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