Level match multiple takes/tracks at once?

Is there any functionality to quickly level match multiple takes and/or tracks at once? After recording I normally level match my takes by hand so I don’t fall for “the louder take was the best” trap (especially when comparing different microphones on the same performer), but in the heat of the moment this can take some time and cause loss of momentum. I’m not looking for “normalization” as I dont want this to be based on peak level, as ideally I’d like to actually ignore the peaks so if vocal consonants are loud in one take vs another, these are ignored so I doesn’t throw off the whole level balance between the actual sustained notes.

Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

No

You could try something like Hornet VU meter 3 in group mode to automatically match tracks level but I don’t know any easy way to match takes.
Any solution to do this is only likely to match average level so you would have to avoid those particularly loud consonants to get a good match.

It’s only €2.50 to purchase if you want to experiment.

Tbh I dont you should be level matching.


As long as you’re not adjusting the gain when you’re recording the takes, and the performer isn’t moving for some reason the level is part of the performance.

You could use something like an LA2A levelling compressor vst to even it a little before heavier compression.

I’ve actually never heard of people referring to louder ‘takes’ being better… louder mixes yes. A louder performance normally has an effect on the tonality, so it’s a legitimate reason to either prefer or not prefer a louder take.

Michael

Agree. IMO in this case your ears are probably the best judge of what is the best take, but you might be able to achieve what you want with something like Melda’s MAutoVolume.

Agreed. Just put a compressor on the track and that should take care of things as long as your takes are in roughly the same ball park.

Thanks for the tips everyone. I guess I’m not really looking per take per say (though if the vocalist steps back from the mic it can cause a noticeable drop in volume that might not sound bad if compensated for), but more importantly I’m looking to level match per microphone as I tend to shoot out our different mics to see which one works the best for the vocalist per song, or even per part of the song. Here I do feel level matching is important, and to speed up the process I will give the Hornet VU a shot since the price is so low.

I know Protools has the option of normalizing using RMS and was hoping Cubase could do the same. I guess not. :frowning:

If have enough pres/mic stands etc… then you could try something like this… Telefunken Microphone Shootout AR-51, AK-47, CU-29, M260 @ ZenPro Audio - YouTube

No need to level match then…