do you use gain effectively?
The importance of gain is often overlooked. Many recording interfaces have some sort of clip meter Indicator (often in the mid price a single red light). Manufacturers often recommend setting gain ...
- 21
2
votes
Accepted
Preamp Outs Clipping on my AD Converter ins, but not in DAW. Is it bad?
After much research, I opted to put a passive attenuator (Little Labs redcloud) in between my preamp and interface. This allows me to run the preamps hot to get additional saturation without clipping ...
- 138
2
votes
Difference between gain and normalization whole track in Audacity
The process is identical, but one is tested, the other is not.
Gain will not test for overs, it will just clip if you add too much.
Normalisation will scan the entire track & only allow gain to be ...
- 8,405
2
votes
gain value at intermediate knob positions?
If you look at where the stated values fall compared to the dial positions, you can see something that approaches a straight line.
I couldn't find a sensible function that maps to this extremely ...
- 839
1
vote
Accepted
Why does compression acheive a louder volume without feedback?
Using a compressor in this way gives you the ability to increase the average (or RMS) level of the vocal without significantly increasing the peak level. You are utilizing the output gain knob to &...
- 530
1
vote
What amplifiers or other ICs offer fine digital volume control (0.1dB steps)?
The easiest, and possibly the most precise would be to adjust the amplitude of the generated sine wave while still in the digital domain.
In analog domain, 0.1 dB change of power corresponds to 2% ...
- 202
1
vote
Quality loss when using high amounts of gain in DAW instead of recording louder
It may make a difference.
Your sound card (and whatever else comes after your pre-amp) will inevitably add a certain level of noise to the signal itself, as will the pre-amp itself.
If your pre-amp ...
- 11
1
vote
Do dynamic headset mics require a lot of gain?
Can you give a bit more description as to what your asking. I have used plenty of microphones in live environments and what they need gain wise is always dependent on the specific make and models. You ...
1
vote
Practical difference between channel gain, fader and amp gain
In theory there shouldn't really be any difference: Lets say you add some gain at the channel input, and reduce it equally by turning down the fader. Then there should be no difference.
But preamps ...
- 3,782
1
vote
My mic has low gain
That combination should work.
Make sure the Avid has phantom power on & is set for MIC (not "LINE") input. If that doesn't fix it, swap out the cables to make sure one of them isn't bad.
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1
vote
Accepted
How can I compress Mic input using a virtual sound card?
Your question is very unclear, however, unless your undefined 'USB soundcard' has an AU-compatible front-end or its own input gain stage, then you'd have to use something like Audio Hijack.
You can't ...
- 8,405
1
vote
How to ensure uniform sound levels in multiple WAV files?
MP3 metadata has a sort of dynamics compression hack where an individual track can say to the player “play me at 110% volume” and another track can say “play me at 90% volume” and the result is that ...
- 621
1
vote
How to ensure uniform sound levels in multiple WAV files?
Replaygain is a metadata based system - it analyses the absolute peak value of your audio, then writes a scaling value which the player reads and uses to amplify the audio data when you play it back.
...
- 523
1
vote
A condenser mic gain tuning on a mixer
I have had this issue as well. I built my own microphones using condensor mics. The circuit was not my own and with it´s original design values I found that it was overdriving my mixer, A soundcraft ...
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