Studio monitors are what music producers use to hear an accurate representation of the sound signal. they come out of, maintain the same level of output. Essentially, it is the process of ensuring that each piece of audio equipment in your signal chain, from the sound source to the studio monitors. If you record your vocals into a DAW and the output is at the same level of the input, then you are recording at 0 dB, or in other words, you have unity gain. Unity Gain – This is a term that uses the dB measurement to describe the balance one hopes to achieve between the input and output signal.The scale starts at 0dB SPL, which is the quietest relative sound that you can perceive, to 60-70dB SPL being the typical level of a conversation, to 140dB SPL, where the sound pressure would cause your eardrums to explode! Sound Pressure Level (dB SPL) – this is the measurement of literal sound pressure perceived by your ears.Since it is used as a relative unit of measure in audio recording, it can be used in three different contexts. It sounds horrible and you want to avoid it! Audio clipping is where your digital audio workstation (the software you’re using to record the vocals) can’t handle any higher inputs and it turns to distortion. If you go any higher than -6dB you risk audio clipping. When recording vocals you should be aiming for -18dB to -6dB. What Is The Best Decibel Level To Record At?īefore we talk about optimum dB levels for recording vocals, it’s important to distinguish certain uses of the term dB.Ī decibel, or dB, is a unit used in audio recording measure the intensity or volume of a sound in relation to where it is being heard. If you’re unsure on what audio clipping distortion is, i’ve written a complete in-depth guide that explains what audio clipping is and how you can prevent it. The most simple rule to remember is that there is no need for a vocal recording to reach near -0.1dB as it risks audio clipping, and there is no discernible difference in sound quality from a -24dB recording up to -0.1dB. Your loudest parts should be peaking at -10dB and lowest around -24dbB.

What DB Level Should I Record Vocals? When recording vocals always record at 24-bit resolution and aim for an average of -18dB. Recording vocals too close to the microphone or too far away can ruin the sound quality of your recordings. As a producer or artist, it is crucial that you know the right decibel levels to record your vocals at. Vocals can often play such an important part of any type of recording.

Mixing rap vocals in fl studio