Monitoring Software Input Levels

[Crushed]

So, I don't have any meters on hardly any of my equipment. The signal goes from mic to pre to Lynx Aurora to Nuendo. I actually look at the input meters on each channel to check for input level, and try to get the signal to peak around -7 to -5. How do you feel about the accuracy of this method? Any other method that you would use?

Also, and I'll put my protective clothing on now, I frequently look at the wave forms themselves to check my input levels. I now where my screen drawing resolution is, and I know by watching the waveform develop where my signal is peaking. Is this a bad thing? Let me know . . .

Allen

[Crushed]

nobody does this huh?
Oh well. . .

[manning1]

crushed....
i dont know if this helps ..but i do similar to you.
ie...record around -7 to -5.
i check my levels a pretty low tech way as i cant afford fancy gear.
i buy old cassette deks for 5 bucks with meters...and shunt the output of the
sound card thru it as a further check after calibrating the shebang by putting a test tones into daw and out to thru cassettte dek set at around -1db.

[Crushed]

That's certainly one way to do it. What type of meters does that cassette deck have? I wonder if I should get some type of meter system to shunt my input to? Anybody got any ideas.

Allen

[manning1]

re...cassette deks metering.
ive got about 8 here. plenty of back up .....lol !!
there is a mixture of metering.
some have led's .and some the old VU's.
for my needs they work pretty well.
my wife finds them at yard sales for 5 buks....lol

[Crushed]

I wondered about getting a set of colman meters for this purpose. I'll look into it. Maybe dorrough.