Metering And Setting Record Levels - Mackie HDR24 Quick Start Manual

Metering and Setting Record Levels

40
HDR 24/96
A professional analog recorder has meters that indicate 0 VU at a +4 dBu nominal
signal level. Generally you can record peaks 10 to 15 dB above that before
distortion becomes objectionable. This 10-15 dB range above the nominal level is
called "headroom."
On digital recorder meters, zero represents the full-scale digital signal level, 0
dBFS for short. 0 dBFS is the hottest signal that a digital device can handle, with
no headroom to spare. When a digital signal reaches 0 dBFS for more than a
sample or two, the resulting distortion is uglier than scraping your fingernails
across a chalkboard.
The front panel meters are always available. In the GUI, the Meters panel space
is shared with the the Tools panel. To switch displays, click on the Tools or Meters
tab along the top right edge of the screen.
24TRACK /24BIT DIGITAL AUDIO HARD DISK RECORDER/EDITOR
OL OL OL OL OL OL OL
2 2 2 2 2 2 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4
7 7 7 7 7 7 7
10 10 10 10 10 10 10
15 15 15 15 15 15 15
20 20 20 20 20 20 20
25 25 25 25 25 25 25
30 30 30 30 30 30 30
35 35 35 35 35 35 35
40 40 40 40 40 40 40
50 50 50 50 50 50 50
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Remember, audio levels must NEVER reach 0 dBFS... never, ever, ever. Digital
clipping is an extremely nasty sound that could only pass for music if you
like what those crazy kids listen to over and over at all hours of the nights.
To get the get the best sound from the HDR24/96:
1. Turn All Input on.
2. Ask the talent to play or sing as loud as they will be performing during the
session. While watching the HDR24/96 meters, adjust the console's tape
outputs so that the signal peaks cause the red overload indicators to come
on occasionally. Then, back off the tape output level slightly. This insures
the best fidelity and the widest dynamic range in the recorded signal and
leaves you a little headroom to accommodate the talent's enthusiasm.
Keep the signal levels as high as possible without overload, because
recording at lower levels reduces resolution and dynamic range.
Nonetheless it is always better to be conservative and avoid the risk of
overload than to try squeezing the last ounce of dynamic range from the
signal.
OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25
30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35
40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
ALL
INPUT
OL OL OL OL OL OL OL OL
2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4
7 7 7 7 7 7 7 7
10 10 10 10 10 10 10 10
15 15 15 15 15 15 15 15
20 20 20 20 20 20 20 20
25 25 25 25 25 25 25 25
30 30 30 30 30 30 30 30
35 35 35 35 35 35 35 35
40 40 40 40 40 40 40 40
50 50 50 50 50 50 50 50
17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24