Matt Marantz
Active Member
Got a question about using FX with input metering on Aux sends with quiet mix tracks.
I generally limit my individual track peaks to -18dbfs when mixing ITB. The first thing I do when I load up a new project is let the whole thing play through and see where the highest peak on each track is. Usually I find that the recording engineers have let the recorded tracks get close to 0dbfs on the way in and so I go through each track with a calculator and find out exactly how many db I need to reduce the gain on each track. For stereo sources such as piano I just reduce the gain the same amount on both tracks using the loudest peak as a guideline. I use a trim/gain plugin to do this.
I have found that gain staging this way (and contuining to gain stage that way no matter how many plugins are inserted on a track) results in much better sounding mixes.
One thing I'm not so sure about is dealing with aux send levels for effects such as reverbs and delays that have input metering on them. Let's say you're using a plugin like the Roland Re-201 from UAD which has input signal metering built in, and sounds different depending on the level of signal sent into it.
Overdriving the input of a tape delay is a common effect and the Re-201 has an input VU meter built in for this purpose and can sound super clean or totally saturated iwth distortion depending on how much signal you send into it.
When my tracks are pulled down to -18dbfs at the peaks, there's only so much aux send signal you can feed it and it's very difficult to get the overdriven tape delay sound like this. Often the VU meter on the tape delay isn't moving at all even though the delay is audibly working.
The obvious way I would try to fix this if I required overdriven tape delay is to insert a trim/gain plugin before the Re-201 and bring the level up to a point where the input is doing what you want it to do to acheive a desired effect (i.e. overdriving/distorting the tape delay.) Then, you can reduce the output on the Re-201 or use another gain/trim plugin after the Re-201 to bring the level down on the effect to fit back into the mix if need be. Or just pull down the track fader...
My question is: Is this the way you would deal with the issue in this situation? Am I doing it wrong? Or is there a better way to do it?
Thanks,
Matt
I generally limit my individual track peaks to -18dbfs when mixing ITB. The first thing I do when I load up a new project is let the whole thing play through and see where the highest peak on each track is. Usually I find that the recording engineers have let the recorded tracks get close to 0dbfs on the way in and so I go through each track with a calculator and find out exactly how many db I need to reduce the gain on each track. For stereo sources such as piano I just reduce the gain the same amount on both tracks using the loudest peak as a guideline. I use a trim/gain plugin to do this.
I have found that gain staging this way (and contuining to gain stage that way no matter how many plugins are inserted on a track) results in much better sounding mixes.
One thing I'm not so sure about is dealing with aux send levels for effects such as reverbs and delays that have input metering on them. Let's say you're using a plugin like the Roland Re-201 from UAD which has input signal metering built in, and sounds different depending on the level of signal sent into it.
Overdriving the input of a tape delay is a common effect and the Re-201 has an input VU meter built in for this purpose and can sound super clean or totally saturated iwth distortion depending on how much signal you send into it.
When my tracks are pulled down to -18dbfs at the peaks, there's only so much aux send signal you can feed it and it's very difficult to get the overdriven tape delay sound like this. Often the VU meter on the tape delay isn't moving at all even though the delay is audibly working.
The obvious way I would try to fix this if I required overdriven tape delay is to insert a trim/gain plugin before the Re-201 and bring the level up to a point where the input is doing what you want it to do to acheive a desired effect (i.e. overdriving/distorting the tape delay.) Then, you can reduce the output on the Re-201 or use another gain/trim plugin after the Re-201 to bring the level down on the effect to fit back into the mix if need be. Or just pull down the track fader...
My question is: Is this the way you would deal with the issue in this situation? Am I doing it wrong? Or is there a better way to do it?
Thanks,
Matt