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Old 05-26-2019, 03:16 PM   #54
serr
Human being with feelings
 
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 12,559
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Judders View Post
Recording and mixing are different deals.

When you record, don't clip. That's about it, really. There is no fixing audio that has been clipped while recording. If you are recording in 24 bit, which you should always do, then it is actually pretty hard to record a signal that is too quiet (unless you are doing field recordings of distant nature sounds or something, then you start to battle with the noise of your mic preamps).

Once that audio is in REAPER though, you can't break it. As long as your master output isn't clipping when you render to your final file, it's all good*. If emulation plugins are sounding too distorted, turn down their input or turn up the input level calibration if the plugin has that. If you aren't getting enough grit from an emulation plugin, turn up the input on it or turn down the input level calibration.

It really is that simple.

* You can have every track hitting red clip lights, it doesn't matter. You can turn that level down on your master and the audio will be fine.
This is my experience too.

I blame the volume wars for some of the confusion.
The -7 LUFS territory CDs will lead you to a low monitor volume. If that's your only experience, you'll be surprised how much you have to turn up the volume to hear raw tracks on the mixing board. Concerned with turning it up that high even! Cueing up a -7 LUFS volume war on a monitor system set for comfortable listening at -13 LUFS will blow you out of your seat!

Now someone comes along and says record at -18db. (You didn't catch the rms part or even know what the hell that means) WTF?! It's already too quiet!


You just have to take the plunge and recalibrate yourself! If you set your volume for -16 to -13 LUFS territory, suddenly it lines up more. It's too loud to the ear just before the red light lights up. That -18db rms actually lines up with peaks not hitting red most of the time when recording.
Comments like "until you get "that guy" on snare" should make you chuckle now.
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