Distortion - lower headroom.

[Inthebox]

Hi

I am getting distortion when My levels are around 0 db on the master meter
Nothing is hitting red.
Levels used to go up to +6 without distorting.

I have tried a session with just an instrument track with xpand2 piano and a master track, and it is the same thing.

Digitest shows no errors on cards
Trash Prefs done

I have moved my cards between old and new systems a few times due to update from 7.3.1 on late G5 PPC to current Mac Pro 1.1. 8.1.1.1. Afraid I might have damaged the cards somehow.

I can work around it, using lower levels, but now I am constantly worrying that something is distorting somewhere.

Please help

Thanks

box


PT HD2 PCIE 8.1.1.1
192 IO
Mac Pro 1.1
10.6.8

[Bill Denton]

Unless you are mastering, you really shouldn't be very close to 0 dBFS.

In the digital world, 0 dBFS on a meter is where digital distortion begins (it may vary a tiny bit on different meters).

While the recommended numbers vary among different engineers, I use what I have found to be the levels recommended by a lot of engineers I respect...

When tracking, average levels should be around -15 to -18 dBFS.

When mixing, peak levels should be around -3 to -6 dBFS.

When mastering, peak levels must not exceed 0 dBFS.

Hope this helps...

[Inthebox]

Yes, maybe I should clarify.

In Pro Tools 8 The scale on the master bus level meter goes from -Infinity to +6 db.

0 dBFS lies somewhere above this, so the scale is only showing comprehensive dB levels inside PT, and really doesn't show where 0 dBFS is.

My frustration is, that I used to be able to having the levels between 0 and +6 dB on the (fake) meter when I used a mastering plugin, and now I don't anymore.

I am wondering what has happened

Thanks

-Box

[JFreak]

0 dBFS (dB Full Scale) is always at the very top of the meter where it clips.

PT8 introduced the new GUI where green goes yellow at -15dBFS and it should be considered "the new red" when tracking. Use pre-fader metering and with all plugins bypassed, do not let your levels climb over green. When mixing, your master as a rule of thumb should never go above -6dBFS because less-than-perfect DA converters don't work linear "at the last bit". Leave that hitting-the-roof magic for a skilled mastering engineer, please.

[Inthebox]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I know what you are all saying, and I usually don't hit the master fader very hard when I am mixing.

Sessions that didn't use to distort, suddenly do.

I have even experienced the distortion when playing professionally mastered material in Roxio Toast playing through the 192.
Never used to distort, now it does.

I just wondered why I suddenly got a lower headroom than I am used to.
Why the change?

Thanks

-Box

[Inthebox]

Just bouncing this one...

Have just listened to a mastered track in iTunes, playing through the 192.
Once the song gets going, things are really distorting...

When I import the track into Pro Tools, it also distorts. Trimming the input on the track down -6, it no longer distorts.

Can I do some kind of test that will show if either my HD cards or my 192 has gone bad?
I mean... I should be able to listen to red book mastered music in iTunes through the 192.

Thanks

-Box