If you mean the meters on the Master Output device, ignore them. They are purely cosmetic. Use the level meters on the top bar instead, as they're more precise. Their calibration is 0 VU equals -18 dBFS, and you can right-click to configure their scale, behaviour and appearance.
anonymous user· reply
2022-10-11 01:32 · 2022-10-11
Does the mastering generally need to be around-18db on bar on the right in the studio. I’ve always looked solely at the VU Meter above the centroid.
A finished master should peak between 0 and -0,5 dBFS. That way, you're using the full dynamic range available. -12 to -18 dBFS is the ideal level for the signals going into the mixer. The scales in the Master Output meters seem to match dBFS values, not VU values. But the scale is blurry, and it has no units. So it's not useful for any accurate level assessment.
Comments (4)
Where VU reads 0, this is equal to +4dB
Incremental increases/decreases are the same.
dB - VU
8 - 4
7 - 3
6 - 2
5 - 1
4 - 0
3 - -1
2 - -2
1 - -3
0 - -4
Source: http://www.sengpielaudio.com/MeterComparisonTable.htm
If you mean the meters on the Master Output device, ignore them. They are purely cosmetic. Use the level meters on the top bar instead, as they're more precise. Their calibration is 0 VU equals -18 dBFS, and you can right-click to configure their scale, behaviour and appearance.
Does the mastering generally need to be around-18db on bar on the right in the studio. I’ve always looked solely at the VU Meter above the centroid.
A finished master should peak between 0 and -0,5 dBFS. That way, you're using the full dynamic range available. -12 to -18 dBFS is the ideal level for the signals going into the mixer. The scales in the Master Output meters seem to match dBFS values, not VU values. But the scale is blurry, and it has no units. So it's not useful for any accurate level assessment.