69 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
69 lines
2.8 KiB
Markdown
+++
|
||
title = "Mixing levels"
|
||
chapter = false
|
||
weight = 2
|
||
+++
|
||
|
||
_Levels_ are the volumes of each track relative to the others.
|
||
|
||
If you can't hear a bass line above the other instruments, one obvious option
|
||
would be to raise the bass line volume. Levels can be adjusted using the fader
|
||
in the mixer strip or in each track, just below the track name. The first step
|
||
in mixing is to listen to everything that has been recorded and adjust the
|
||
levels of all tracks so you can hear everything clearly, but in a manner that is
|
||
appropriate for the song. For example, the vocal track is normally louder than
|
||
the rhythm guitar because the voice is the focal point of the song.
|
||
|
||
## Using the Fader
|
||
|
||
The fader is the primary control of levels for each track. The exact value of
|
||
the track's levels are displayed in the small rectangular field above the fader.
|
||
You can change the levels by either dragging the slider or typing in a new
|
||
number directly into the rectangle with the number.
|
||
|
||
By default the fader is set to −0.0 dB, meaning that the levels of the track are
|
||
not changed. In the screenshot below, the fader for the track named "kick" is
|
||
set to -0.0, and the peak meter indicates that the highest peak so far was
|
||
-5.1dB.
|
||
|
||
![levels1](en/Ardour4_Mixing_Levels_1.png)
|
||
|
||
## Avoiding Clipping
|
||
|
||
One other important task in mixing is to avoid _clipping_. The peak value on
|
||
the mixer strip turns red when the signal has peaked above 0.0dB. You can use
|
||
this tool to monitor the highest levels of your track while mixing.
|
||
|
||
In the screenshot below, the synth track has just clipped to +5.9. You can also
|
||
see little red edges on the waveform itself, indicating the exact locations
|
||
where the recorded sound clipped.
|
||
|
||
![levels2](en/Ardour4_Mixing_Levels_2.png)
|
||
|
||
Click on the red number in the peak meter to reset it.
|
||
|
||
{{% notice tip %}}
|
||
For the sake of the exercise, try to record your voice so that it clips. Hear
|
||
how the playback is distorted.
|
||
{{% /notice %}}
|
||
|
||
You should make sure that anything that you send to your sound card or that you
|
||
will eventually export as a sound file (such as for CD mastering) **never** goes
|
||
above 0.0dB to avoid actual clipping.
|
||
|
||
If the clipping occurs in a very percussive sound and it is almost unnoticeable,
|
||
you may be able to hide it by decreasing the gain (for example, normalize the
|
||
region to 0.0dB, or a lower number like -1.0dB). However, often the clipping
|
||
results in audible distortion of the recorded sound. The best solution in this
|
||
case is to just record again with lower levels.
|
||
|
||
## Continuing
|
||
|
||
When you are finished with this chapter of the tutorial, you should have a
|
||
collection of tracks whose levels are well adjusted to each other and do not
|
||
clip when added together in the _Master_ bus. Once this is accomplished, we can
|
||
proceed to learn about panning in the next chapter, so that our mix takes on a
|
||
strong feeling of stereo space.
|
||
|
||
Next: [PANNING](../panning)
|