Hey Steinberg,
this is already requested often, but switching from Logic I really, REEEEEALLY miss a real pre-fader metering. Your pre fader is actually post gain, what is very different to real pre fader. It is in a lot of situations by far less helpful in many ways and leads also to a problem when using Melodyne ARA as track extension, because then there are no levels shown at all.
Thanks!
Of course, it is, since the pre gain is the first step in the signal chain.
Which situations?
During recording, you can see the input metering in the input channels.
Not sure I understand. In Nuendo it looks like this:
Rather than having it labeled “pre fader” it’s input that is before the track’s signal chain. So if you want the level at the start of the track’s chain then you want “input”.
The setting that’s post-gain (“trim” really) is the setting that reads “post-fader”, not “pre”.
I guess I’m a bit confused about when someone would want a signal that is read pre-fader but post-gain. I’m not really seeing the point in that honestly (and I’m not sure I understand your example).
Sorry, I must have caused some confusion with my own namings. Cubase labels it correct “input metering” what I labeled wrong “post-gain” or “pre-fader metering”. Nevertheless, a PROPER pre-fader metering is still something I miss a lot.
The Path is:
Signal → Input/Gain → Inserts → Fader → Pan
Metering Positions are:
Signal → Input/Gain (Input Metering or what I called Post Gain) → Inserts → (Pre Fader) Fader (Post Fader) → Pan (Post Pan)
So in my world pre-fader is, where the magic happens while mixing and what Cubase is missing.
Input metering is somehow useless, because I do not use software monitoring. That means, before recording I am metering the gain in the mixer of my soundcard, while recording in the input of Cubase. After recording… no reason to watch it again.
While mixing I want to see, what my inserts are doing. I want to see, how much signal I push into the channel. What happens AFTER my last inserted insert effect? Does it really sound better or is it just louder? Are there any clippings in the peaks?
Post-fader metering… for what? In wich case is it important to see what I have to hear anyway? “This instrument is not as loud as the other ones”… uhm… yeah… I pushed the volume fader down and I can hear it… so…?
So this is, how I work and what for me is a proper metering. Of course there are ways around it, but this is for me the fastest way to see, where problems in the mix are happening.
I guess I just don’t see the big value in it. You feed your inserts with whatever is recorded and you can see that level with the current metering set to “input”. If that level is “off” you can adjust that by using the gain. But the level offset is easy to calculate if needed and I really don’t see the point in seeing it reflected in metering. In addition the receiving plugins should have input meters if the input level is important, or at least some other indication that the level is off.
You could say the exact same thing for what you call “proper pre-fader” metering (before gain/trim). You have a signal that feeds inserts and at the end of the day whatever that results in is something you “have to hear anyway”. So why the metering?
Do you ask, because you really do not understand, or do you ask to convince me, pre-fader metering is useless?
I have to ask, because (with all respect and not wanting to offend you) this is a really mysterious, confusing, and little bit annoying habit in this forum. It is like Steinberg users are some kind of afraid about this feature coming into cubase, or feeling, why ever, provoked because of the request itself.
If you really do not understand I am looking forward to discuss with you, why you can not say the same about pre-fader metering as about post-fader. At least not without questioning the whole metering itself.
But when you ask because of just trying to convince me… sorry but… uhm… why?
Ok, you made a feature request. Let’s leave it at that.