Blog - MeterPlugs.com

Does Gain Staging Matter?

Jan 29, 2017

Have you ever recorded a track at a low level and captured a lot of background noise, or fed outboard gear with a signal that was too “hot” and had it distort? In both cases, the problem boils down to sub-optimal signal levels: levels that are too high or too low. Gain staging is the process of managing signal levels throughout the signal chain, to strike a balance between noise levels and distortion. But how far do you need to go down this rabbit hole? When does gain staging matter and when doesn’t it?

How Loud Should My Mix Be?

Jan 20, 2017

Do you need to care about loudness while mixing, or is best to let the mastering engineer find the right levels? Can a mix be too loud, or not loud enough? What are some good starting points? Let’s look at a couple approaches - what I like to call “old school” and “new school.”

Norway Shuts Down FM Radio, Goes Digital

Jan 13, 2017

Norway has started the process of shutting down their national FM broadcasts in favour of digital broadcasts, a process that will conclude by the end of the year. Why is this significant from a loudness perspective? How does digital audio broadcasting (DAB) differ from FM? Does radio even matter going forward?

A State of Loudness: deadmau5 vs. Marshmello

Jan 6, 2017

On NYE, “rivals” deadmau5 and Marshmello played back to back sets at Decadence. During the NYE show, Marshmello fans tweeted their distaste for deadmau5’s set, to which deadmau5 replied:

Do People Prefer Loud Music?

Dec 30, 2016

It’s the hotly debated question that fuelled the Loudness Wars. And yet, however many years later, have we gotten any closer to a conclusive answer? There are lots of opinions and anecdotes, but I wanted to see if I could find something concrete. I dug up some of the latest research on the subject. Here’s what I found:

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