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Is there a way to view volume levels?


boydwgrossii
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I noticed that when I get new patches from CustomTone, some are significantly more loud than others and it's not for lead and such.  I would like the option to use these clean tones alongside each other with the same volume level (not including the lead tones which should be louder).

 

Is there a way I can have this hooked up and check the volume level on the patches and adjust them accordingly with a visual tool?

 

I was thinking of using Reaper to test this out, but I wasn't sure if there was a better option.

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I noticed that when I get new patches from CustomTone, some are significantly more loud than others and it's not for lead and such. I would like the option to use these clean tones alongside each other with the same volume level (not including the lead tones which should be louder).

 

Is there a way I can have this hooked up and check the volume level on the patches and adjust them accordingly with a visual tool?

 

I was thinking of using Reaper to test this out, but I wasn't sure if there was a better option.

Your eyes can't help you much. Only your ears can. Despite claims that are sure to follow (as they do every time the great mystery of volume pops up), the only thing that's ever going to work is leveling relative patch volumes by ear. Others will chime in with glowing praise for dB meters, or using the level indicators on a DAW, but the truth is the only thing that matters is PERCEIVED LOUDNESS, not a number that some meter spits out. This is because different kinds of tones are interpreted differently by our brains...it's just how your head works. If you take two tones, one clean and one dirty, and adjust the levels so that both register 80 dB on a meter (or ANY other number for that matter), the distorted tone will SEEM louder every single time. The same applies for two clean tones (or 2 dirty tones) with significantly different EQ settings. There is no escaping this...a visual representation of amplitude is almost completely useless.

 

Furthermore, because the dB scale is logarithmic, all this patch by patch leveling must be done at the volume you intend to use them. If you do all the grunt work at a nice comfy living room volume, then try and use those same patches at gig volume, the levels will be all over the place.

 

There are no shortcuts...it's labor intensive and it sucks, but it is what it is.

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as already suggested above here, the best way is to use your ears to balance levels..

 

playing a backing track (of the genre you play the most) on which you should play both clean and distorted guitar parts could be a good auditory reference as an aid to do levels adjustments

 

Indeed and you get a bonus of seeing if that tricky Fletcher/Muson curve is causing a perceived difference in volume. 

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