visheshl wrote: ↑22 Dec 2020
i wonder are all producers so clinical about their production to notice a 2db difference here n there...?
genuine question...i go by the ear when mixing different plugins alter the sound differently...some eq plugin might be transparent but the other may add a few dbs, but i dont care as long as it sounds right to me....is music such a scientific subject that if a plugin adds a few dbs it makes a difference or is music still an artform ?
im curious...are you all concerned if a plugin is scientifically accurate or do you go by the ear ?
really curious
I read the question being asked in this thread as being about what is expected vs what actually happens. If you cut the bottom two octaves with a filter, you would expect the overall result to be LESS level. After all, you are removing a good bit of energy with those two octaves.
An analogy: if you turned your steering wheel left, and the car went only lightly right, would you still notice it? Yes, because of your "expectations".
In that regard the difference is actually MORE than +2 dB because you are anticipating a negative number as a result.
What does this mean? If your master is just under clipping, and you add a HP filter in order to clean up and remove some low end rumble expecting to get a little extra headroom in the exchange, you may end up clipping your mix (where you were "expecting" to actually gain a bit of headroom)! With regards to peak levels, that means you must reduce your output by 2dB or more to stay at the same peak level when adding an HP filter - more important on the master than on individual tracks but still...you don't want to give up 2dB if you don't have to do so!
As for your specific question, ear training helps you to be able to hear a 1-2 dB gain change if you cannot already do so. I practiced hearing 1, 3, and 6 dB changes (by making those exact changes) for years now, since working ITB (20+ years), and it can be learned fairly quickly. It's handy for being able to communicate a level change without being in the same room as a collaboration, for example. I know what 3 dB sounds like vs 1 dB vs 6 dB, and can figure out levels in between close enough for my work. I do the same thing with timing and pitch over the same time frame, hearing something out of tune and trying to guess sharp/flat and by how much, or rushing/dragging by how much. It's actually fun, a learning "game" if you will, where you can actually see improvement over time (which can be a huge motivator - why do something if you don't see any change?!?). In the end it just helps to move quicker by being able to more quickly identify a
nd even quantify the things you hear.
