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November 14, 2018

Setting the Perfect Recording Levels in LPX
(Hint: It’s Easier Than You Think)

 

When it comes down to getting great recordings in Logic, recording levels are no joke! You’d think setting levels would be easy, right? Turn up the gain on your interface until the track is loud and clear and then hit record.

And you’d be right! As long as you know that there is such thing as too loud when you’re recording…

The good thing is, setting recording levels in Logic is actually quite simple. But I know plenty of Logic users who fret about getting the perfect levels. And it’s certainly not their fault.

A quick Google search will turn up plenty of passionate opinions from forum lurkers all about recording levels. Throw in terms like “VU,” “dBu,” and “gain staging,” and you can’t help but start to sweat a little.

All these terms are important. But when you’re working with a USB interface and your Macbook Pro – there’s only one rule you need to live by for recording levels.

So in today’s video, I dig into the only thing that matters with recording into Logic. Say it with me –

Don’t exceed 0 dB.

Enjoy!

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Comments

  1. Jimmy says

    November 14, 2018 at 5:20 pm

    Thanks Chris for this simple, great advice. Youd be surprised how few people keep this in mind when tracking/recording, and yes, even mixing.

    My general rule when recording in LPX is this, set the fader at 0 (Hold Option Key – Click Fader), where the bold line is on the graph, or what is called Unity Gain, and make sure that nothing goes above the fader. With some occasional transient peaks, this should also keep you hovering around the -18db range, which is usually an ideal level for most plugins.

    Being that I typically use a simple signal chain in my recording process, like vocals for instance, where I’ll use a Neve 1073 and an LA-2, I make sure that the level is set first with the Neve preamp only, then add the LA-2 and check the level again.

    For me not much has really changed over the years regarding this technique, which I refer to as Good In–Good Out. At some point I hope buy a mic splitter box of some kind so I can record one ‘wet’ processed track, and one ‘dry’ unprocessed track, which I can treat later with preamp plugins should I decide I just cant get what I want out of the processed track. But so far, I havent needed to do this if I follow the good in, good out rule. Please feel free to recommend a splitter box for this application if you have a favorite model in mind.

    Reply
    • chris.vandeviver says

      November 17, 2018 at 8:11 pm

      Hey Jimmy, thanks for the comment! I agree with you on all points. -18dB is a great place to set recording levels. Plenty of room for vocalists or drummers that get really excited 🙂

      Reply
  2. Bruce Jepson says

    January 16, 2019 at 3:30 pm

    Hello Chris,

    I am learning so much from your wonderful posts. I’m new to LPX, recently upgraded from Garage Band. Very glad I found this site!

    Thanks!
    Bruce
    Warren,NJ

    Reply
    • chris.vandeviver says

      January 17, 2019 at 8:54 pm

      Hey Bruce, Welcome to LPX! And glad to hear WLPR is helping you out 🙂 Feel free to reach out with questions!

      Reply
  3. Arthur says

    May 31, 2019 at 12:58 pm

    Interesting feed here! Thx for your information! I have a question that I hope can be answered here too! I recently upgraded my MacBook Pro to High Sierra, I went back to tweek one of my songs recorded two years ago and for some reason, some of the midi drum tracks wouldn’t play back! Even though the tracks weren’t muted and you could play sounds on them!

    Reply
  4. Wes Webb says

    May 31, 2020 at 1:23 am

    Turn it down. How?

    I have a plug and play Rode NT-USB mic. GarageBand let’s you set the input level within the software. Logic seems not to have such an input level function. I appreciate the history and context. The million dollar question for those of us with decent but basic equipment is HOW do you turn the input level down in Logic? Thanks!

    Reply
    • chris.vandeviver says

      May 31, 2020 at 10:46 am

      Hi Wes, thanks for your question! Typically the level would be set on your audio interface or USB microphone. Taking a look at the Rode NT-USB manual, it appears you adjust the recording level within your Mac’s Sound Preferences. Take a look at pages 15-17 for instructions: http://cdn1.rode.com/nt-usb-multilingual-manual.pdf

      Reply
      • Pat says

        February 17, 2022 at 5:05 am

        Ah, fantastic. I’d long since given up trying to figure out how to do this with this particular mic. I have other, better, options, but sometimes having something that’s just ready to go and plug-n-play is ideal for capturing an idea on the hoof. Brilliant advice, as ever. Thanks, Chris!

        Reply

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