Track volume vs. Master Volume

bukemhed · Post by **bukemhed** » Fri May 02, 2008 1:38 pm

Just curious to know if pulling down the master fader to create some more headroom in a mix (for the mastering engineer) will affect the audio differently compared to pulling down each individual track to create the same amount of headroom?

Bagle · Post by **Bagle** » Fri May 02, 2008 2:57 pm

no i should think so, the dynamics of the sound would still be the same, personally id do it on the master,
to make it easier and if you were to adjust the levels of each track i imagine you will change the dynamics a little by not moving all faders the same amount

ciw · Post by **ciw** » Fri May 02, 2008 3:01 pm

it's all the same and doesn't matter. so long as your output isn't clipping the mastering engineer can create headroom by turning down the volume themselves...

bukemhed · Post by **bukemhed** » Fri May 02, 2008 3:23 pm

Bagle wrote: to make it easier and if you were to adjust the levels of each track i imagine you will change the dynamics a little by not moving all faders the same amount

right i was curious if eveything was changed by the same amount, i.e turned down 5 db

ciw wrote:it's all the same and doesn't matter. so long as your output isn't clipping the mastering engineer can create headroom by turning down the volume themselves...

k thats what i thought.

What about clipping on the individual tracks. I've read that its ok if they clip slightly.....also what about plug in meters? if the meters, i.e output/input on the actually plug clip is that necessarily bad?

laird · Post by **laird** » Fri May 02, 2008 3:34 pm

In Live, turning down the master fader is the fastest way to get what you want, and has no bad side-effects that hardware mixers, or old DAW do.

The exception being if you use (cheap) VST plugins... some of these will clip when driven into the red, when the same level given to Live's native plugins would lead to no clipping/distortion.

How can you tell if its a good 3rd party plugin or not? Use your ears.

Bagle · Post by **Bagle** » Fri May 02, 2008 3:51 pm

sorry bukemhed
while we answered your question, we all kinda made it a lil complex

turn down the master fader for what your doing

easy answer haha

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Fri May 02, 2008 5:38 pm

..better to lower the volume from the outside (soundcard/ext.mixer)

If you're mixing... leave it at 0...(for reference)...

...Use it for fadeouts...

if you gotta... use a Limiter on the master...