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Reading Logics EQ....


Trashytommy

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Up until now I’ve just dialed in EQ by ear with little care about what’s going on in the meters but with a little “general” knowledge (better to cut than boost, cut out far lows to eliminate rumble, boost mids slightly and just a touch of boost in the highs etc).

 

Tonight I’m looking at my bouncing signal and see it’s going up to about 5 on the left hand scale at around the 250 frequency mark...... Im getting a recording in that area that I really like and until some of you corrected me I figured I had bumped the EQ too

hard and caused pleasant distortion. Now I’m thinking I recorded a little too hot in those vocal parts and that is what is creating a raspy vocal and boosting the EQ accentuated that - without sending you a clip (I have no wifi in this new apartment yet and a phone that is desperately slow due to using up my monthly plan), plus I’m

shy to put my singing out there....do you guys think the raspiness is a result of recording too hot and is this a trick people might use to get less “smooth” vocals?

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It’s peaking at 3 on the input signal and about 9 on the bounce levels.

I think these levels are ok although I think I should be aiming for 12 on the input.

I’m thinking now it’s how my voice is when singing that kind of style

I bypassed the EQ and compressor as you said David.

Originally I had been using a cheap microphone, so, I’m guessing this SM7b is picking up more detail that I never heard before.

Edit.....with EQ and compression engage I’m touching 0 on the left meter (not quite in the red yet and on the bounce meter I’m going into the red.

Not sure what these mean, but in the two pairs of boxes above the meters these are my readings -

Left meter, left black box —0.8

Left meter, right brown box 14.1

 

Bounce meter

Left black box..... -17.0

Right red box....3.1

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Thanks Triplets and David - yes, I’m not clipping but I think I should probably aiming for -12 to allow for when I add more tracks and effects to leave a little headroom.

As long as you're not distorting your recording, you're fine as far as the recording level is concerned: no distortion was created. If you need to lower the gain, you can use a gain plug-in, or lower the volume fader on the channel strip. Adding an effect plug-in should not result in gain increase unless you want to increase the gain.

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If your peak is at -3 then you have not clipped Logic. But you may in fact be recording to hot for the analogue part of your gear. That depends in part on the gear. The mic pre may be clipping while the input at the converter is not. Record at 24 bit and turn the mic pre down a bit and see where you like the sound best. As far as the build up at 250hz, put your hand over your mouth and talk. That is pretty much the sound of 250. That doesn't say raspy to me.

 

Steve

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Ok, I’ve been trying to avoid the embarrasment of my singing by uploading an audio file but I’ve been unable to replicate a verse that I thought was distorted but liked the raspy sound that I thought must be due to distortion. Further attempts have the vocal coming out as just too “smooth” as I always presumed that is how I sing, would like to dial in settings if they are due to distortion and I guess the only way to do that is upload my vocals and cringe. However, I’ve dug around the site and the internet on how to upload files to the site as I didn’t want to bug you guys (I’m not computer savvy) but I’m not finding out how to.

I don’t have internet in this new place yet so I’ll bounce the file to my phone with airdrop and send from there....how do I get the files to you?

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Thanks Jacob, but that seems to assume you are on a computer and it refers to a “logic file”......not sure if after I bounce the file then airdrop to “files” on my phone if that would be considered a logic file?

I would have to send from my phone as I don’t have internet set up in my new place.

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No, me Tarzan, not Jain :D

Back in the early days of auto-correct, it used to take a weird word and turn it into what it would guess was the most likely actual word you meant. Lately, it seems that auto-correct finds it much more fun to take an actual word and turn it into the weirdest thing it can come up with, unbeknownst to you. Go figure. :shock:

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Originally I had been using a cheap microphone, so, I’m guessing this SM7b is picking up more detail that I never heard before.

Not necessarily… maybe even not likely. Depending on your volume into your "cheap" mic (and the amount of gain on your preamp), your sound is more likely to clip on a cheaper mic than on an SM7B. Those things can take a beating when it comes to SPL. As a generic concept, I'd say condenser mics do a better job of picking up legitimate details than dynamic mics… and the SM7B is a dynamic.

 

Not sure what these mean, but in the two pairs of boxes above the meters these are my readings -

Left meter, left black box —0.8

Left meter, right brown box 14.1

Sounds like you're talking about your track channel strip in the Inspector. Left number isn't a meter technically—it shows the level your track fader is set at.

Right box is the actual level your track is outputting. "Brown" sounds like it's actually the amber (orange) warning, letting you know that that particular track went over zero.

 

Bounce meter

Do you mean the Stereo Out? (Or Aux level, if/when you start bussing signals.)

 

Left black box..... -17.0

Right red box....3.1

Same things here. Left box displays the level the stereo out or aux is set at, right box is the actual level of signal output. If it's turning red, the project is clipping.

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