Kemper>interface>daw db levels please help

  • I play with my kemper to Zoom uac2 interface into reaper.


    I am having a devil of a time getting a good volume for good sounds both while playing and when recording.


    Since the guitar goes into the kemper first, I just select the main output at -18db as I heard that was good somewhere(?) the "direct output" goes to just -10db as I can't select it by itself.


    The interface is then set just below clipping levels.


    So far I have kept the reaper level at 0db as it sounds awful below that.


    What is a good way to go about doing this? It also supremely grinds my gears that my monitoring output is dramatically different than my recording output volume.


    Could you please walk me through this as if I was a dumb 5 year old?


    Thank you!

  • Could you please walk me through this as if I was a dumb 5 year old?

    OK, Bilinie, sit down here like a good boy...


    Many people believe that recording just below clipping is a good thing to aim for. I'm not one of those grown-ups. This was the way old people did it when they used to use things called tape machines. I'll show you a picture of one one day.


    Daddy thinks -15 -> -18dB is a good setting for Mr. Kemper's output setting. The only thing Daddy thinks you might be doing wrong, because Daddy's not like those other old people, is cranking the input gain on Mr. Interface to bring it back up again. This is naughty! Try leaving the gain settings on Mr. Interface at unity gain (neutral - no gain change), and see how that sounds.


    Yes, you might have to raise the overall level coming from Mr. Computer to Mr. Studio Monitor if you record all your tracks at this lower setting, but Mr. Big-ass Judgemental Fan Base will thank you for it one day when your hitoons have punch, impact and clarity that gets their footsies moving.


    Understand? Good boy. :D

  • OK, Bilinie, sit down here like a good boy...
    Many people believe that recording just below clipping is a good thing to aim for. I'm not one of those grown-ups. This was the way old people did it when they used to use things called tape machines. I'll show you a picture of one one day.


    Daddy thinks -15 -> -18dB is a good setting for Mr. Kemper's output setting. The only thing Daddy thinks you might be doing wrong, because Daddy's not like those other old people, is cranking the input gain on Mr. Interface to bring it back up again. This is naughty! Try leaving the gain settings on Mr. Interface at unity gain (neutral - no gain change), and see how that sounds.

    Now this is something i've been slightly baffled with too. I've been doing as you said, -18 out of Kemper, into interface with the preamp of my interface set to -18, sounds great in DAW, but then when i export to iTunes the outcome is much more quiet than other mp3s. Rookie question here but is this due to lack of mastering? I'm not trying to publish these yet, just to listen back, show others, etc. Did i misinterpret what you're saying? It's not the end of the world having to raise the master volume when wanting to listen to one of my demos, it's more so when i forget, and another track comes on and scares the heck out of me and the misses. (Should be said the audio signal goes Kemper -> Apollo Twin preamps -> Computer -> Apollo Twin out -> monitors)

  • I've been doing as you said, -18 out of Kemper, into interface with the preamp of my interface set to -18

    This isn't what Daddy said, oh... hang on... I'm Bilinie's daddy. Sorry mate.


    Yeah, it's not what I said. I suggested trying the interface at unity gain, meaning no gain or attenuation. What you're describing is removing an additional 18dB of level from the Kemper's signal, which would mean that it's 36dB down, which is a helluva lot, man.


    Maybe you meant that you're seeing -18 on the interface, which is (I think, provided it's calibrated as the Kemper is, which it should be) what one would expect at a unity setting. If indeed you're removing an additional 18dB, try taking care of that and see how you go.


    Mastering, or "quick-and-dirty-style" "mastering", as is done by many, if not most who post music and clips, is achieved by simply placing a limiter / loudness maximiser and maybe a compressor and EQ on the master channel when rendering or exporting the file. All those peeps are doing is removing dynamic range and cranking levels to "compete", which is what it sounds like you might want to do also. Bear in mind that if you "fix" that additional 18dB thing first, things will sound a whole-lot more-similar to what you're expecting / hoping for in terms of level.


    EDIT:
    Forget a compressor. In this situation the most you can gain(!) with the least amount of effort, IMHO, can be achieved with an EQ (for sweetening) and limiter / loudness maximiser alone.

  • This depends on whether or not it provides gain as well as attenuation.


    If it's a mic-preamp input, it's highly likely that it's gain-only, in which case, yes, that'd mean if it's all-the-way down, it has no action on the signal.


    If there are any level markings on it, they will tell you - if you see only increasing dB levels there, it's gain-only. If you see a zero and "-dB" levels below it, set it at the zero mark.

  • The reason that you keep all of your individual tracks at a reasonable level, is so your daw doesn't have to sum too many loud signals.
    Daws aren't good at this, unlike analog consoles, that will offer pleasing distortion if that's what you're looking for.
    If once you have your track mixed, you want more volume, just go ahead and boost the two buss anyway you see fit as the summing stage has already been taken care of.

  • Monkey's advice is solid and should point you to towards a solution, but a couple of other questions come to mind.


    Are you using the Zoom interface software? Looks like thats the best way to see what the interfaces inputs is actually seeing, what its input gain really set to, and looks pretty straight forward with output mixes and meters etc. This guy:


    [Blocked Image: https://www.zoom.co.jp/sites/d…/files/UAC-2_MixEfX_0.png]Software downloadable from Zoom website here (bottom of page):
    https://www.zoom.co.jp/product…audio-converter#downloads



    From you description its sounds like your dB mismatch issue is in the Zoom mixer input/output setting. Hopefully the software gives you a better picture of whats going on?


    As a quick work around you could just Normalize the recorded section if you wanted (basically raises the loudest part of the selected clip/s to 0dB). In Reaper, just select the recorded waveform/s then press "Ctrl+Shift+N".


    Good luck mate!