What is preferred OUT 1 VU meter sound level?

Lkdog

Power User
I may not be asking this correctly, but is there a preferred or acceptable range level for output on the VU meters on OUT 1 block?
Some presets or scenes are below 0 and never get into the red even when strummed hard.

The OUT 1 level itself is set to 0.0 db.
 
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I may not be asking this correctly, but is there a preferred or acceptable range level for output on the VU meters on OUT 1 block?
Some presets or scenes are below 0 and never get into the red even when strummed hard.

The OUT 1 level itself is set to 0.0 db.
I think like most things, it should be tickling the red. I'm sure someone smarter than me will reply but somewhere within said preset there is a "parameter" that needs bumping a little. It won't hurt to increase Out 1 but sometimes that just doesn't do it. I usually find I have the opposite problem - go from one preset that's perfect volume to one that has me scrambling for the Global volume EV-1. I've spent a lot of time going through every preset I have adjusting them for a certain dB (85-95 for my space) with my FRFR cab volume set and EV-1 Global Volume wide open just to get a smooth transition for them all.
 
As long as you're consistent with the level from preset to preset, there really isn't a problem with being a bit below 0. Personally, I push the meters as close to 0.0 dB as possible with maybe a very slight tickle of red using the most aggressive gain and/or effects laden scene. I found that using this method reduces the chance of any clipping of the delay repeats or reverb trails. I will err on the side of not hitting the red.

There are factors such as the effects used in a preset and the Bypass Mode that will affect a presets overall level. For example, the amp block defaults to -12.0, if you lower the Gain and/or Master Volume they will reduce the overall level. If Bypass Mode is set to 'Mute Fx In', setting the Mix parameter below 50% on most effects will affect the overall level as well, even if the block is bypassed.

If you are using Reverb, Multi Delay or Plex Delay blocks and set the mix higher, it can also cause the overall volume to drop a bit when engaged. In this case I'll use the effects Level to compensate.

When adjusting preset levels, I personally use the Level parameter of the Amp block. Can't say that it's any better or worse than using the Output Level, it just makes more sense to me to leave the Output block level alone.
 
As long as you're consistent with the level from preset to preset, there really isn't a problem with being a bit below 0. Personally, I push the meters as close to 0.0 dB as possible with maybe a very slight tickle of red using the most aggressive gain and/or effects laden scene. I found that using this method reduces the chance of any clipping of the delay repeats or reverb trails. I will err on the side of not hitting the red.

There are factors such as the effects used in a preset and the Bypass Mode that will affect a presets overall level. For example, the amp block defaults to -12.0, if you lower the Gain and/or Master Volume they will reduce the overall level. If Bypass Mode is set to 'Mute Fx In', setting the Mix parameter below 50% on most effects will affect the overall level as well, even if the block is bypassed.

If you are using Reverb, Multi Delay or Plex Delay blocks and set the mix higher, it can also cause the overall volume to drop a bit when engaged. In this case I'll use the effects Level to compensate.

When adjusting preset levels, I personally use the Level parameter of the Amp block. Can't say that it's any better or worse than using the Output Level, it just makes more sense to me to leave the Output block level alone.
That's what I meant to say...:rolleyes:👍
 
When adjusting preset levels, I personally use the Level parameter of the Amp block. Can't say that it's any better or worse than using the Output Level, it just makes more sense to me to leave the Output block level alone.
I experimented with using the Out block’s Level for a while, then switched back, and now use the Amp block’s Level again.

I switched back again because I also use the Out block to provide a solo boost by bumping up the level 3 dB. Trying to manage that and the overall level resulted in spending too much time fiddling with the settings to get the balance right in each scene and preset. Now I just drop in my Out block from the library and it does the right thing when I adjust the Amp’s level.

Regarding using the meter: I set my scenes and presets to just tickle the red when I’m using gain and distortion in the amp, because of the natural compression. Then I adjust my cleans so they sound equally loud, which seems to result in them crossing into the red about 3 dB for the very first part of a hard strum, then it drops below 0 in less than a second. That lets me adjust the volume of the cleans by strumming or fingerpicking harder and maintains a bit of punch but not enough to be obnoxious. Overall this seems to work well.
 
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Red on the OUT block meters is not clipping. I really wish it was a green to yellow to orange gradient instead of red to eliminate that confusion. 0 dB on those meters corresponds to about -14 dBFS (i.e. about 14 dB below clipping), so there's still ample headroom. Even the very top of that meter (10 dB) is still a few dB below clipping. The 0 dB point is just sort of a level sweet spot that ensures a strong signal for good SNR yet ample headroom for loud peaks in dynamic signals. As long as you're in the ballpark there, you're fine. One of it's primary purposes is to give a sort of target nominal level for relative level adjustments between different scenes and presets.
 
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