ideal dBs of room between the noise floor & clipping, when tracking vocals or somethn

[Freddo30]

My english sucks.... is that what i want to know ?


Let's say that i'm going to mix.... i don't know.... 48tracks? ,
each one of them with the same noise floor.

what would be the ideal headroom (is that the word?) between "the noise floor & clipping" when tracking ?


i don't want my PC fans to be heard, if some nuts put my tracks in a venue.

[gainreduction]

Are you talking about the noisefloor of your equipment or noise in your room beeing picked up by the microphones ?

[Freddo30]

there is a space between the noise floor & clipping. that space is expressed in dB ?

how many dBs is enough, when tracking vocals por example ?

[gainreduction]

I'm not sure I understand your question..

The actual dynamic range in your recording chain depends on many things.

As an example a good quality AD converter has a dynamic range close to 120dB.

[Freddo30]

what distance is considered enough, ok, appropriate ?


let's say vocals for example:

when you're tracking... what is your distance between the noise and clipping ?

[Matt Hepworth]

Well, I've recorded some excellent vocal tracks where the noise is audible. In my case it was a combination of preamp and room noise. I'd say that the goal should simply be to have the noise at an inaudible level, if possible, and the vocal peaking at somewhere between -6 and -3dB (where 0dB is clipping). I'm not sure where noise is really audible, but it seems like my noise was reading somewhere around -70dB before the compression and such from mixing raised it to an even more audible level.

I guess, you'd want something like 90dB or more, ideally.

[max cooper]

As much as you can get is a good answer.

I, too, have recordings with some noise, but the sounds and the performance are good, so it works.

[Freddo30]

Originally Posted by max cooper

As much as you can get is a good answer.

, that's obvious max

But i was just curious you know... i mean..., sometimes i can't get it below 45/50db...

and i wondered if i was going cool....

Originally Posted by glitch

I guess, you'd want something like 90dB or more, ideally.

But it seems that i'm veeery far...

[max cooper]

Right, but what are you going to do if you don't have enough? Stop recording? Move?

That's why I say "as much as you can get" and when you can't get any more, don't worry about it.

I'm not aware of some "golden standard" by which this value is judged.

I can hear click track in that one big Cristina Aguilera hit, so it's apparently a moving target.