Another K-system question

It is good question because it is different in Sonar compared to other DAW's.

Firstly to clarify with the test signal. The very peaks of the sinewave are meant to go right up to the required reference level. So if it is a -20 FS level we are talking then the peaks of our sinewave will reach -20 dB FS.

When you play this back in Sonar and if rms and peak are engaged (also this advice is for 8.5 not X1 but I assume the same) you will see the peak signal at -20 and the rms level at -23db rms. This is because Sonars meters are showing the true rms level which is in fact 3 db down from peak. (Note when you are watching playback of music, it is the rms meters you are mainly interested in and what overall level they are at. Sonor makes it harder because this indicator is lower down on the scale than it should be.) Easily rectified by the addition of a K system meter.

Some DAW's allow you to re jig how your track and buss meters are behaving. And when you put them into K system mode, they are now showing the rms part around 0 dB VU (with the headroom on its own scale above that) and you can still have a peak indicator on but it is working up in the headroom area above our reference now.

If your DAW cannot go into K system metering mode then we need another K system meter installed and patched in now to see a 0 dB FSD on a either a VU meter or something like the BlueCat meter (or Klanghem) so we can much better see our rms level being displayed right at the top of a meter scale as opposed to way down on a normal DAW meter. That is why normal DAW meters are not great for K system level checking. Your level setting operations become much better when you are looking at something hovering near 0 dB VU as opposed to way down at -23 db rms. The display is also only responding to rms levels and not peaks also making it much easier to adjust levels correctly. ie slower and smoother.

OK Sam good to see. Well it is rather simple really. Once you have installed your meters and you have let your DAW know they are there, you should be able to patch them in either on a track or a buss. (mono tracks will use the single meter and stereo tracks the dual meter. NOTE Single meter can display both L and R levels on one single meter, handy! You will see two VU needles moving when using a single meter in stereo mode! Be careful looking at that after a few wines LOL! Bottom left of meter is where you see either one circle or two circles interleaved. Click here to select desired single meter mode. Single meter can be put into normal mono mode and you will only see one VU needle as normal. I tend to use the dual meters for stereo as you would expect.)

Read the instructions for the meters. You need to tell the meter you are at K -20 ref level. It is done by clicking on those little numbers down the bottom there. Where it says VU/PPM bottom right. Just click there and you will get some options for K ref levels. Hold your mouse directly over that little number eg - 18. Left click and hold and then move mouse in vertical up or down movement to alter this setting. Set to -20 etc. This is a bit fiddly, it is normal I think.

Now when you play your test tone the meters should read 0 dB on the scale. You are looking at rms only now on the VU meters. Still use your peak indicators to keep tabs on what your peaks are up to.

Check here for some more info about setting the ballistics of the VU meters themselves.

http://forum.cakewalk.com...?m=2502867&mpage=2

Check post #51

If you need any sine wave test signals let me know and I will post them on my Soundcloud. I have a -14 db rms sine wave up there now. You could download that and drop it down by 6 dB to make a -20 dB FS test tone. Pink noise will show up a little under - 1 dB on the VU meter, that is normal. If you are loading in band limited pink noise, check to see what it shows on the VU. If it is now down -6 or - 7 dB or so then you need to trim the level back up to match the pink noise level around -1 dB VU. This is for your room monitor calibration I am talking about here.

Jeff - 

It would be great to have - 20 dB Sine wave. I downloaded your -14 and it works fine, but it would be nice to have everything in Sonar at 0.

Thank you!

Sam

Jeff - 

I'm not sure if my PM's were getting through. When I would send, I got a message saying successful, but nothing ever showed up in my "sent" folder. Anyway, thanks very much, I have everything I need and I sincerely appreciate your help.

Sam

Thanks Jeff - I have your -14 signals as you had those available. Since I am new at this, I now need to do a lot of experimenting and practice. That's really what I like to do the most anyway. Remember, for me this is at a hobby level. Thanks again for your help!