Re: Headroom and recording level
Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2019 4:52 pm
The important thing about headroom is that the peak level never reaches 0 dB.
The suggested peak level of -6 dB (6 dB headroom) is usually sufficient to ensure that the peak level never reaches 0 dB, though it depends what you are recording.
Live music recordings can be problematic, especially with amateur performers, who frequently get much louder once they get going than they do during the sound check. In such cases it can be wise to allow more headroom.
When recording things like records and tapes, the peak level is usually fairly predictable, so it's easier to guestimate the recording levels required to ensure that the level never reaches 0 dB.
The number of tracks is not relevant to setting recording levels. If there's more than one track, you may need to reduce the "track gain" so as to prevent the mix from overloading. The track gain may be adjusted either with the Track Gain slider (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/aud ... .html#gain) or with the "Mixer Board" (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/mixer_board.html)
The suggested peak level of -6 dB (6 dB headroom) is usually sufficient to ensure that the peak level never reaches 0 dB, though it depends what you are recording.
Live music recordings can be problematic, especially with amateur performers, who frequently get much louder once they get going than they do during the sound check. In such cases it can be wise to allow more headroom.
When recording things like records and tapes, the peak level is usually fairly predictable, so it's easier to guestimate the recording levels required to ensure that the level never reaches 0 dB.
The number of tracks is not relevant to setting recording levels. If there's more than one track, you may need to reduce the "track gain" so as to prevent the mix from overloading. The track gain may be adjusted either with the Track Gain slider (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/aud ... .html#gain) or with the "Mixer Board" (https://manual.audacityteam.org/man/mixer_board.html)