HI,
Newbie here, just wondering how i adjust individual recording levels for each instrument in my mix?
Hello and welcome.
The general explanation:
For each channel you have a Gain, which can be accessed e.g. in the Channel Settings:
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Thanks Johnny,
So itās not the same as moving the fader levels?
No the faders are not the input gain. Depends on your audio interface as well as you usually set the input levels on the interface.
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First comes the gain on your interface. You tweak that to get an acceptable level. Avoid clipping there, it doesnāt sound good.
You see that level (whatās coming from your interface to Cubase) on the input channelās meter. You can then use pre-gain to have whatās coming from your interface to the input channel either be boosted, or cut.
You can apply EQ, compression etc on the input channel and have the effect be directly recorded to the audio track that the input channel is connected to. (Of course you canāt go back and ātake them offā, because theyāre on the input channel)
You can use the fader of the input channel to adjust what levelās are being fed to the Audio channel for recording. (Because, an EQ, a compressor, an effect, any proccessing, might have boosted or lowered the original levels coming in)
Depends on which channelās fader you move. In the Mix Console you can see any Input channels that you have defined in āAudio Connectionsā (F4).
Iāll just set the display filter so that I see only the Input channelsā¦
When I adjust the fader on an Input channel the resulting volume adjustment will get imprinted on the recording (non-reversibly).
The faders of any of these channel typesā¦
ā¦ will only affect the playback volume level.
Most people prefer to leave the Input channels on 'āneutralā, ie. they donāt touch them. Rather they make any changes either before the signal enters Cubase (e.g. Mic PreAmp, audio interface level settings) or on the playback channels (so that changes are reversible at any time).
Personally I just grab the sample and move the mouse up or down. Thatās after recording.
The input slider can be used but I believe there is a db gain option in the input channel to make it more permanent.
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Thatās yet another way to do it, and this event volume is before the channelās pre gain if Iām not mistaken.
Thanks for the feedback guys, but Iām talking about the car instruments. Is that the same thing?
Say what?
Lol! Google spellcheck! I meant to post that I was talking about vst instruments. Not audio. Haha!
Vst instruments, thatās a whole different thing.
You start with velocity, or CCs for some instruments. Velocity determines how āloudā the instrument is playing.
Then, a virtual instrument may offer an output knob in its window that you can just tweak and affect how hot the instrumentās signal hits the channel. (e.g. have screaming brass sound really quiet, or a soft kalimba sound really loud)
But thereās the possibility that the instrument doesnāt have such a knob, so you can use the pre-gain JM linked to bring the levels where you want.
Of course, each virtual instrument is different. Itās a good idea to check the documentation, to see what parameters affect what. Some instruments use CC1 for dynamics, others also use CC13, CC21, anything really. So look up each specific virtual instrument too.
Great! Thanks for your help gg and the rest of you guys! Iāve already got them set up the way I want them from each instrument software, but itās the actual levels in the final mixdown I want to adjust. Iāll check out the info you guys posted.
Cheers!
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Thatās just fader work. If youāre happy with the timbre of the sound from the instruments, just focus on the pre gain and the faders.
Thanks dude, Iām in the studio tomorrow Iāll give it a try.
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Can we please change the topic title into āHow do I mix my song well?ā?
The title and opening post are very misleading.
Agreed I answered thinking it was getting the recording levels when in fact itās a mixing question not a recording one.
Apologies guys,
Iām new to this and Iām still getting my head around all the software and dealing with Cubaseās peculiarities. I should have titled it better. Just wanted to change the levels for the audio mixdown part.
Better now guys?
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Cheers dude!