Gain Stage transport window meter ?

[bonzerboy]

I have been trying to gain stage more and Have my RMS level down to -18 -15 on the master buss Meter. Peaks seem tame and not crossing 0 on any meters i have tried. What I am seeing is the transport window meter peaks into the RED sometimes? No red on any other meters???? Is this because that meter is really not effected by gain stage? Do i need to take into account the transport window meter when gain staging. Hope that makes sense.

[daeron80]

The term "gain staging" doesn't refer to level at the final stage only. It means that each amplifier stage in the whole signal chain is operated within its most efficient range, far enough above the noise floor and far enough below the saturation point to minimize transistor/tube noise (or dither/quantization distortion in digital circuitry) and avoid harmonic distortion.

In the digital realm with floating point math, such as is used by current versions of Pro Tools and nearly all compatible plugins, the noise floor is a non-issue.

Ideally, you want to make sure that each signal joining the mix path is low enough that the sum produces peaks several dB below full scale. But - again, since this is float math - all you really have to do is pull your master down. Headroom is a non-issue from a technical standpoint.

Of course, from a practical point of view, it does make sense to keep your individual audio/VI track peaks in the -20 to -12 range (for a <48 track mix) so that the sum doesn't cross the zero line when the master is at zero. But, it doesn't generally hurt anything to drop the master by a few dB when needed.

[bonzerboy]

I am still confused as to why there is no red or going above zero at any stage from the track, the plug ins in the track or to the final buss. The level is a good and not real hot, Nothing peaks above zero yet the meter on the Transit window peaks RED. Track is solo. Maybe I can ask it this way.......Why does the Transport meter peg in the red on peaks yet nothing else does?

[Emi]

What does the master fader vu reads?

When tracks are mixed together it’s normal that the level on the master fader rise up.

[bonzerboy]

Master fader in the -10 - 12 peaks maybe -7 -6.. Then I see the meter on the transport window clip? s this something that I should watch as well ? Pro Tools makes me scratch my head at times

[daeron80]

If your output Master track meter is set to measure RMS, and you're running at those levels on it, your peaks are definitely clipping the output. Perhaps the one in the transport window measures peaks (I've never payed any attention to that meter, tbh). You definitely need to be watching output peaks on *some* meter. RMS is a useful to reference point for some types of material. But since digital has an absolute ceiling, you do need to know what your output peak is at all times. Float math applies only in the digital domain. Once your signal is on its way to the real world, you have to keep peaks below zero to avoid clipping. And, actually, most DACs begin crimping the audio's style at around -6. I like to mix with output peaks below 6 and only bring the level up to mastering levels at the last possible minute (usually in iZotope RX in my workflow).

[bonzerboy]

It does not clip on the master buss, meters or fader at any point and for the most part is staying at a good level. That is what has me baffled as to why the Transport meter clips? I guess as long as I am not clipping my final out put even if the transport meter clips will i be ok? The bulk is -18 -12 it might peak a bit -6 but no where near zero. yet the transport clips on some of the peaks

[Carl Lie]

Right click on the meter in the transport bar and select protools classic. Should now match your mixer output meter.

C

[EdgarRothermich]

Originally Posted by Carl Lie

Right click on the meter in the transport bar and select protools classic. Should now match your mixer output meter.

C

The Meter Type set on the Master Fader Track is always the same as the tiny Output Meters on the Transport Window or Edit Window Control Bar. When you right-click on any of those and select a Meter Type, it will set it to the other accordingly.

Make sure that you have the Meter Preferences set correctly (linked or no linked), see screenshot attachment

[albee1952]

Consider: if you have 30, 40, 50 or more tracks, and all are hitting -3, when they all sum together(at the master bus) the combination can easily hit the red. Since that describes me(I tend to record hotter than I should), here is my solution: I open the TRIM plugin, set it to -8 and then set the plugin to default to this setting. Then I insert TRIM in the last insert slot on all AUDIO and INSTRUMENT track(not on AUX or master tracks). Assuming effect sends(feeding AUX tracks) are post-fade, this will lower the entire mix, but maintain the same balance. In fact, my template sessions have the TRIM plugin already added(but all in bypass). That way, I can enable all (with the modifier key) with a single command.