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Volume leveling


spawn2031
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Ok, so several times in several other topics I have seen people mentioning a -12db as level that is supposed to not be gone over if possible for patches.  The other day I ran my POD into Reaper and used it's monitor to level all my patches.  I just arbitrarily picked a number that they were close to already which was -8db.  

 

Should I do this again and move them down to -12db or does this really even mater at all?  

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The -12dBFS peak level limit is probably originating from me although I heave seen other references to a limit in that range (I did not track down where they came from).

It's primarily my opinion based on preamp and EQ, boost, and compressor model measurements.

In practice, the measurements indicate that there is some compression and/or soft clipping happening when your peak levels hit the -12dB to -9dB range. Every model I ever checked (but there are 3x more than what I checked) showed this behavior.

The signs of this effect are that if you increase your input level by say 6dB the output does not increase by the same amount (it's less) and the RMS level goes up relative to peak level output (the signal distortion content goes up). You probably won't hear it at peaks below -9dB, I usually hear it (may be subjective now that i know i can measure it) somewhere between -9 and -6dB and it usually becomes nasty when your peaks get into the -3dB range.

If you stay with your peaks below the -12 to -9dB range, amp channel volume and any other plain gain changing controls just shift the signal level up or down without changing tone.

That said, there is nothing that should stop you from utilizing a little soft clipping / compression when you need that signal level (e.g., to produce louder output). Just be aware that it exists (at least from my point of view).

Hope this helps you out,

Martin

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