Have you ever recorded your guitar, only to realize afterward that the signal was hitting the red on your DAW or software?
Or have you ever had to max out the volume of your preamp to record whispers, making the background noise too audible?
If so, it’s probably because you’re not recording at the right level.
Indeed, there are “best practices” regarding setting the recording level. Not following them puts you at risk, in a way, regarding the quality of your mixes.
Explanations…
If you prefer videos, you have a complete explanation here:
Once Upon a Time in Analog Recording
Until at least the early 80s, most recordings were made using analog equipment, specifically on magnetic tape.
With these tapes, it was necessary to maximize the Signal-to-Noise ratio. To do this, recordings were often made as loud as possible, close to “the red zone.”
This limit, in concrete terms, corresponds to the 0 VU reading on analog VU meters (like in the image above).
If the signal exceeded this value and went into the red zone, a rather warm saturation and, in any case, a progressive intensity appeared.
This undoubtedly contributed to giving the recordings of that time the quality we now refer to as “vintage.”
Clipping
Today, the situation is completely different because the operation of digital recording is quite different.
First of all, the digital signal is measured in dBFS, a unit that actually corresponds to the difference between the signal level and the highest signal that can exist.
It has nothing to do with the 0 VU measurements we mentioned earlier.
In other words:
- As long as your signal stays below 0 dBFS, there’s no problem and no coloration, except for that of your preamp / processing chain
- If the signal exceeds 0 dBFS, it will not be reproduced when listened to (for example, with headphones or on speakers, once the digital-to-analog conversion has taken place).
So, what will happen?
Well, the sound will clip.
This means that any signal exceeding the 0 dBFS threshold will be purely and simply truncated. The consequence is a strong distortion devoid of any musicality, unlike the distortion found on analog equipment.
So, if you record a sound whose signal exceeds this limit, it will be destroyed by distortion and generally unusable.
An example will be clearer — here’s an acoustic guitar recorded too loud:
It’s horrible, isn’t it? 🙁
Moreover, we can clearly see that the shape of the signal we obtain on our DAW is truncated at the peaks due to the clipping phenomenon:
At What Level Should You Record Then?
Perhaps by trying to imitate analog recording, many people record their voice or guitar aiming for a level of 0 dBFS.
The problem is that by doing this, it is very difficult to ensure that the signal will not clip.
Indeed, even if you don’t hear it during tracking, it is very likely that one or two peaks exceed the fateful threshold of 0 dBFS. And when you notice it during mixing, it will be too late…
Moreover, in trying to reach this level, you risk overloading your preamps a bit too much. If you are using entry-level or mid-range equipment, this will likely harm the sound quality.
Indeed, if you record in 24 bits (which you should do), the available dynamic range is wide.
There is no need to make recordings at high levels.
On the contrary, it is a much better practice to align with an average RMS level between, say, -12 and -24 dBFS.
As for the peaks, they will of course be a bit higher — but as long as they do not exceed the famous 0 dBFS, there is no problem.
The consequence of all this: your recordings may seem less loud than before (if you were used to recording close to 0).
And that’s normal: once the mixing is done, it is during mastering that you will raise the overall level of your mix to achieve, if desired, the volume found on commercial CDs. And it is only at this point that the peak level will be close to 0 dBFS.
Good luck with your recordings ;)!