Proper Recording Levels

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by bcwiz

The Digi 003 converters are fixed at -14dbfs.

Oh - I will have to find out about my Focusrite unit thanks

[SpinningDisk]

Good question. Love those videos. I'm still trying to figure out where unity is on my 003. I searched everywhere for some information on this. There must be a way to find out?

[YYR123]

Originally Posted by SpinningDisk

Good question. Love those videos. I'm still trying to figure out where unity is on my 003. I searched everywhere for some information on this. There must be a way to find out?

Unity - your fader and unity ur master fader in the software / proper gain staging from what I understood

[SpinningDisk]

The Digi 003 converters are fixed at -14dbfs.

Ok then. What does that mean? Volume up all the way will deliver -14 to the outputs or anything coming out at any volume would be at -14? Bear with me please. I was never really good at math. Just trying to understand the VU, Dbfs stuff. 😝

[SpinningDisk]

No Y. On the 003 someone said there is unity. Say around 3/4 or so. How do I measure that? In the box all my faders are at unity.

[bcwiz]

Originally Posted by SpinningDisk

The Digi 003 converters are fixed at -14dbfs.

Ok then. What does that mean? Volume up all the way will deliver -14 to the outputs or anything coming out at any volume would be at -14? Bear with me please. I was never really good at math. Just trying to understand the VU, Dbfs stuff. 😝

At 0VU you are 14db below 0DBFS (14db of headroom).

[bcwiz]

Originally Posted by SpinningDisk

No Y. On the 003 someone said there is unity. Say around 3/4 or so. How do I measure that? In the box all my faders are at unity.

An external meter, a voltmeter that can measure true RMS, a Dorrough or...
You could loop back and record the monitor output back into PT and see where the monitor control is at unity.

A 1k ref sine wave at OVU(-14 on digi003) should measure 1.23v rms at the output. That is +4dbm which is the common studio reference (analogue desk). Some interfaces cannot put out that level, Mbox 1&2 for example. You would be hard pressed to drive a console to proper level with the old Mbox.
The monitor out should be the same when you cal, in other words the same level as the main output. You could drive the speakers from the main out and the level is the same.

[SpinningDisk]

That's what I was thinking BC. Just plug my monitors into the 1+2 outputs instead of the monitor out.

[SpinningDisk]

I'll try that loop trick.

[shtik]

These two are the best threads I've ever read here on the subject, and they changed the way I look (or don't look) at recording or mixing levels ever since:

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=230766

http://duc.avid.com/showthread.php?t=252104