The order of things

[Kim White]

Colin,

Thanks for offering your expertise! I saw on another forum, a rundown of the order to perform these functions (normalization, compression, editing, etc.). Could you please tell me the order you do them? Also, is it better to edit in a slate or perform it with the audition?

Thank You!

[Colin Campbell]

Hello Kim. You should normalize first if you need to. In a perfect world your levels on the way in would be perfect and you wouldn't need to normalize. Normalization is a "band aid" to fix low levels. Any editing that needs to be done would come next.

Other effects as needed such as reverb or EQ ("filtering") if desired for certain situations.

I don't apply any compression until I've got the final mixdown.

If I want to add reverb to the whole piece for a high energy car spot or some such, it should be applied AFTER compression otherwise it is magnified over the top.

[Jacob Ekstroem]

Colin,

I'm just thinking out loud here... but if your recording needed reverb or eq, or any other effects, wouldn't it then be wiser NOT to normalize first? I mean, if you normalize to 0 db and then say, boost 3 db in the low end, the sound would clip, wouldn't it?

[Colin Campbell]

Originally Posted by Jacob Ekstroem

Colin,

I'm just thinking out loud here... but if your recording needed reverb or eq, or any other effects, wouldn't it then be wiser NOT to normalize first? I mean, if you normalize to 0 db and then say, boost 3 db in the low end, the sound would clip, wouldn't it?

Get a good level going in and you shouldn't have to normalize. Only time I use it is on other people's stuff that comes to me low in level.

As far as EQ, I always compensate in the EQ section for level changes before I apply the effect so it doesn't clip. In effect if you hightlight a section and apply a 3db boost in the bass but then adjust the gain of the EQ down to compensate, you are in effect lowerng the rest of the curve rather than boosting the one end.

[Jacob Ekstroem]

Originally Posted by Colin Campbell

As far as EQ, I always compensate in the EQ section for level changes before I apply the effect so it doesn't clip. In effect if you hightlight a section and apply a 3db boost in the bass but then adjust the gain of the EQ down to compensate, you are in effect lowerng the rest of the curve rather than boosting the one end.

Of course... didn't think of that initially. Thanks!

[Jodi Krangle]

Guys, sorry to jump in here on someone else's thread, but this has come up for me several times ... I'm using a Rode NT1A microphone feeding into a Lexicon Omega unit using Cubase LE - and then connected via USB to my Fujitsu Lifebook laptop (PC). I'm finding it difficult to set levels so that I can actually not need normalization. How would you go about doing that on a PC using the XP OS?

Thanks for any advice you can pass along!

All the best,

--Jodi

[PierceVoice]

I think one of the most important points here is doing it right first-- I wholeheartedly agree with Colin.

If you're raising levels a lot, you will emphasize flaws/noise that would otherwise be very quiet (which is magnified MUCH more by compression)-- you're making you, the room, your cat and whatever else louder. Try to record your mic in at a suitable db.

Personally, I prefer a nicely eq'ed session as my clay. "Nicely" as in a rolled off low-low end, and a slightly crisped up high-high. It sucks to produce when it comes muddy because first I have to fix the voice over... what's your opinion, Colin?

[Jodi Krangle]

Hi Chadd. Great suggestions! I'm enough of a newbie though that I'd need someone to explain HOW to EQ nicely ... (besides being polite. ) What settings should I look for? And are you all using Macs? That might make it difficult for me to pick out the settings myself since I'm on a PC...

All the best,

--Jodi

[PierceVoice]

In my experience, a good starting place is this (click the thumbnail to view an example eq line).

While your high end (#10) may vary, rolling off the bass is a general preference of mine for a clean sounding piece of audio.

Be careful as you get toward the middle-high, that's what will make you sound like a phone call. Ideally, you want to sound just a little bit better thru the speakers... a little clearer, brighter, powerful... than you do in person.

[Jodi Krangle]

Thanks, Chadd. That's very helpful! I really appreciate the extra bit of instruction.

All the best,

--Jodi