How loud is loud enough (in the studio)

    Up to this point I've been monitoring at just above conversational levels. Same for noodling round with the Kemper, have neighbours to cater for.


    They happened to be away for a week and I took the opportunity to turn my monitoring up a few notches and the difference was night and day. This wasn't earsplitting volumes by any stretch, someone sitting next to me in the listening position would still be able to talk and be heard without effort. This would all be more meaningful with an SPL meter but my mate has it presently setting up his home theatre.

    Anyway I would say the effect was more than the fletcher munson effect, although undoubtedly that was part of it, and could be the extra sound pressure is over coming some of the inherent sound problems in my room. The difference between commercial profiles from the same vendors was instantly very clear and the overall effect was far more amp like.

    I'm no engineer let alone acoustician but I like the effect. Mixing at these levels is something I have yet to attempt and it could be the result is disappointing but for noodling around or jamming to YouTube tracks now is immeasurably more fun!!

    Any similar experience from other owners?

    Well, officially people say you should calibrate your monitors to 87dB or thereabouts (or maybe that's mixing for cinema. Can't remember). I find that to be too loud however, so I have mine more around 78dB. Use an SPL meter and you won't go far wrong.


    Cheers,
    Sam

    When I mix in my studio I do it around 85db has this helps with not having the effect of the room to much, but when clients come in to hear there mixes they want to hear it loud so crack it up. People always assume that louder is better, that's why when I compare a few compressor etc I make sure they are putting out the same volume or you will most always pick the louder one, as our brain thinks its better. That's why we have the loudness war going on because people want there tracks to sound louder than the next persons because the average person thanks its better.

    At about 85 dB the Fletcher- Munson curve is most flat, therefore you see a lot of recommendations for mixing at this level.
    An experienced engineer knows his own hearing bias though and can mix at much lower levels for more convenience and to prevent hearing fatigue.

    Quote from Ingolf

    At about 85 dB the Fletcher- Munson curve is most flat, therefore you see a lot of recommendations for mixing at this level.
    An experienced engineer knows his own hearing bias though and can mix at much lower levels for more convenience and to prevent hearing fatigue.


    This. But if you don't have a dB meter, a rule of thumb I've seen used is that if you can't comfortably have a conversation with someone, your monitors are too loud.


    But personally I check the mix on all levels, even whisper quiet. Works great for checking if your snare and vocals are too loud/quiet. (You should hear snare and vocals first when you raise the volume from zero slowly).

    Quote from nakedzen

    This. But if you don't have a dB meter, a rule of thumb I've seen used is that if you can't comfortably have a conversation with someone, your monitors are too loud.


    But personally I check the mix on all levels, even whisper quiet. Works great for checking if your snare and vocals are too loud/quiet. (You should hear snare and vocals first when you raise the volume from zero slowly).


    Exactly this!

    If it's just for playing, you definitely don't want to hear your guitar strings ringing, I mean it, no bare strings sound at all, it really badly affects the feel and interaction. Turn it loud enough to hear amp only or use headphones, but that brings out another level of crap, I'd not recommend it at all for monitoring guitars, headphones suck for that, no matter how good they are.
    For mixing, all is covered in above posts.

    I have found it disturbing to play the Kemper tuned down a half-step out monitors set so low I can hear my guitar.
    What a clash!


    While it helps with ear fatigue and all to set monitor levels, the most important calibration is headphone usage.
    That is easy to abuse and hurt your hearing.


    If playing by myself, for some reason, it helps me accept a lower volume level with some Reverb added (versus dry)