Studio Monitor volume setting

[uptowners2010]

im just wondering what kind of volume setting people on here set their monitors . im having a hard time finding the right setting. i don't want to turn them up full blast but i also don't want to set them low because im trying to get the most out of my monitors. Right now they are set a lil bit past half-way any suggestions ? !

[Ryan Young]

decent calibrated monitors don't have to be anywhere near full blast.

[The Weed]

Get an SPL meter.

Cheers,

[FordVan]

Wow. Some great responses!

While both offer a slice of help.......sort of flippant.

Anyway, purchase or borrow a SPL Meter. Without going into too much fuss about it all, make a marking on your monitors volume control that signifies a roughly 80dB (A weighted Slow) reading for both mastered and unmastered material.

You need volume settings for both because, obviously, mastered material is going to be hotter than unmastered material. You will most likely be using mastered material to compare your unmastered material to, and might need to adjust your monitors volume to compensate.

It would be better if you could compensate in a more convienent way, but the above would suffice.

I would make all "final and crucial" decisions about your mix at a monitoring level of roughly 80dB A Weighted Slow. You can, for a majority of your time work at a little lower volume, but you really need to make your crucial decisions at around that volume.

If you want to get ultra technical, there are monitoring level tutorials. Bob Katz I believe has possibly the most authoritive writings on this subject. At the end of the day, you will be making your decisions at around 80db A Weighted Slow though...

Good luck.

[Stig Eliassen]

From what I've heard and read A-weighting is mostly for measuring low-level noise in equipment. It rolls off a lot of the lows and low-mids, and emphasize the upper mids, so I don't see how this can be of any use in a studio?

Please explain. Thanks.

[Noiselab]

I use a calibrated SPL meter held in the imaging sweet spot and aim for somewhere between 70 and 80dB while aimed directly at either monitor. In a pinch I've even used the dB meter on my iPhone for setting levels. It's close enough for my purposes.

I used to mix at much lower levels until I learned that my mix "issues" were due largely to the Fletcher & Munson curve effect. I now track at the lower levels and spend very short periods of time performing mixing tasks at the higher SPL levels.

NL

[Craig F]

Film cal in a nut shel is 85 dB band-limited pink noise (pink noise filtered to 500 to 2k, this helps over look room mode problems)
there is some room size variables (smaller rooms are lower)

it's a good staring point for music

[FordVan]

Originally Posted by PT Lover

From what I've heard and read A-weighting is mostly for measuring low-level noise in equipment. It rolls off a lot of the lows and low-mids, and emphasize the upper mids, so I don't see how this can be of any use in a studio?

Please explain. Thanks.

High mids are where you hearing is most sensitive. You can hit 80 C Weighted and possibly not even be above your computers fan! LOL

[Stig Eliassen]

I have tried both A and C-weighted, and C came out a bit softer, true. Well above the fan noise though. A gave me some crazy readings on the Phonic SPL meter I tried, but I did use full-range pink noise. Pilot error I guess.

[FordVan]

Originally Posted by PT Lover

I have tried both A and C-weighted, and C came out a bit softer, true. Well above the fan noise though. A gave me some crazy readings on the Phonic SPL meter I tried, but I did use full-range pink noise. Pilot error I guess.

I was trying to make a little joke about how quiet 80db C Weighted is.