I've had my DA7 (version 2.0) for about a year and a half now and I've been very pleased with it. However, one of the of the things I've found frustrating is meter accuracy in regards to what shows as over the limit and what is actually over the limit. Even when using the internal calibration on the LR output for instance, a level of -2.0 shows as red in the OL on the meter bridge and as an OL in the meter window. When I play back just about any CD into the digital in out of my Alesis Masterlink, it's consistantly in the red as far as the OL light is concerned. My theory as far as this is concerned is that people(including me) for years using analog boards were used to seeing their meters in the red all the time for better or worse. Maybe it's just a conservertive approach to keep people from overloading the outputs and inputs but I, for one, would like to know that when I see red, in what is supposed to be the over indicator, that it actually indicates that it is an over.

[This message has been edited by L H (edited 01-02-2001).]

LH,
I agree, when I play a CD through the Da7 it's always over. When I print to DAT, HHB, the Da7 is always under. Where is O?
H

Most of my digital gear well show a red indication of overload without actually hearing any distortion. It may be there is a db or 2 of head room before actual clipping.
The adats well be at -2 and the DA7 showing 0. I've just learned to live with and become familar with how the gear handels levels. I just listen carefully when i'm mixing and have the peaks at 0.

I'm using the DA7 with Sonic Solutions DAWs and their metering on the Mac senses a rounded-off waveform (clipping) during the process. I can NEVER hear it, unless I'm really slamming the levels, but if I zoom in to check the sample it IS clipped where the meter said.

I've pretty much determined that the metering on the DA7 should be used as a reference only, as should ALL metering. DO NOT EVER try to push your levels to zero, especially if you're going to send your mixes out for mastering... GIVE THEM SOME HEADROOM TO WORK WITH! If you're truly running a 24-bit system, you can afford to keep your peaks at -3 to -5 dBFS and only lose a couple of bits in the process.



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ERIC SEABERG • San Diego, CA
eseaberg@home.com

Under the 'OSC/BATT' page in the Utilities section there is a peak LED threshold setting. You can set it as you wish.

HAPPY 2001

I've tried to adjust the LED level in the utilities and it does'nt seem to make much of a difference considering how hot the da7 registers it's incoming levels from a CD player. I just leave it at zero, which I assume, is where it would show up as the closest to showing an over in the last OL LED although the manual is'nt entirely clear about this. I'm usually quite conservative about any peaks on the LR output during a mixdown but lately I've been wondering if I need to be so strict about it. I've been mixing down to an Alesis Masterlink and in order to maximize levels to it the DA7 needs to be in the red quite a bit. Should I not worry about it?

Have you upgraded your DA7-software to version 2.01? The changes are working well
with my DA7.

I have learned to not stress over levels. Today's trend of producing the loudest CD's possible is shifting the focus away from where it should be - on the songs. Look at www.digido.com - they have several articles on digital level practices that are very enlightening. Today's pop music is WAY overcompressed so that it will sit within a smaller transmission bandwidth. Play a CD thru your DA7 that was produced 10 years ago and you will see much more realistic levels and quite possibly a little actual dynamic range! Don't ever think that because your recordings seem quieter than today's pop music that you are doing anything wrong. It's the OTHER guys that are wrong - trying to pack every db they can onto a CD is setting a bad precident.

I completelty agree Mark. It's unfortunately the trend of the times. The only reason I work on a hot CD is because of client demand.
I'll get comments like " when I play a commercial cd it's loud at 3 but I have to turn yours up to 4 to be as loud..." Whats wrong with turning it up to 4? It goes up to 10 on your stereo amp doesn't it? But they just don't get it. To them there's something wrong with that. Louder to me isn't better. I just finished mixing my personal CD. When I finished it made me realize that I really want more dynamic range, in other words the quiter parts much quiter than the loudest, and then when they've thought it was as loud as it gets, hit them with something even louder. That demands having perspective. The goal being they well have to turn there stereo level to 5 for it to be the loudest and because of that, have all that dynamic range to play with. Most pop recordings i've heard lately a whisper is as loud as the power cords. There's no dynamic range.

I've got a DK Audio (extremely hi precision) AES meter monitoring the DA7's master output, and there is a difference, truly. The internal DA7 meter turns red approx. 1 dB before the DK Audio reads tomato level. About the LED level adjustment: The v 2.0.1 software don't make any difference to v 2.0 in this aspect.
My 2 kroner!!! (...sorry - don't use cents in my country...)

I tend to agree with the above posts of Jeremy and Mark. I'm no master of the mastering by any 2 bits...however, in my little world of audio, I have noticed a few things...

I use Bias Peak on a MAC platform. When I first got the software up and running, I was a mastering fool...everything that was on 2 track DAT found it's way on my MAC HD and compressed, smashed flattned out like a piece of paper...the hottest possible levels without clipping...talk about tomatoe indicators!!! but I wanted to see how far I could push the limit! (Pun intended). Ahem, anyway, what I did this past weekend was to take a couple of those songs and remaster them so that they were not as hot - more dynamic range...I think the lower levels sound more natural and realistic, punchy, clean and articulate.

In this day and age with the bigger is better phatter is dumber mentality, I can see why most of today's music is pushed way beyond what is necessary IMHO. Call me crazy, but if someone's got to turn their amp up to 4 instead of 3 to get the same volume and their stereo goes to 10, what's the diff? oh, and yes, all my amps go to 11.

Alan

I finished a project last month that was with a 60 piece orchestra and 150 voice choir, recorded LIVE 24-bit through an Amek analog console, and remixed straight to 24-bit Sonic Solutions DAW. We then mastered the CD on Sonic using Sony's super-bit-mapping and used NO COMPRESSION. The dynamic range is incredible!! It is truly amazing to listen to something that maintains the feel of the live performance.

IT'S ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC!!!

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ERIC SEABERG • San Diego, CA
eseaberg@home.com

Eric, YOU DA MAIN!!!!

It is somewhat up to the audio engineers here to set levels. It all depends on the purpose of the recording and where it will be played. If it is a movie soundtrack the dynamics are essential. If it has to compete
with FM radio where you are driving to the din of traffic well another story. Personally I
sometimes like to listen to the birds in my yard. They seem to put things in perspective eh.
no worries