OT: How loud should I monitor during a mix

[gb-jazz]

Since I have gotten my NS10's hooked up to the Bryston 4b st, my system is really cranking and it seems like my ears have been feeling it. I try not to turn the mix up too loud but my mixer(TLAudio M3) seems like it as a super hot output. So If the recordings are hot and I am sub mixing from PT to eight analog tracks, the master out on the Tubetracker is on fire. I cannot control the output of the 4b st so I try to turn the monitor knob down and usually I have to lower the L+R master fader as well because the monitor knob does not perform well at near zero. Any suggestions? Secondly what are good volume levels to be mixing at? I have a Radio shack Sound Level meter and I seem to be mixing at around 90-95 db. Is this to loud??? What levels are you guys usually mixing at? The last thing I want to do is damage my hearing from mixing to loudly all the time.

[bobby yarrow]

That's louder than I work at, but for a lot of stuff I switch around constantly, loud & soft, midfields and nearfields. Have no opinion about whether sustained 95db can damage hearing. Seems like you might want to reconsider your gain structure if you find yourself attenuating to near zero on the mixer tho.

[toque-eh!]

i generally mix between 75-85 dB A-weighted but i will also alternate with listening more quietly and checking my mix on my boom box that i have hooked up, as well as checking it at loud playback levels. i'll also check my mix listening through the open doorway standing in the next room.

does the 4B have -10 or +4 input? maybe it's been selected to -10... i can't stand riding volume pots down near the low end of the taper.

[zemlin]

The long answer.
I've set my system up at this level and feel it works very well - but my wife complains that it's too loud, so I can only mix at that level when she's not home.

http://www.digido.com/portal/pmodule...er_page_id=59/

[Winey]

I like to go back and forth.
I like to mix the vocal where it seems way too loud (but even) when I'm listening very quietly, I always lose it a bit monitoring at higher volume.
I'll crank it up to see how the bass and kick feels together, but that's about it.
I mixed too loud for too long, so I try to take it easy now.

[Frost]

I mix at a consistent volume which is calibrated to be 85 dB a weighted. I turn it up to check the bass and kick in the mix but generally mix at the same volume.

Frost

[thethrillfactor]

79db on the NS10's.

[gb-jazz]

Thanks for the great answers! Pardon my not knowing but what does A-weighted refer to? Also is my radio shack Sound Level Meter good enough to determin db accuracy or should I use something more sophisticated?

[Dvergar]

A-weighting (measurements are often abbreviated dBA) is an attempt to create an equal loudness contour. Our auditory system is not equally sensitive at all frequencies. Our hearing is most sensitive in the upper midrange - about where the human voice is centered (it's not hard to figure why that is), and is less and less sensitive as frequencies increase or decrease from there. An equal-loudness curve shows the sound pressure level for a person to perceive sounds at different frequencies as having the same loudness. It takes a whole lot more actually energy to produce a tone at 30 Hz or 13 kHz that appears to have the same loudness as a tone at 3 kHz.

It is really only accurate for relatively quiet sounds, but has become the de facto standard for measuring environmental noise and audio equipment. Your Radio Shack SPL meter is almost certainly calibrated to measure dBA.

[joeq]

Originally Posted by gb-jazz

and usually I have to lower the L+R master fader as well because the monitor knob does not perform well at near zero. Any suggestions?

get a new monitor knob!

[fat,drunk&stupid]

...and because of the equal loudness curves, your mix at 95dB will come out different than if you mixed at 65dB, especially the level of vocals/lead instrument in relation to the rest of the band. I have the Radio Shack and mix around 83-85dB, seems to work ok for me. OHSA has standards for prolonged exposure to loud noise, and 95dB is like 10 minutes or so.

[Misja]

83-85 DBa is the sweet spot for checking if a mix is just right. I reccomend mixing at lower levels like 79 Dba or something you feel comfortable with. Check the link Zemlin gave you..

[Sigma]

louder when eq'ing than when riding