API 2500 VU Meters...???

[HABBER]

Fellow Gearslutz I need HELP!!!!


So I've had various set-ups at my home studio with great results. I currently picked up a Shadow Hills equinox and am in love.

After recording at a friends house for a while I noticed his API 2500 was just adding something that I had to have so I got myself a unit. I put it on my stereo buss. Meaning .....out of my external outs of the Shadow Hills equinox into the Api and that's what I monitor. Everything sounds great but the VU meters on the ApI are PEGGED!!! I mean PEGGED-BURIED-SLAMMED, if there is a better word I would use it. Everything is fine in the audio though. No distortion, sounds beautiful, but it's driving me nuts.

Went back to my buddies house to jam and his is pegged too. He laughs and says his engineer runs it like that too. "Bury that shit man!!!" He says.... and his engineer is no slouch.

I don't get it......what is wrong with this picture? If I try to gain stage everything I end up with an Api 2500 reading 0db but the sound and body disappears. I have headroom galore. I turn things up and it sounds great but API is pegged.......WTF?

anyone know what this is all about?

[dhiltonlittle]

You're on the right track.

Use your ears. Not the meters!

[HABBER]

Thanks, and that's what I'll continue to do....... but looking at VU meters that are making the sound of "I'm about to break" is not on the right track. Any other API 2500 users get what I'm talking about? I would think I was the only one but my buddies does the same thing.

Any serious insight?

[mahler007]

I have had the same experience with my 2500 on the mix bus — I even posted about it like you...

Sounds great, though, so I just rolled with it... The 2500 changed my life

Anyway, slam away to your heart's desire - that's what I would say...

Cheers,
Andrew

[HABBER]

That's funny. I'm feeling a little better I suppose, but damn talk about a mind f__ck.....How does any of it make sense? Why do they bury at such low level?

Why are they even there? What are they for?

I want to know are more of us out there? Do you guys just put it on gain reduction and pretend it's not happening?

[Audio4LIFE]

sometimes i will get my meters to peg to a beat, and i know its rockin' real good when the meters start clicking harshly like a click track to a kick or a really percussive bass in parallel. MMMMM so F**kin yummy. I love my 2500 to death it is my right hand compression man! Along with my BC1 (which has become best friends with my 2500, they accept their differences and have become good friends over time haha). Ive always had a weird meter pegging thing too; but it kinda gives it personality, and attitude lol.


btw habber i never really pay attention to the GR meter (listening, yay) i just see the output level and make sure nothing is clipping through the unit or into my ad.

I think the meters are there to see how the compression is reacting to the transients, and affecting the adsr (thats what i use em' for to make sure they're tappin' to the beat lol)

And on a funny note if you think your meters are gonna break (cause of the harsh clicking noise you hear), i bet that kick/ whatever it is has to be F**king SLAMMING. if those meters do happen to break, then you know you did a good job. haha

GOOD TIMES!!!!!

[Rick Sutton]

A couple of thoughts.
1. Put it on GR. That's all you need to watch.
2. The days of leaving 20 dB of headroom above +4 (zero on meter) at the master outs are gone. These days people hit the outputs hard so they can be as loud as the next guy and it's more like 10-14dB of headroom which means an analog meter is going to be running 6 to 10 dB above "0" a lot of the time.
Welcome to the new millennium.

[Doc Mixwell]

Originally Posted by HABBER

I have headroom galore.

The API 2500 output clips @ +28 dBu. Yup. You have headroom galore.

I always view GR, on the 2500, mostly, unless I am tracking with it.

[Silvertone]

Your gain staging is all wrong if the meters are pegged like that.

Analog and digital meters do not read the same...

******//www.gearslutz.com/board/so-mu...72301-0db.html

[Black Seal]

Gain staging may be wrong, but it sounds so right This little box really thickens the sound when pushed. Love it!

[chet.d]

Originally Posted by Roc Mixwell

I always view GR, on the 2500, mostly, unless I am tracking with it.

Me too.

I'm also going out of Equinox and into the 2500. (+BAX)
IMO it's a good idea to keep the Input meter from getting too crazy.
Output is usually hotter, but mostly view GR.

[AllAboutTone]

Originally Posted by dhiltonlittle

you're on the right track.

Use your ears. Not the meters!

you are so correct....