new recording setup

[CaptainMoto]

In Studio One v5, there is another way to get more clip gain adjustments. Right click on an event and turn on the gain adjustments. This makes the event adjustable in the same way it works in a volume automation lane. A very convenient way to adjust volume multiple ways in events in a track, without the commitment of automation. Probably my favorite version 5 feature.

Correct!
That was the feature that sold me on V 5.
That's great for precise editing.
What I showed was a total track approach.
In either case, I think I'm using about 10% of what S1 can do.

 

[Cowboy Bob]

Just as a reference, the "soup-to-nuts" recordings I did a few months ago where I played all the tracks except drums, the dry instruments (bass and guitar) were all recorded with peaks no higher than about -20db. This is encouraged by the DAW manufacturers and the plug-in companies so as to optimize their ability to properly process the instrument through the signal chain without having to seriously reduce levels while the audio is in a digital state.

Correct. A target of -20dbFS. A 24bit WAV format file has 144dB of dynamics, so unless your converters have better spec than 124dB of dynamics you gain absolutely nothing with hotter levels than -20dBFS. Yes, when I was recording to tape, the noise floor was considerably higher, so a hotter signal was required to overcome the hiss and flutter that is inherent in tape. Also of note was that the VU meters were typically calibrated for "0" db to be what in modern terms would be -10 to -12 dbFS to overcome this noise. That added a bit of tape saturation, which oddly enough, tends to be quite musical and pleasant. Hence all of the tape plugins and the vinyl plugins for your DAW.

OK, I am gonna get a little geeky here; decibels in and of itself has no real meaning. What it DOES mean is that a given sound is a certain value different (delta) than a reference sound. An ear protection device attenuates 100 db of environmental sound, etc.

dbSPL (decibels sound pressure level) is used to explain the strength or loudness of the specific measured sound, where "0" dbSPL is just barely perceivable by the human ear.

dbFS (decibel Full Scale) refers to the highest (loudest) sound you can get in your DAW without clipping. So, "0" dbFS peak would be right at the clipping stage. Yes, you can go higher than "0" but you will hear distinct clipping. That is to say that the highest peaks of the signal wave is cut off.

Of course realize that you can set your meters in the DAW (I can tell you quickly in Pro Tools but I forgot where it is in S1 5 Pro) to help you keep you levels optimized. -20 dbFS for tracking. Mastering we tend to go-12bdFS to -14dbFS with a ceiling of -1dbFS typically. Some streaming services want less overall dbFS and will compress them when they are uploaded.

Just some tidbits if you are geeky about it like I tend to be sometimes. Now back to your regularly scheduled forum.

 

[BraylonJennings]

Correct. A target of -20dbFS. A 24bit WAV format file has 144dB of dynamics, so unless your converters have better spec than 124dB of dynamics you gain absolutely nothing with hotter levels than -20dBFS. Yes, when I was recording to tape, the noise floor was considerably higher, so a hotter signal was required to overcome the hiss and flutter that is inherent in tape. Also of note was that the VU meters were typically calibrated for "0" db to be what in modern terms would be -10 to -12 dbFS to overcome this noise. That added a bit of tape saturation, which oddly enough, tends to be quite musical and pleasant. Hence all of the tape plugins and the vinyl plugins for your DAW.

OK, I am gonna get a little geeky here; decibels in and of itself has no real meaning. What it DOES mean is that a given sound is a certain value different (delta) than a reference sound. An ear protection device attenuates 100 db of environmental sound, etc.

dbSPL (decibels sound pressure level) is used to explain the strength or loudness of the specific measured sound, where "0" dbSPL is just barely perceivable by the human ear.

dbFS (decibel Full Scale) refers to the highest (loudest) sound you can get in your DAW without clipping. So, "0" dbFS peak would be right at the clipping stage. Yes, you can go higher than "0" but you will hear distinct clipping. That is to say that the highest peaks of the signal wave is cut off.

Of course realize that you can set your meters in the DAW (I can tell you quickly in Pro Tools but I forgot where it is in S1 5 Pro) to help you keep you levels optimized. -20 dbFS for tracking. Mastering we tend to go-12bdFS to -14dbFS with a ceiling of -1dbFS typically. Some streaming services want less overall dbFS and will compress them when they are uploaded.

Just some tidbits if you are geeky about it like I tend to be sometimes. Now back to your regularly scheduled forum.

Uh huh. What he said.^
I don't pretend to follow the science but I agree with your conclusions. I use Scufham s gear as an amp sim and they suggest between -12 to -18db for input gain so thats where I've always tried to keep my peak input levels. It took a while to get used to digital recording, but its nice to not need a roomful of gear and ear bleeding amps to get your sound.