Jump to content

Sound Level Meter recommendations


Recommended Posts

Hey everyone,

 

Lately I've been a bit concerned about the loudness level I work at, and I want to avoid damaging my ears. So I want to get a sound level meter for the studio so I can be more aware of my monitoring level.

 

Does anyone have any recommendations for an accurate dB Meter?

 

They seem to range greatly in price, money is tight so I'd like to know how much I need to spend to get something fairly accurate.

 

Cheers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure if phone apps are super accurate, but since you are just metering SPL, I would guess they are good enough for that. This is the one I have: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/decibel-db-sound-level-meter/id1227650795

 

Other than that, I would trust my own ears more than a meter. I always mix my music at a "conversational" level.

Maybe you are familiar with this phenomenon where the lower you go in volume, the flatter the response is?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

So I use that a lot when I'm mixing, meaning I keep it as low as possible, then I go super low, barely audible, just so I can hear what's really happening (volume-wise) and once I'm happy with the mix, I go loud so I can "feel" the music and pick some annoying frequencies and all that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not sure if phone apps are super accurate, but since you are just metering SPL, I would guess they are good enough for that. This is the one I have: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/decibel-db-sound-level-meter/id1227650795

 

Other than that, I would trust my own ears more than a meter. I always mix my music at a "conversational" level.

Maybe you are familiar with this phenomenon where the lower you go in volume, the flatter the response is?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equal-loudness_contour

So I use that a lot when I'm mixing, meaning I keep it as low as possible, then I go super low, barely audible, just so I can hear what's really happening (volume-wise) and once I'm happy with the mix, I go loud so I can "feel" the music and pick some annoying frequencies and all that.

 

Hey Danny, thanks for the app recommendation, I'll check it out.

 

Interesting, I wasn't aware that a lower volume creates a flatter response. Doesn't this kind of work against you though when mixing? By potentially creating an illusion of balanced frequencies?

 

I admittedly struggle a lot with working at a low volume, I really want to get better at it. But I just feel like I'm working blind, like I can never hear enough detail, depth or energy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lower volume creates a flatter response. Doesn't this kind of work against you though when mixing? By potentially creating an illusion of balanced frequencies?

Well , actually, the ear's sensitivity is less flat at low volumes. Treble and bass are rolled off and upper mids are pronounced, evolutionary reason being more sensitive to predators approaching. The Loudness or Contour button on your dad's stereo does the exact inverse of this to compensate for the loss of top and bottom end at low volumes.

 

Your job as a mixer is to be aware of this and adjust your mind accordingly. If you mix extra fat bass at low mixing volume, chances are that it blows speakers at medium to high volumes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I admittedly struggle a lot with working at a low volume, I really want to get better at it. But I just feel like I'm working blind, like I can never hear enough detail, depth or energy.

That's the challenge when working at normal to high volume: you always hear enough detail, depth and energy. Even when the mix isn't so good. Which makes it hard to make decisions. Sometimes, breaking the habit by turning the volume down, or even way down, or standing up, walking around, or even listening from the hallway with the studio door open... that can make things stand out that you didn't notice when you were sitting quietly right in front of your monitors playing back at a healthy level.

 

It's kinda like stepping away from your painting to see the whole picture, once in a while, rather than constantly working with your nose on the canvas to make sure you don't miss any detail.

 

I know it's helped me a lot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well , actually, the ear's sensitivity is less flat at low volumes. Treble and bass are rolled off and upper mids are pronounced, evolutionary reason being more sensitive to predators approaching. The Loudness or Contour button on your dad's stereo does the exact inverse of this to compensate for the loss of top and bottom end at low volumes.

 

Your job as a mixer is to be aware of this and adjust your mind accordingly. If you mix extra fat bass at low mixing volume, chances are that it blows speakers at medium to high volumes.

 

Ah ok I see, thanks for the correction.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Basically when you're mixing at high level, you can hear pretty much everything, right? So your judgement when it comes to the difference between sounds that should be low or high in the mix, is not going to be as accurate. If you think about it, it's almost like seeing it from the "compressor" point of view: when you're mixing too loud, it's like a compressor squashing everything so you can listen to every single thing (the low level sounds and the high level sounds). When you lower the volume, it's as if the compressor's ratio gets lower and lower, meaning the dynamics are reduced, so now you can clearly hear what's actually low and what's actually high.

 

Now the "issue" with this approach, is that a lot of details are not as accurate, that's why my first reply mentioned "volume-wise". Of course, at low volume you will not perceive the sub the same way. Or if the reverb tail is too long or too short. Or if a sound has a piercing sound (annoying high frequency, for example) you won't be able to judge that the same way. Sometimes the only way to really pinpoint annoying frequencies is by turning the volume up and think: if this was playing in a club/bar/stadium, would I feel as if my eardrums were being attacked?

 

So yeah, I would try to make my mix sound good at a normal level first, where you could have a conversation in the room with another person. Then, lower the volume to a point where it's hardly audible so you can judge if certain elements disappear completely. Once you're happy, blast that song for a little bit, take notes in real time. Take a break so your ears can "reset" and then make adjustments based on those notes (at normal level again). Repeat the whole process again :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's the challenge when working at normal to high volume: you always hear enough detail, depth and energy. Even when the mix isn't so good. Which makes it hard to make decisions.

 

That's true, but I find you can mostly correct for this by checking references frequently. Suddenly mixes don't sound so great when compared back to back with a mix I love. :lol:

 

or even listening from the hallway with the studio door open... that can make things stand out that you didn't notice when you were sitting quietly right in front of your monitors playing back at a healthy level.

 

It's kinda like stepping away from your painting to see the whole picture, once in a while, rather than constantly working with your nose on the canvas to make sure you don't miss any detail.

 

I know it's helped me a lot.

 

Yeah definitely agree, your painting analogy is spot on. I like to listen from the next room, really helps to hear the music more holistically without being distracted by the smaller details. Thanks for the tips!

Edited by LiquidCrystal
Link to comment
Share on other sites

"But I just feel like I'm working blind, like I can never hear enough detail, depth or energy."

 

This is the trick: if you can make your music have detail, depth and energy while mixing at a normal level, it will almost certainly have that same detail, depth and energy when played at high levels, not the other way around. If you get tricked by having the song blasting the whole time, you only have that perception, because the volume is super high. At high volumes, pretty much everything punches you in the face... haha

Not only that, you will get tired after a while, your ears will not be as neutral as they should when it comes to making the right decisions. It's all a matter of practice, really.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think one thing you are missing here is this: 99% of people will NOT listen to your music on YOUR speakers, YOUR room and the level YOU mixed your music at. So if you only make your music sound good enough when mixing at high level, what happens when I listen to your music super low, just because I want to have some background music? ;)
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So yeah, I would try to make my mix sound good at a normal level first, where you could have a conversation in the room with another person. Then, lower the volume to a point where it's hardly audible so you can judge if certain elements disappear completely. Once you're happy, blast that song for a little bit, take notes in real time. Take a break so your ears can "reset" and then make adjustments based on those notes (at normal level again). Repeat the whole process again :)

 

Thanks for the advice, I appreciate it. Seems like a solid method, I'll try to implement this more into my workflow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think one thing you are missing here is this: 99% of people will NOT listen to your music on YOUR speakers, YOUR room and the level YOU mixed your music at. So if you only make your music sound good enough when mixing at high level, what happens when I listen to your music super low, just because I want to have some background music? ;)

 

Yeah this is true. I guess I usually try and prioritise making it sound good loud first, as I feel like this is the more 'true' way to experience the music. How it sounds at low levels/ bad speakers tends to be a secondary consideration for me.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

" At high volumes, pretty much everything punches you in the face... haha

 

Haha :lol: , this it's actually kind of my problem. I want to make sure the track feels like its punching you in the face, or at least is exciting. But at low volumes, nothing ever feels exciting or powerful, to me at least.

 

I mean, it all depends on what "punch you in the face" means. If it's about the volume being so loud that every song punches you, regardless of the mix being on point or not, then why would we try to mix our songs the best we can, right? ;) A mix should be more about everything being audible, well balanced, delivering a message and emotion, regardless of the volume.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think one thing you are missing here is this: 99% of people will NOT listen to your music on YOUR speakers, YOUR room and the level YOU mixed your music at. So if you only make your music sound good enough when mixing at high level, what happens when I listen to your music super low, just because I want to have some background music? ;)

 

Yeah this is true. I guess I usually try and prioritise making it sound good loud first, as I feel like this is the more 'true' way to experience the music. How it sounds at low levels/ bad speakers tends to be a secondary consideration for me.

 

Try to reverse that prioritization and you will see how your music will benefit from it. If something sounds amazing at low levels, there is a high change that it will sound amazing at high levels as well (considering the "issues" I mentioned of how certain frequencies, reverb tail, etc, will be less obvious at low levels).

This applies for example to the technique of mixing everything in mono first and then once everything is balanced, making it stereo. If something sounds great in mono, it will for sure sound amazing (or even better) in stereo. The other way around is not always the case. So the same principle can be applied here.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try to reverse that prioritization and you will see how your music will benefit from it. If something sounds amazing at low levels, there is a high change that it will sound amazing at high levels as well (considering the "issues" I mentioned of how certain frequencies, reverb tail, etc, will be less obvious at low levels).

This applies for example to the technique of mixing everything in mono first and then once everything is balanced, making it stereo. If something sounds great in mono, it will for sure sound amazing (or even better) in stereo. The other way around is not always the case. So the same principle can be applied here.

 

Thanks for the tips. I think your right, I need to break the process up more and prioritise overall balance first, and then the details later, rather than always trying to hear every detail of the mix. I'm going to force myself to work this way on my current project and see how it goes. Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Try to reverse that prioritization and you will see how your music will benefit from it. If something sounds amazing at low levels, there is a high change that it will sound amazing at high levels as well (considering the "issues" I mentioned of how certain frequencies, reverb tail, etc, will be less obvious at low levels).

This applies for example to the technique of mixing everything in mono first and then once everything is balanced, making it stereo. If something sounds great in mono, it will for sure sound amazing (or even better) in stereo. The other way around is not always the case. So the same principle can be applied here.

 

Thanks for the tips. I think your right, I need to break the process up more and prioritise overall balance first, and then the details later, rather than always trying to hear every detail of the mix. I'm going to force myself to work this way on my current project and see how it goes. Thanks again!

 

My background is as a band member so our songs always had to sound good with the basic instruments: drums, bass, guitars and vocals.

I think the "issue" nowadays with the extreme amount of tools available inside a DAW is that people forget this basic principle of making everything sound great with few instruments. If people tend to always make their music sound amazing by adding 132 layers of instruments and effects, just because they can, does the core of the song really shine by itself? Most of the times, it doesn't, because there's no main melody, there's no main groove, there's no main soul. It's always a combination of everything on top of something else.

 

I still believe that great songs are based on a memorable and strong core/idea. Then everything else you put on top is just that "glitter" to make it shine a little bit.

That's why to me, a great idea with an "ok" mix is 1000% more interesting than a super well produced song that has no interesting things on it.

 

Good luck on that project and hope our tips somehow help you achieve what you want :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...