Hello all,
I'm brand new and Waveform is my first DAW. The only thing I do on it is record vocals on finished songs.
I have now gone through countless youtube videos to understand the most important things and one of them is:
The input signal should average around -20 dB, it should peak at -10 dB and never peek higher than -6 dB.
My problem is: how can I even check this in Waveform?
I have my Focusrite Clarett infron of me. I have set the gain there but i cant check what it means in Waveform.
If i open the level meter plugin (the settings of it) i see an input meter and it shows the last peak very briefly, but it's gone before I even manage to look at it (my "booth" is a few feet away"). How am i able to see the peaks or even the average?
Isn't there a way to adjust your preamp using Waveform, or just record something to see the dB directly next to the track?
Somehow I am completely lost.
You are being bombarded by infos and things you should do by people on youtube but nobody shows you how you actually check it in the DAW.
Thanks in advance!
Setting the Gain of the Preamp with Waveform's help
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- KVRAF
- 1601 posts since 9 Jan, 2018
There are a lot of rules about how hot your input should be, many of which go back to the old days when we used analog equipment, or moved into the digital world with DAWs that had some limitations. So some of what I say may surprise you.
First, your information about recording is NOT INCORRECT, if it works for you.
The real rule I'd suggest is "Make sure your recording input isn't too hot." The peaks should never redline--that's about the only rule, because it means you're losing quality every time it does.
Really, you can record in with your RMS at -5dB, as long as your peaks never, ever red line or turn very orange. I know people who record much at much hotter levels and folks who go even quieter than -20dB. As long as the digital audio isn't clipped in the original recording, you can adjust levels up and down with the clip gain setting, the levels fader, and/or compression. Don't get too hung up on the -20/-10/-6 dB setting.
If it works for you, and you like the results, by all means keep doing that! As long as the rest of your tracks are balanced in relation to where you want them, you're good to go,
But to answer your actual question--
You've got exactly the right approach. If your audio interface is not flickering in the red, you've got the input gain where you want it on it. I don't have to tell you that if it's right, leave it alone!
Waveform, as you assess, is the next step in gain staging.
1. Insert your audio interface input on your vocal track... basically, this is you setting up Waveform to record as you've been doing.
2. Click on the input itself to select it. This is the icon that appears just under the track name. Click on it to highlight it.
3. Look at the Properties panel...you get to this by clicking the "up arrow" in the lower left corner of your screen. The properties panel pops up to show you all the details of your selection. Some folks here refer to this as the "actually useful" menu.
4. The input gain setting is in the top left of the properties pane, just below "Treat as Stereo Channel Pair."
5. Sing a couple of practice lines into your mic, and look to see where your tests are peaking on the input level monitor across the bottom of the screen. You can use the Input Gain setting (again, upper left) to adjust this up or down until the red (if any) goes away.
It's important to remember that as long as you keep the recording out of the red, you can adjust the clip gain later to get it exactly where you want it. To do this:
1. Record your take
2. Click on the clip of your vocal take. Don't click on the track itself--just the clip in question.
3. You can right-click it to select "Clip Gain," and adjust this up or down. You can also use the properties pane I described above to move this up or down, or use the Actions menu on the left. Lots of ways. But the point is that you can slide the Clip Gain setting up or down to adjust the gain to match other clips in your project!
Failing this, you can always get a free vu meter off the web to pop into a track as a plugin, and see how close your ears are to -20dB or wherever you prefer to set it.
Have you gotten into comp tracks yet? If not, you'll love them!
First, your information about recording is NOT INCORRECT, if it works for you.
The real rule I'd suggest is "Make sure your recording input isn't too hot." The peaks should never redline--that's about the only rule, because it means you're losing quality every time it does.
Really, you can record in with your RMS at -5dB, as long as your peaks never, ever red line or turn very orange. I know people who record much at much hotter levels and folks who go even quieter than -20dB. As long as the digital audio isn't clipped in the original recording, you can adjust levels up and down with the clip gain setting, the levels fader, and/or compression. Don't get too hung up on the -20/-10/-6 dB setting.
If it works for you, and you like the results, by all means keep doing that! As long as the rest of your tracks are balanced in relation to where you want them, you're good to go,
But to answer your actual question--
You've got exactly the right approach. If your audio interface is not flickering in the red, you've got the input gain where you want it on it. I don't have to tell you that if it's right, leave it alone!
Waveform, as you assess, is the next step in gain staging.
1. Insert your audio interface input on your vocal track... basically, this is you setting up Waveform to record as you've been doing.
2. Click on the input itself to select it. This is the icon that appears just under the track name. Click on it to highlight it.
3. Look at the Properties panel...you get to this by clicking the "up arrow" in the lower left corner of your screen. The properties panel pops up to show you all the details of your selection. Some folks here refer to this as the "actually useful" menu.
4. The input gain setting is in the top left of the properties pane, just below "Treat as Stereo Channel Pair."
5. Sing a couple of practice lines into your mic, and look to see where your tests are peaking on the input level monitor across the bottom of the screen. You can use the Input Gain setting (again, upper left) to adjust this up or down until the red (if any) goes away.
It's important to remember that as long as you keep the recording out of the red, you can adjust the clip gain later to get it exactly where you want it. To do this:
1. Record your take
2. Click on the clip of your vocal take. Don't click on the track itself--just the clip in question.
3. You can right-click it to select "Clip Gain," and adjust this up or down. You can also use the properties pane I described above to move this up or down, or use the Actions menu on the left. Lots of ways. But the point is that you can slide the Clip Gain setting up or down to adjust the gain to match other clips in your project!
Failing this, you can always get a free vu meter off the web to pop into a track as a plugin, and see how close your ears are to -20dB or wherever you prefer to set it.
Have you gotten into comp tracks yet? If not, you'll love them!
Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, and even Deezer, whatever the hell Deezer is.
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual
More fun at Twitter @watchfulactual