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Old 03-10-2019, 09:17 PM
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Default Sample peak levels

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.
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Old 03-10-2019, 09:34 PM
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Means nothing. Thought you settled that concern from you prior questions on normalization.
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Old 03-10-2019, 09:37 PM
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Oops. Duplicate
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Old 03-10-2019, 10:05 PM
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Originally Posted by TBman View Post
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.
It could mean his track is louder than yours, probably because it was mastered. I find that 0 peaks are pretty common on fingerstyle CDs, which probably means they were normalized (automatically or manually) during the mastering process. But peaks don't mean all that much with respect to perceived volume with guitar - you can have little transients that peak, while the overall volume remains low. I've been using LKFS meters, which show more of the effective levels. You want to avoid overs in any case, but the LKFS levels tell you more about the how loud the track sounds. So you might find an LKSF meter (you may have one in whatever DAW you use) and compare your tracks with the reference that way as well.
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Old 03-10-2019, 10:07 PM
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Ok thank you.
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Old 03-11-2019, 08:55 AM
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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.


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Old 03-11-2019, 10:51 AM
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Larry's answer made me realize I may have misunderstood the question. I should have asked "what you do mean by what does it mean?" :-)

I assumed you were just asking about levels, but there are all kinds of things that make it difficult to compare two recordings. I sometimes try to record a bit of someone else's tune as a recording exercise, and I'm never able to exactly replicate what they did, sound-wise. If I look at the waveforms, etc, they also look different. Different guitars, rooms, players, recording chain, mix and mastering processing, etc, it just ends up different. You could have a different attack (nails vs no nails?) that creates fewer transients, or your signal chain (mics, preamps, mixing tools) may not be preserving transients, so on and so forth. There are even plugins that can manipulate the transients, so it's really tough to compare at that level - you just don't know what was done to a commercial recording, let alone how it sounded before mixing/mastering.

It's educational to compare to existing recordings, tho. I usually focus on things like stereo image, levels, EQ balance, but you do have to take it all with a grain of salt and not go crazy trying to exactly replicate your reference, because it's pretty much impossible.
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Old 03-11-2019, 11:51 AM
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I assume OP was just asking about the effect of not normalizing a recording to 0db peak level. That in itself really does nothing except boost volume at a given setting of your playback system. Of course often, not always, louder can sound better. Reach for the volume knob on your playback system to check it out.
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Last edited by rick-slo; 03-11-2019 at 01:11 PM. Reason: typo
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Old 03-11-2019, 12:38 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TBman View Post
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.
I'm no expert but it could mean a couple of things. 1) The version the OP loves is a more dynamic recording of the tune than his or 2) its louder overall than his.

This is a fascinating subject because of the different loudness standards applied by streaming services and broadcast media. I'm about to start a new recording project so very interested in determining the best process for gauging the loudness of bounces for the different platforms I'll want to access.
To whit -I've been looking at metering plugins that specify the requirements of different platforms and regulatory bodies (ITU-BS, EBU, AES). I'm also interested in getting impressions on the plugin featured in the video below.
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Old 03-11-2019, 12:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Doug Young View Post
I should have asked "what you do mean by what does it mean?" :-)
This reminds me of Clinton's, "It depends on what the definition of the word, is is".

Of course, your question makes sense.
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