Adjusting LIVE Output volume

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
fishmonkey
Posts: 4478
Joined: Wed Oct 24, 2007 4:50 am

Post by fishmonkey » Sat Mar 22, 2008 2:19 pm

hi again topey!

let me put it this way: yes, you could use a software mixer to match the volumes between your applications (for example, some RME sound cards come with a program called TotalMix)... but to achieve this you would have to set the mixer to LOWER the output of all the other applications that are sounding louder than Live...

why??? because if your Live tracks are already peaking at 0dBFS at the Live Master, then boosting the overall Live signal any more will cause the output of Live to be distorted!

it is the mixing and processing of your tracks that is making them sound quieter, not Live itself! this is a crucial fact that you keep missing... most commercial music is very heavily compressed, sacrificing dynamic range for increased overall loudness... if you look at the waveform of a really loud track, you will see that the sound waves are almost always near the maximum peak level of 0dBFS... if you look at the waveform of one of your own quieter tracks, you will see that the sound waves are more often much lower than the maximum possible level...

i hope that you keep making and recording music, and learning as you go... if you do, i'm sure that one day the content of this thread will make perfect sense to you, and you will realise that everyone else who has replied so far knows exactly what you are talking about...

p.s. i really like your animation and video work, and some of your music too...

p.p.s. so far there is almost nothing in this thread that is off topic.........

p.p.p.s. i think we have a bit of a language barrier... i'm sorry i don't speak Finnish!

ProfessorShyguy
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Mar 29, 2023 7:11 pm

Re: Adjusting LIVE Output volume

Post by ProfessorShyguy » Wed Mar 29, 2023 7:13 pm

Y'all, OP isn't crazy or stupid like you're all seeming to imply. FLStudio has a "Main Volume" knob that is after all mixers. I agree with OP. I can't turn my laptop loud enough for some soundguys to not get equipment hiss because Ableton is literally half the volume of anything else. If I do give them enough volume I can't change any levels without clipping. Rude.

Tarekith
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Re: Adjusting LIVE Output volume

Post by Tarekith » Wed Mar 29, 2023 9:22 pm

If the OP checks their post 15 years later I’m sure they’ll appreciate the support!
Tarekith
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