How I Mix #4_Raising Faders


It's Newtons 3rd law, The Law of Inertia:
For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.
Raising the faders for a mix requires a basic knowledge of levels. If you don’t know what the meters are indicating, you may as well build our metaphoric house without using a tape measure. Mixing music for mass distribution (broadcasting) means knowing more than red means stop when it comes to reading audio level meters.
This link is heady stuff. It needs to be understood by anyone wishing to deliver broadcast quality audio product.
calculator-db-volt
I’ve tried to make it easier more relatable here:
cool-plug-in-what-do-you-know-about-its-level
Zero dB marked on a fader plate can mean different things depending on the intended use of the desk the fader is interfaced too. Zero on a DSP desk measuring Full Scale (FS) would be on the top of the fader. Zero for a live desk would most likely be on the bottom of the fader plate while zero on an analog recording desk would be two thirds the way up the fader plate. The latter two would indicate either dB-SPL or dBv respectively. Zero on a VU meter indicates 1V dBv.
On the dB-SPL scale, the smallest audible sound (near total silence) is 0 dB. A sound 10 times more powerful is 10 dB. A sound 100 times more powerful than near total silence is 20 dB. It is called a logarithmic scale. It is shaped like a bell …go figure.
Raising the faders is more than just using your ears to make stuff sound good. If you use your faders incorrectly you stand an excellent chance of turning good into bad …quickly. Watch and understand your meters, they tell you how well you're doing your job.

Next up …Bass & Drums
 

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It's All in the Talkback For Tom Cody ...and Bruiser ~Welcome to the Show~ Lessons learned from life on the other side of the glass. 1)      The 4 Ups 2)      Cool Plug ins: How do you know? 3)      Cool Plug ins: Its Level 4)      Hang ~Around the Campfire @ The Old School Music House~   A combined 200 years of audio engineering experience sitting around a campfire. 1)      Getting there   2)      Digital / Analog Warriors   3)      How do you know? Call Chips   4)      People knowledge. A lost treasure?   5)      Romantics vs Classics   6)      How did we learn? Under fire     7)      I'm out      ~The Show~ 50 Years of How I Mix Music 00)      3 Screens 01)      Whadda ya need?   02)      Color   03)      The Meat   04)      Raising Faders   05)      Bass & Drums 06)      Blending Drums 07)      Drums ...You or me?   08)      Drums ...How big is your window?   09)      Snare drum ...Loudness   10)      Mixing Overheads   11)      Mixing Bass   12)      Whaaat?? 1-5 summ
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