Speaker volume in relation to audio levels within Logic Pro

[hcavalier]

Thank you for your time in reading my post. Here's my situation:

 

I plug in my Klipsch computer speakers into my iMac through the headphone jack. I turn the iMac internal speaker volume to the max and then control the Klipsch speaker volume after that to reach a comfortable listening level. I then have no volume issues when listening to other people's music. Everything is good. Movies, iTunes, YouTube, mp3's you name it. I rarely have to touch the volume controls on the speakers.

 

Now I open up Logic Pro, load up a ProjectSAM brass sample, play something on my keyboard, and that fortissimo french horn sound is... barely audible. Very pianissimo through the speakers This happens on every sample or instrument I open, not just the loud ones.

 

What I've been doing is just cranking my Klipsch speakers up just so I can hear my Logic project at a comfortable volume. Keep in mind I haven't even added any plugins.

 

Sadly, when I bounce my film score and return my speakers to my "normal" volume setting, I can't hear my track at all. It's way too low! There's barely any waveform showing when I open up the audio file in Soundtrack Pro!

 

So I end up going back to the Logic project, add a gain on the master and crank it up 12 to 15 decibels just to hear the bounced version at my normal speaker volume levels. I know this can't be good for the mix but I don't know what to do.

 

Even if I disable my external speakers and work in Logic with just the internal iMac speakers, I have to crank the volume to the max just to hear a frickin sound!

 

Does anybody have any idea why it's so quiet in Logic when I compose? Am I doing something wrong, or is something setup wrong in Logic? Do you also have to crank your speakers just to hear a sound? What would you recommend as a good volume level to have your speakers at before opening Logic to work and mix? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

Henry

[peachboy]

A few tips:-

 

ProjectSAM often utilises Expression and Modulation for dynamics, so you might want to check that.

 

The Kontakt player's own volume control is usually relatively low at default, so you could possibly get some extra heat there.

 

Isolate the source of the quietness; check the meters.

 

Never use your stereo output faders, master fader or internal iMac volume as monitor control!

 

Get yourself an audio interface!

[Eriksimon]

Thank you for your time in reading my post. Here's my situation:

 

I plug in my Klipsch computer speakers into my iMac through the headphone jack. I turn the iMac internal speaker volume to the max and then control the Klipsch speaker volume after that to reach a comfortable listening level. I then have no volume issues when listening to other people's music. Everything is good. Movies, iTunes, YouTube, mp3's you name it. I rarely have to touch the volume controls on the speakers.

 

Yes, those are all fully mixed and fully mastered and fully 'ceilinged' pieces of music/sound. When you load 1 instrument in Logic, this is just one instrument that will probably be part of a mix, a mix in which maybe 8 or 10 or 46 or 109 instruments will be used. Also, inside Logic and on most instruments you can further tweak the volume in more than ten different ways. To name a few: volume control on the instrument, volume control inside the instrument (samplers), channel strip fader, output fader, master fader.

 

Now I open up Logic Pro, load up a ProjectSAM brass sample, play something on my keyboard, and that fortissimo french horn sound is... barely audible. Very pianissimo through the speakers This happens on every sample or instrument I open, not just the loud ones.

 

Every sample or instrument? Just in Kontakt? Or in EXS24? Or also the ES2? Or the EVP88?

If it is the same on every instrument than the conclusion is obvious: your master volume is not at 0 dBfs. Or you are exaggerating. It is hard hear the volumes you hear just from a verbal description. How does the waveform of your bounce look? Can you post a screenshot?

 

What I've been doing is just cranking my Klipsch speakers up just so I can hear my Logic project at a comfortable volume. Keep in mind I haven't even added any plugins.

 

Sadly, when I bounce my film score and return my speakers to my "normal" volume setting, I can't hear my track at all. It's way too low! There's barely any waveform showing when I open up the audio file in Soundtrack Pro!

 

Sounds like the master volume isn't high enough, or the main output, or both. Or you have an enormous peak somewhere an you've bounced with Normalization on. Don't use normalization on the bounce.

 

Does anybody have any idea why it's so quiet in Logic when I compose? Am I doing something wrong, or is something setup wrong in Logic?

 

That's by no means mutually exclusive. Quite the opposite. What you're probably doing wrong, is setting up something wrongly in Logic. Which is understandable, since there are so many ways to get things wrong in Logic.

 

Do you also have to crank your speakers just to hear a sound?

 

No, but I use my master volume "wheel" (on my amplifier) all the time, as my 'ideal listening volume' tends to vary a lot. Also it is a good mixing aid, ideally a mix stays balanced at any listenable volume level.

 

To get a higher volume, turn up volume controls INSIDE Logic. Just make sure that your output channel strip peaks at around -3dBfs or lower. As long as it it doesn't clip (= above 0 dBfs, red numbers on channel strip meter) your mix will be fine. Itr should still be somewhat softer than a commercially produced track - that's a sign you're doing it correctly. In postproduction 'they' can add anything from 5 to 10 dB. So a Logic mix 'should' always come out a bit softer, when mixing.

 

Download the pdf guide at the bottom of the first post (also worth reading) here:

http://www.gearslutz.com/board/music-computers/468170-loudness-when-producing-mixing-tips.html

[hcavalier]

Thank you for your replies Peachboy and Eriksimon.

 

As far as increasing the volume from the Kontakt instrument itself, this sounds dumb, but I always figured that when I automate a volume fader on a Logic track, that it's automating Kontakt's volume. I have a feeling I am wrong. I'm going to try and automate directly from the Kontakt volume control and keep the Logic volume fader at its default 0.0dB. But I should not touch the Output and Master track. Always keep that at 0.0dB. Maybe since I've been messing with automating these faders on each track, that's why I'm having issues hearing it.

 

Thanks again for the replies! I am going to experiment and see if my volume issues get better, and then I will come back and post that the problem was solved.