Recording - June 2019 - 26
Meters
Tone now
Most of us don't use analog tape,
and rarely turn our recordings into
LPs. Is tone a fossil from the past?
Don't you believe it.
A lot of people do their tracking
and mixing at home or in commercial
studios, then send out the completed
results to mastering engineers to be
twiddled and tweaked for eventual
release as CDs, downloads or
streams. There isn't a universal
standard for level these days (see Eric
Ferguson's article about why not),
and that makes the life of a mastering
engineer complicated. If the nominal
level in your studio is -20dBFS, and
the nominal level in mine is -14dBFS,
our recordings won't match in level.
It'd be nice to be able to communicate
to the poor mastering engineer what
your particular nominal level is,
so they doesn't have to go into the
program and figure out what the
levels are, because time is still money.
The way to communicate that
information is right in front of us! If you
mix using a VU meter (we're getting
there), and include on your portable
hard drive or thumb drive, along with
the music tracks to be mastered, a welllabeled Tone track that corresponds to
the nominal level in your studio-your
own personal 0vu-you can make the
mastering engineer's life a lot easier.
In various spots on my hard drive, I
keep Tone files that correspond to my
own preferred 0vu level, which in digital
terms is -14dBFS. Instead of 400Hz
or 1000Hz, I use 440Hz, because I
can use that as a tuning reference for
my guitar. (First string, 5th fret; fourth
string, 7th fret harmonic; fifth string,
5th fret harmonic.) If you wish, you can
download a WAV file with my "house
tone" on it from recordingmag.com/
downloads/tone-metering-housetone;
it's 16-bits at 44.1kHz sampling rate.
26 RECORDING June 2019
When we discuss meters, we're not
talking about the funky New Orleans
band, but the things that engineers
spent years staring at. If you want all
the songs from a project to match in
loudness, it still makes sense to mix
them using a VU meter, because VU
meters respond to loudness in about
the same way that ears do. Your
VU meter needs to be calibrated to
your studio's nominal level, and you
can use Tone to calibrate the meter
and-as
already
mentioned-to
communicate that nominal level to the
engineer who'll see your songs next.
Hard vs. soft
That's fine for me; I bought an Ampex
VU meter panel back in the 1970s,
when they were cheap, and I put in
a buffer amp so the VU meters can't
load down the audio in nonlinear ways
and cause distortion (which, without a
buffer, hardware VU meters will do). I
also put in an adjustment to calibrate
the meters to my nominal level.
But what if you don't have a VU meter
that you can patch into your DAW?
They occasionally show up on Ebay,
but they're pretty sporadic, usually cost
a hefty chunk of money, and don't have
the buffer amps; you'd need to build and
install them, which is kind of a pain in
the anatomy. Companies like Dorrough
and RTW do make modern hardware
meters, but they can be spendy.
Fortunately, if you do a Google
search for "VU meter plug-in," you'll
discover that there are software
solutions; they usually show up as
standard format plug-ins that work
with your DAW. Some of them are
free, others cost money. I'm going to
take a stand here: pay the money!
My investigations of free VU meter
downloads left me quite paranoid;
these free products, like many on the
Internet, are prime vectors for truly
nasty malware. (There's a saying that
has become entrenched in the folklore
of the Internet: "If something is free,
you're the product." In other words,
with free stuff, someone is selling
access to your attention, or your data,
or the back door to your computer.)
Besides, free software won't have tech
support to help you integrate it into
your DAW.
So I think you should buy VU meter
software, and you should probably
buy it through a reputable dealer like
Sweetwater. For example, they'll sell
you a software version of the famous
Dorrough Loudness Meter for $45,
which strikes me as a bargain.
Putting them together
Just to restate: what I'm suggesting
has two stages, and they're designed
for folks who, like many of us, send
mixes to a mastering engineer before
releasing them into the wild. To get
a leg up on the mastering process,
do your mixes using a VU meter set
to your "house standard" of 0vu
to monitor the levels. Then, when
you send the completed mixes to a
mastering engineer to be made ready
for release as a CD or a download
or a streamed file, let that mastering
engineer know your house 0vu level
by including Tone.
It's an old tool, but Tone can fulfill the
same purpose it did during the tape era:
communication with the next engineer
down the line. Give it a try.
Paul J. Stamler is a recording engineer,
musician, and educator, living in St. Louis.
VU Meter: Coleman Audio MBP2
http://www.recordingmag.com/
Recording - June 2019
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - June 2019
Fade In
Fast Forward
Focal Trio11 Be
Eric Loomis—From live sound to Ivy Hall
Test Tones & Metering
Handy Hardware
Cool Controllers
Stellar Soundware
First Look: KRK Systems ROKIT 5 G4
Vance Powell on mixing The Raconteurs' Help Us Stranger
Steinberg Cubase 10
Plug-In Outlet: Puremagnetik Plug-ins
Lynx Studio Technology Aurora(n)
Studio 101. Part 17: Studio controllers
Readers’ Tracks
Fade Out
Recording - June 2019 - Intro
Recording - June 2019 - Cover1
Recording - June 2019 - Cover2
Recording - June 2019 - 1
Recording - June 2019 - 2
Recording - June 2019 - 3
Recording - June 2019 - Fade In
Recording - June 2019 - 5
Recording - June 2019 - 6
Recording - June 2019 - 7
Recording - June 2019 - Fast Forward
Recording - June 2019 - 9
Recording - June 2019 - 10
Recording - June 2019 - 11
Recording - June 2019 - Focal Trio11 Be
Recording - June 2019 - 13
Recording - June 2019 - 14
Recording - June 2019 - 15
Recording - June 2019 - Eric Loomis—From live sound to Ivy Hall
Recording - June 2019 - 17
Recording - June 2019 - 18
Recording - June 2019 - 19
Recording - June 2019 - 20
Recording - June 2019 - 21
Recording - June 2019 - 22
Recording - June 2019 - 23
Recording - June 2019 - Test Tones & Metering
Recording - June 2019 - 25
Recording - June 2019 - 26
Recording - June 2019 - 27
Recording - June 2019 - Handy Hardware
Recording - June 2019 - 29
Recording - June 2019 - 30
Recording - June 2019 - 31
Recording - June 2019 - 32
Recording - June 2019 - 33
Recording - June 2019 - Cool Controllers
Recording - June 2019 - 35
Recording - June 2019 - 36
Recording - June 2019 - 37
Recording - June 2019 - 38
Recording - June 2019 - 39
Recording - June 2019 - Stellar Soundware
Recording - June 2019 - 41
Recording - June 2019 - 42
Recording - June 2019 - 43
Recording - June 2019 - 44
Recording - June 2019 - 45
Recording - June 2019 - First Look: KRK Systems ROKIT 5 G4
Recording - June 2019 - 47
Recording - June 2019 - Vance Powell on mixing The Raconteurs' Help Us Stranger
Recording - June 2019 - 49
Recording - June 2019 - 50
Recording - June 2019 - 51
Recording - June 2019 - 52
Recording - June 2019 - 53
Recording - June 2019 - 54
Recording - June 2019 - 55
Recording - June 2019 - 56
Recording - June 2019 - 57
Recording - June 2019 - Steinberg Cubase 10
Recording - June 2019 - 59
Recording - June 2019 - Plug-In Outlet: Puremagnetik Plug-ins
Recording - June 2019 - 61
Recording - June 2019 - Lynx Studio Technology Aurora(n)
Recording - June 2019 - 63
Recording - June 2019 - Studio 101. Part 17: Studio controllers
Recording - June 2019 - 65
Recording - June 2019 - Readers’ Tracks
Recording - June 2019 - 67
Recording - June 2019 - 68
Recording - June 2019 - 69
Recording - June 2019 - 70
Recording - June 2019 - 71
Recording - June 2019 - Fade Out
Recording - June 2019 - Cover3
Recording - June 2019 - Cover4
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202502
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202501
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202412
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202411
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202410
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202409
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202408
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202407
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202406
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202405
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording-november-2023
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_20205
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/musicmaker/musicmaker/recording_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_201001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/recording_200910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/musicmaker/nxtd
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com