Digital Recording Levels -Sound Forge - PC - MAGIX Community Forums Archive

Subject:Digital Recording Levels Posted by: bbcdrum Date:11/21/2008 7:33:35 AM I am finally getting around to converting my old LPs into digital tracks. I have a question about the input levels that Sound Forge 9e is seeing. Setup: Stanton STR8-80 turntable digital out (coax) into M-Audio CO2 (set to coax to optical conversion) coax in M-Audio CO2 optical out (toslink) into Edirol FA-66 (AC powered) spdif in (44.1 sample rate) into Fujitsu A6120 Laptop (XP Pro SP2) (via 4-pin to 4-pin 1394) In SF 9, the record meters frequently hit "0" and the recorded waveform is huge and definitely looks like it has frequent "clips." Question: I have looked but I cannot find a way to adjust the digital input level. Am I missing something? Any other suggestions? Thanks. Kevin Note: The FA-66 has a level adjustment knob on analog input 3/4. If I hook up the turntable to the FA-66 via Line-out, I can adjust the signal level so it does not clip in SF 9. Message last edited on11/21/2008 8:05:42 AM bybbcdrum.
Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels Reply by: Chienworks Date:11/21/2008 10:54:18 AM The analog adjustment is your best choice. You'll hear lots of advice for appropriate levels, some based on the recording industry, some based on the television industry. You'll probably hear the recording people advocate peaks of about -3dB and the television people saying don't go above -20dB. Pick whatever you like. Personally i try to keep the peaks between -6db and -3db. Whatever you do, avoid ever going over 0dB because digital clipping is death for the signal. Unlike analog's warm fuzzy sound when over driven, digital becomes noisy static.
Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels Reply by: bbcdrum Date:11/21/2008 2:32:40 PM Thanks for your response. I usually keep it to about the same levels as you. I was thinking that I would like to, if possible, use the digital connection and was hoping someone would know if it were possible to adjust the level of the spdif signal that SF sees. Something else just occurred to me. Am I correct that, when using the turntable's digital out, the signal is processed by the turntable's analog to digital converter and that is passed as digital info through the Edirol interface to SF? If this is the case, when I use the turntable's analog out the signal is converted by the Edirol's analog to digital converter. Is there likely to be a difference in the quality of the conversion? If so, I would like to believe that the Edirol would have a better conversion circuit (chip?) than the turntable. Anybody have any ideas about this? Thanks. Kevin
Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels Reply by: ChristoC Date:11/21/2008 2:43:42 PM You must adjust level in Analog domain, BEFORE it gets to Analog/Digital converter; once the signal is clipped in the A/D converter, turning it down in digital domain will NOT rectify the clipping.
Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels Reply by: bbcdrum Date:11/22/2008 9:53:44 PM Thanks. Analog from the turntable is the way I'll go. Kevin

Subject:Digital Recording Levels

Posted by: bbcdrum

Date:11/21/2008 7:33:35 AM

I am finally getting around to converting my old LPs into digital tracks. I have a question about the input levels that Sound Forge 9e is seeing.

Setup:

Stanton STR8-80 turntable digital out (coax) into

M-Audio CO2 (set to coax to optical conversion) coax in

M-Audio CO2 optical out (toslink) into

Edirol FA-66 (AC powered) spdif in (44.1 sample rate) into

Fujitsu A6120 Laptop (XP Pro SP2) (via 4-pin to 4-pin 1394)

In SF 9, the record meters frequently hit "0" and the recorded waveform is huge and definitely looks like it has frequent "clips."

Question: I have looked but I cannot find a way to adjust the digital input level. Am I missing something?

Any other suggestions?

Thanks.

Kevin

Note:

The FA-66 has a level adjustment knob on analog input 3/4. If I hook up the turntable to the FA-66 via Line-out, I can adjust the signal level so it does not clip in SF 9.

Message last edited on11/21/2008 8:05:42 AM bybbcdrum.

Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:11/21/2008 10:54:18 AM

The analog adjustment is your best choice.

You'll hear lots of advice for appropriate levels, some based on the recording industry, some based on the television industry. You'll probably hear the recording people advocate peaks of about -3dB and the television people saying don't go above -20dB. Pick whatever you like. Personally i try to keep the peaks between -6db and -3db. Whatever you do, avoid ever going over 0dB because digital clipping is death for the signal. Unlike analog's warm fuzzy sound when over driven, digital becomes noisy static.

Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels

Reply by: bbcdrum

Date:11/21/2008 2:32:40 PM

Thanks for your response. I usually keep it to about the same levels as you.

I was thinking that I would like to, if possible, use the digital connection and was hoping someone would know if it were possible to adjust the level of the spdif signal that SF sees.

Something else just occurred to me. Am I correct that, when using the turntable's digital out, the signal is processed by the turntable's analog to digital converter and that is passed as digital info through the Edirol interface to SF?

If this is the case, when I use the turntable's analog out the signal is converted by the Edirol's analog to digital converter. Is there likely to be a difference in the quality of the conversion? If so, I would like to believe that the Edirol would have a better conversion circuit (chip?) than the turntable.

Anybody have any ideas about this?

Thanks.

Kevin

Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels

Reply by: ChristoC

Date:11/21/2008 2:43:42 PM

You must adjust level in Analog domain, BEFORE it gets to Analog/Digital converter; once the signal is clipped in the A/D converter, turning it down in digital domain will NOT rectify the clipping.

Subject:RE: Digital Recording Levels

Reply by: bbcdrum

Date:11/22/2008 9:53:44 PM

Thanks. Analog from the turntable is the way I'll go.

Kevin