normalizing items to ... what level?

[Masi]

The manual tells me that I can adjust the volume of an item to a "standard level". It's not explicitely said what level that could be, but there is a hint about increasing the volume short of clipping.

Is there an option to set it to another value, say -18dB peak or RMS?

Masi

[DVDdoug]

Is there an option to set it to another value, say -18dB peak or RMS?

Usually, you simply adjust (or automate) the relative volume of a track to what sounds right, and then adjust your overall level with the master slider.

If you feel like a track/item is too low, I'd suggest adjusting it by ear.

Pros often record at -12 to -18dB. That allows headroom for unexpected peaks, and maybe just because it's tradition. It also allows headroom for mixing and effects, although with floating-point processing you don't have to worry about that. There's no technical advantage to re-adjusting to that level after recording.





Normalization usually means adjusting the level for 0dB peaks (although some people like to normalize to -1dB or so).

Normalization is usually done as the final step, or as part of the mastering process. Or, you might want to normalize if you are temporarily rendering/exporting to an integer format (16-bit or 24-bit WAV).

0dBFS (zero decibels full scale) is defined as the maximum "count" for an integer format. You can't go over 0dB in integer and if you try you get clipping. With low integer numbers you get quantization noise and if your "count" goes below 1, you get zero (silence). ADCs, DACs, and "regular" WAV files are integer.

In floating point, 0dBFS is defined as 1.0. There is essentially no upper or lower limit with floating point, and since REAPER. uses floating-point internally, you don't have to worry about clipping (or quantization noise) except when recording and when rendering.

Since the raw numbers are different for 8-bit, 16-bit, 24-bit, and floating-point formats, your software or your drivers automatically adjusts so that 0dB always sounds like 0dB. (Although all 0dB normalized files don't sound equally loud, because human hearing is more complicated than that.)

[lachrimae]

Reaper's normalize option will normalize peak value to 0dB but you if you have SWS Extensions you'll gain a slew of additional options:

http://www.sws-extension.org/

Once installed you can use the action list to do things like:


And there's a Loudness tool that will analyze multiple tracks/items and set loudness using LU, LUFS, or K values.

Very handy...

[Masi]

Originally Posted by DVDdoug

Usually, you simply adjust (or automate) the relative volume of a track to what sounds right, and then adjust your overall level with the master slider.

But that's post-FX. I was thinking about using normalization as an alternative to pre-FX volume control.

Originally Posted by DVDdoug

In floating point, 0dBFS is defined as 1.0. There is essentially no upper or lower limit with floating point, and since REAPER. uses floating-point internally, you don't have to worry about clipping (or quantization noise) except when recording and when rendering.

But then the track will always show the red clipping signal even if it is technically not clipping. IMHO (I'm new at mixing) it renders also the volume display strip pointless if I max out the display.

Anyway, I just saw video about gain staging that advised to go about 18dB for tracks so you won't have to worry about the master channel. But again this may be moot as well in floating-point land.

The other idea was that analog modelling plugins are supposed to have a sweet spot around that dB range. Hard to verify for me.

[Tod]

Originally Posted by Masi

But that's post-FX. I was thinking about using normalization as an alternative to pre-FX volume control.



But then the track will always show the red clipping signal even if it is technically not clipping. IMHO (I'm new at mixing) it renders also the volume display strip pointless if I max out the display.

Anyway, I just saw video about gain staging that advised to go about 18dB for tracks so you won't have to worry about the master channel. But again this may be moot as well in floating-point land.

The other idea was that analog modelling plugins are supposed to have a sweet spot around that dB range. Hard to verify for me.

Hi Masi, there are the various ways to normalize, especially with the SWS extensions.

But do you have to normalize? Each item has a trim pot on it that is very effective for adjusting levels. It's got all kinds of gain, up to +24dB, and I think it's -inf on the bottom.

Beyond that you have both the track and take volume envelopes.

Unless you have a recording that is desperately bad, these things will work very well.

[Masi]

Originally Posted by Tod

But do you have to normalize?

No. I was aware of all the options you mention. I'm just lazy. So I thought I could simply select all items and normalize them in go to -18dB RMS in go.

Masi