Setting Levels When Bouncing Virtual Instruments

[Nomad76]

Hi!

 

My production is complete. I want to convert my virtual instruments into audio files for mixing. Logic allows you to Bounce In Place. If I do just that, the levels are sometimes at the bottom of the fader. I was taught to record between -6 dBFS and -3 dBFS. So now I have two choices:

1. Adjust the output of the VI - This messes up my mix, and adds extra time to the process.

2. Or use the Normalize function - Seems like this would greatly speed up the process. But after all my forum reading, this seems to be super taboo.

 

Adjusting the output of the VI is the way I would normally do this; if it was hardware. But in the DAW, it also messes up my mix, and makes for a more messy session. When I just BIP. Its done. Also for some VI's, like my Native Instrument stuff, the levels are always low.

 

Is there a better way or workflow? The Normalize just seems so, um convenient.

[David Nahmani]

Any particular reason you feel the need to bounce your virtual instruments prior to mixing? You can leave them as they are and start mixing right away.

[Nomad76]

Thanks for the response, David.

 

Some sample based VI's are very CPU intensive this will free up resources....but really, it might just be an old habit leftover from the analog world of tracking all my instruments first.

 

So in your opinion, it is fine to just leave them as VI's and mix? I might try this. It would make for a smaller session file and save disk space.