Lower db in DAW despite what Axe Edit says? How?

Z

zero_

Member
This is probably a really dumb question and I'm misreading something but please enlighten me as I'm new to everything. For example I have guitar preset that currently peaks at around 0db according to the mixer or leveling tool in Axe Edit III (I know I plan on lowering it), but when I record something in Reaper the meters only peak at about -11db. How is this possible, what very obvious rudimentary thing am I not grasping here?

Using Axe Fx III Mk II, SPDIF into Scarlett 18i8 into Reaper.
 
Hi !
Have a look at this video about levels, scaling etc… Although I didn’t watch it till the end , it seems a good way to understand levels, one of the key of making good recordings.
 
Yes the 0dbFS beeing the maximum digital signal strength, everything higher will clip and create digital artefacts.
That's why axeedit and frontpanel show a reasonable goal volume beeing at -something dbFS, giving you some headroom before digital clipping occurs
 
Seems right to me, the level tool is calibrated to -12 I thought?
You should be hitting your DAW at about that label as well.
 
It also depends on the metering algorithm that your DAW uses. I'm not exactly sure what algorithm the Axe III uses for its VU meters, but I'm pretty sure its an averaged and/or frequency weighted one to give a better average perceived level. Most DAWS these days can use peak, RMS, or LUFS based metering. For me, 0 dB on the Axe III VU meters is around -14 dBFS in Reaper. IIRC with continuous white noise from the synth block, it's around -12 dBFS. The exact values will vary depending on the metering algorithm and sampling window used by your DAW.
 
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mr_fender said:
It also depends on the metering algorithm that your DAW uses. I'm not exactly sure what algorithm the Axe III uses for its VU meters, but I'm pretty sure its an averaged and/or frequency weighted one to give a better average perceived level. Most DAWS these days can use peak, RMS, or LUFS based metering. For me, 0 dB on the Axe III VU meters is around -14 dBFS in Reaper. IIRC with continuous white noise from the synth block, it's around -12 dBFS. The exact values will vary depending on the metering algorithm and sampling window used by your DAW.
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So does this mean that the red I see in the Axe Edit mixer isn't clipping as long as it is around something like -12 db in my DAW or should I make sure Axe is peaking at something like -12db then just increase the volume in my DAW?
 
Afaik, in the Axefx levelling tool, the beginning of the red segment is -12. I never shoot for 0 anywhere as this would be bad digital clipping and one needs to leave
headroom for unexpected
large transients particularly with clean tones.
 
zero_ said:
So then what do you try to get your db peaks kept at in Axe Fx? Do you shoot for 0db and keep around -12db in DAW or does the red in axe fx actually mean clipping?
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That’s what makes it so confusing. Everybody sees the red and assumes it means clipping, since that’s such a widely used convention. But no, it does not mean clipping. It would probably be better if it used a different color to help avoid this confusion.
 
GlennO said:
That’s what makes it so confusing. Everybody sees the red and assumes it means clipping, since that’s such a widely used convention. But no, it does not mean clipping. It would probably be better if it used a different color to help avoid this confusion.
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You caught me mid reply, thank you and yes it is totally confusing, at least for a newbie like me. So then it is generally a good idea to keep the average guitar level right around the line?
 
zero_ said:
You caught me mid reply, thank you and yes it is totally confusing, at least for a newbie like me. So then it is generally a good idea to keep the average guitar level right around the line?
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Yes, that’s the purpose of that line: to ensure you’re leaving sufficient headroom to avoid clipping.
 
Yeah it would be more clear if the top of the meter was yellow or orange instead of red. Perhaps a gradient with yellow at the 0 dB mark up to orange and then red at just the very top edge of the meter.
 
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