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Gear / Technical Help => Ask The Tapers => Topic started by: in2blues on February 05, 2017, 01:01:09 PM
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I mostly use Church Ca-11>Church battery box>Sony PCM-M10. When I set levels I usually turn up till just clips red lights, then back off a notch. Looking at recordings it seems like I should be recording at higher levels but I'm afraid of clipping in recording. This "clipping" happened the first time I used deck but didn't have battery box at that time. Should I be setting my levels higher ? and does battery box make difference when setting levels?
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battery box shouldn't make any difference with levels, but be sure to use it and make sure the battery is fresh (replace every 3 months or so, and don't leave mics plugged into it when you are not recording or getting ready to record, that is don't leave it on the shelf for days with the mics plugged into the battery box)
you absolutely need the battery box when recording!
you can record at a lower level than red, I try to keep the db meters at -12 or less, but record at 24 bit then you can amplify when you are processing your recording.
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The goal should be to never clip red. If you record in 24-bit, peaking around -12dB (i.e., just occasionally triggering the yellow lights) is plenty of signal.
That said, if you turn the M10's limiter on, it will handle the occasional accidental red clip.
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I personally like to run my levels at about -6dB with peaks around -3dB. I use an m10 with limited just in case. I just like the way my recordings sound at those levels. Seems like bass is punchier if that makes send also keeps the noise floor lower when editing in post in my experience