Hey audio lovers,

I have some hard question (maybe not).

When using playback listening supports like YouTube or Soundcloud, and you have one volume setting for each stage (Platform Volume>System Volume>Soundcard Volume) how do you balance them?

With all my soundcard (MOTU Ultralite Mk3 Firewire these days and for a long time) I always had this scheme :

Platform Volume 80-100%, System Volume (Win7) 100% all the time, and Output Volume on my Motu at -24db for an already huge sound. -20db maybe bring something like 95db SPL.

So I wonder, even If I dont hear anything, is it affecting quality/loudness action somehow? Like a Master Track would lose quality if the Fader is too low.

Right now I'm listenning some noisy music at strong main volume and the Meter on the MOTU Cuemix is barely hittng -36db, output knob at -28db (most of the time)

What's your opinion on this, fellows? How is your different Volumes balanced when playback listenning?

 

Last edited: Dec 15, 2016

I don`t understand exactly what you mean, but through the fog I see the possibility to route all the outputs from the other devices, to the inputs on Your MOTU, and have all of them, ready for mixing/balancing, in one place (the motu mixer) ?

 

In digital mixing, the level of your virtual fader has no effect on the audio quality of the signal, other than volume, as long as you stay below the red indicator of digital clip. YouTube and Soundcloud levels, Amazon music, CD's, they all have varying levels within their own medium, and I usually change EQ, so I don't see how you could have a "best level" for anything. Most of the time I am shooting for unity gain from the playback device through each stage or channel until the main output.

 

Last edited: Dec 15, 2016