[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by TBman

A tune that I love the sound of has 0db sample peak levels. My own version of the same tune has a sample peak level of around -6. What does this mean?

Thanks.

Hi Barry

Unless we play the same guitar in the same environment with the same mics and preamps and mix it down the same way, how can we compare our output levels after recording (or input while recording) to those on recordings we hear/play?

Professional recordists often record with peaks at -12, and the mixdown person compresses and normalizes the output levels depending on the intended usage…often quite a bit hotter than the original was recorded at.

We record lower to avoid distortion/overdrive, and boost it in post for playback.