I noticed on the input nob on the PC76 that its default appears to be -.2 dB. If one centers it that may be the problem. I don't know for sure though. 

I always check with the console meters set to peak pre-fader - and turn off the pro channel temporarily and make sure there's no clipping. This is done during gain staging.
 
The pro channel leds start turning color before clipping, not sure at what level, but it's a good reminder that you're getting close. 

useful? http://forum.cakewalk.com/FindPost/2880052

Lawp thanks for bring up that thread. Again I forgot it completely. 

Yeah, the ProChannel meter lights are a bit of a flawed design IMO. They could really do with an unambiguous "This is now over 0db" indication. The way it gradually fades into red, and as far as I can tell, reaches red well before 0db, is not all that useful.

Some devices actually raise the input gain, but if there's so little gain that it's not even or barely getting any compression, how is that creating an over?

And I could understand if I was applying massive amounts of compression it might od the device??? In the analog world, coming from a tape deck at line level would never overdrive the input of another device tho the device itself could push the signal to od...?

I'm just confused about this and would love to have it straight in my head...

Thanks...
Keni

Well, hard to say without seeing the project, but one possible scenario is that the the gain coming in is very high, but the compressor's threshold is still above the gain.

Hmmm...

I didn't know they go red before zero and have taken them to mean "flux this"... But if this is a case of meter reading akin to averaging, a few occasional hits are probably still safe and steady red "might" mean a real over? I don't like that approach here and would prefer either a different color for entering hot range than for an actual over...

My eyes aren't that great and I've often seen what appear to be slightly red indication within the PC which do not show red in the inspector/CV... I have a real hard time with those indicators and must resort to continually go back to the inspector view to watch the indicator there which I can see the change of color much more clearly for the brief reds which I now don't know if they were over or not...

I'm always using my ears to hear problems, but sometimes these things can be very subtle yet add up...

Keni

John T
Well, hard to say without seeing the project, but one possible scenario is that the the gain coming in is very high, but the compressor's threshold is still above the gain.

Thanks John...

I could understand that once it gets increased by a secondary device, but if it's currently -0.6 peak it should be low enough to feed the input of the first device without overs... In the analog world it could then be amplified to greater levels but in the digital realm it can never be over zero (possible ISD)...

Now if the fixed threshold style device isn't triggering and raising the input on the device is required to get it to trigger level? I don't understand how that can be yet I've run into it a number of times...

As a recorded clip cannot be over zero, when it gets sent into a device that does not raise gain to trigger the hers hold but instead allows adjustment of the point to trigger (threshold) it should not be possible to have an over at a unity input... Should it? Now in the analog world, increasing gain after compression could be used to actually amplify a signal louder than it was... But when recording to tape, you might have to reduce signal gain before sending it to tape which has a ceiling far more limited than the actual range of possible volume... Which in turn can again be amplified on playback...

In the digital world it never truly is any louder than zero tho apparent volume such as mastering deals in can be louder or lower relative to this fact...

So if the clip (tape track) is limited in this fashion there is no way to ever have volume louder than zero, how can it be too hot for a unity gain input?

I'm more confused about these LEDs now than before! ;-)

Thanks...
Keni

Well, as explained in that thread that lawp linked to above, it shades from yellow to orange to red as it approaches 0db. And there's a whole lot of "deep orange" in there that looks pretty red to most people.
 
It's ok, for what it does, but I think there should be a separate clip light, that lights up *only* on overs.

It's kind of a weird design, for a piece of software; it's the kind of thing you'd do on budget hardware to cut down on the amount of LEDs you need for each unit, but makes no sense at all when an infinite number of "LEDs" costs the same as one.

Indeed, it's not clear to me why it's even an LED. There's enough room for a little strip meter.