1- Clipping the converters and creating unwanted digital distortion, thus ruining a perfect take. I would say peaking a -3dBFS is just too close for comfort. I've ruined my share of takes by tracking this hot because I didn't know any better and went with the analog philosophy in a digital world (just bad).

Maybe we are kind of saying different things. I wasn't necessarily saying *try* to peak at -3dB. Definitely the -9dB to -6dB level is preferable, and plenty hot in the 24 bit world. If you are tracking a very peaky instrument and the player isn't really consistent, then definitely you should bring it down more to avoid clipping. If you get an occasional peak up above -6dB or your are only peaking at -12dB, there's nothing to panic about there really either way. If you are tracking drums, you may want to be more conservative to avoid clipping. If you are tracking a softer, less peaky instrument and/or the player is really consistent, then it's less of an issue.

I agree about recording at a low enough level to avoid a risk of getting digital clipping, but if you've already got recordings at eg -2 presumably you could just reduce the track gains on the faders / envelopes to leave room for mixing?

nit, nit, nit, nit, there's another one, pick that nit

Don't listen to those guys, Dean, you done good.

Even if you didn't mention the importance of expensive boutique cables, tweeters that go over 20KHz, always recording at 192KHz, and that tube mics make everyone sound good.

ORIGINAL: bitflipper

nit, nit, nit, nit, there's another one, pick that nit

Don't listen to those guys, Dean, you done good.

Even if you didn't mention the importance of expensive boutique cables, tweeters that go over 20KHz, always recording at 192KHz, and that tube mics make everyone sound good.

Bump - Sticky Please

If Cake doesn't sticky this, then everyone here should just give this thread a bump every once in a while to keep it on the front page.

whoops i seem to have inadvertently started something

Typical scouser.....


Dean - good on you sir, that's an excellent piece of work, well thought out and well written.

Friendly Bump for sticky

bump

Bump 4 sticky

To cakewalk - if and when you sticky this, can you put it in the GT forum too?

SteveStrummer,

I got your PM, but couldn't respond because it tells me I can't post to messages so quickly in succession, despite the fact that I've posted no messages since yesterday. But anyway, yeh, you can post this in your other forum if you wanna.

Droddey-Outstanding post.

I dont mind admitting that I didnt know what a Bus meant.

Its a pity that you didnt write the Sonar printed Manual that I read.

Your post has given me a better understanding of the whole process.

ORIGINAL: droddey

SteveStrummer,

I got your PM, but couldn't respond because it tells me I can't post to messages so quickly in succession, despite the fact that I've posted no messages since yesterday. But anyway, yeh, you can post this in your other forum if you wanna.

Dean - top man!

Thanks a bunch for that, it's really appreciated.

Steve

Great job, Dean. This is a very well written piece.

With only a little expansion, I think you've written what should be a prominently placed piece on the Cakewalk site, since it will answer what seems like half the questions posted on the forums, in a de-mystifying, non-holier-than-thou way.

A few little suggestions, please take these as being offered in "friendly editor" mode --

(1) If you added a front-end section on microphones and a section on monitors/room treatment, I think you'd have the whole topic covered! From your posts on your own adventures in room treatment it looks like you could probably write an awfully good guide on that.

(2) Personally, I'd urge any home studio to be set up with the ability to record stereo (i.e., at least two pre-amps and one pair of matching mikes). It comes in handy quite often, and is also just fun. I've also found that making simultaneous mono recordings from side-by-side mikes is a good way to train my ear about how my different microphones respond.

(3) I've pardoned all spelling issues per your advice, except one: a "buss" is the kiss on the cheek I give the singer for a take well done. A "bus" is where I route a track.

3) I've pardoned all spelling issues per your advice, except one: a "buss" is the kiss on the cheek I give the singer for a take well done. A "bus" is where I route a track

Actually, most people spell it wrong. According to the experts, it's really a buss, not a bus. Though, if you search for 'signal buss' on Google you really only find 'signal bus'. And, interestingly, in the dictionary, neither bus nor buss is indicated as meaning something that a signal travels over, but it's always been called a 'buss' in studio'ese.

I'm not sure how they got that terminology, but 'buss' is the correct term for them. I don't know why Sonar labels them as 'bus' necessarily. Maybe there's no fully accepted spelling, but generally if you use 'bus', the old timers will make fun of you. If you search on google for Audio Buss or mixing buss, you find it always using that spelling.

Anyone have a definitive answer for this?

working on a drum track as 1st track of project, have to lasten to the different beats, drum paint tool works, i try em out cause i dontknow what they are gonna do, they play back, a few measures at a time. some of the patterns totally scc used with others, and some are how do you say da bomb?. did i get that rite?.. anyway, it takes a long time to get a good drum track, they rtake longer then anything else for me, i guess i am not much of a drummer, i have written a few tunes with tuned drums,
a while back i was using the midi generator on a blaster card, oh my god, what was that god awfull sound.
but th esound font files are quick to use for a sample for me to hear the differnt beats before i write the audio tk then juyust b4 i rite audio tk, change to soft synth. ucasue they use the processor. the sound font files do not. i was on a p4 tho back then.
if i export a drum track all by its slone some self, you can hear it playing the tune. interesting effect. ever do that? wayne out in sf ca usa
i need this screen signing off