Setting digital recording levels accurately, any tips?

[jernikfra]

Well I've been using MD since 1997.Back then, you couldn't adjust the recording level on digital recording, so all your MD's had songs at different levels.Then in 1999, they came out with digital recording levels, so you could play around with the recording level to make a more even sounding MD.I could still not get some MD's to have the same level on all songs, given the "HOT" CD disease that struck a few years ago, and has since become an unfortunate epidemic.Then I've noticed since about 2005, most decks give you greater adjustment than before when recording.They allow greater + or - values before that dreaded clip indicator shows up.So you can increase old CD's volume levels dramatically without distortion and you can diminish newer hotter CD's to achieve a more uniform sounding MD, when you are recording from different CD's.At the moment I'm re-recording my MD compilations in Hi-MD Hi-SP format using my new Onkyo XB-8.It gives way more room in + and - values than any other deck I own.I still find it difficult to make a perfect recording however, my ears aren't perfect.The unit does have a peak search function, but I found it to be worse than my own hearing at determining proper levels.

I was really hoping someone knew some sort of trick or had some tips on getting a perfect sounding MD compilation.Any advice would be great.Perhaps a computer software program exists that will analyze different CD's and tell you what to set each of them at to get that perfect even volume level on all tracks.

Looking forward to everyone's input and thoughts on the matter.Thanks!

[tekdroid]

Any advice would be great.Perhaps a computer software program exists that will analyze different CD's and tell you what to set each of them at to get that perfect even volume level on all tracks.

Looking forward to everyone's input and thoughts on the matter.Thanks!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay_Gain

I have never been too much into this business, but ReplayGain is supposed to solve this.

[jernikfra]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Replay_Gain

I have never been too much into this business, but ReplayGain is supposed to solve this.

Thanks, but that's for mp3's

[tekdroid]

Thanks, but that's for mp3's

it's for many formats. Including FLAC and Ogg Vorbis.

The FLAC frontend has Replaygain support, too.

Once you work things on the PC in appropriate format, it's easily transferred to MD.

[Avrin]

Not sure about ONKYO, but SONY RH910 and RH1 portables, when set at manual level 23, give you exacty the same level via optical in, as that of the original CD.

What is happening in the modern CD world, is simply horrible. I usually pre-rip a CD into Adobe Audition, and look at the levels. If these are OK, then I simply rip the CD into SonicStage. But usually I have to use Audition to decrease the level by 1-2 dBs, export into WAVs, import these WAVs into SonicStage, encode them into ATRAC3plus, delete the WAVs, use CDDB (mostly works) and then transfer to the unit. Not a perfect solution, but at least it makes the music sound less horrible. If I create a collection from old and modern CDs, a bigger level decrease is sometimes required for modern ones.

I would think that 22 or 21 on a SONY portable will do for such CDs. Again, I know nothing about ONKYO level scales.