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I've got a Nady SPL meter to measure the loudness of my monitors. I'm told 83/85db should be the average loudness when mixing.

I calibrated the meters with a 1khz tone from Toner into a Mono channel of STM 2448 and matched all meters to 0db in the Scope mixer as well as on the analog desk(Alesis Multimix 8 usb).

Then I set Toner to pink noise, put the High Times meter on the master and i'm told to use -20db rms as the reference point,
turn up the analog desk output until the meter reads 83 to 85 db. mark the fader on the analog desk as the mixing point.

Does this sound correct or have I done it wrong?

This is correct, but you should measure only one speaker at a time @ 83dB SPL as a reference.
> Quick info: http://www.digido.com/quickfaq/k/k-syst ... ation.html
> Deeper monitor calibration info you'll find at Bob Katz' book:
Mastering Audio - the art and the science
(both 1st and 2nd edition will cover the monitor calibration procedure)
http://www.digido.com/mastering-audio-book.html



The reason of mixing @ 83dB SPL: the ear is accepted to be flattest @ 83dB SPL (C weighting).
Check the human ear 'equal-loudness contours' of Fletcher and Munson:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fletcher%E ... son_curves



Also a VERY good source of information about understanding/setting up your (control room's) sound
is a book by Philip Newell: Recording Studio Design, second edition (Focal Press)
> ISBN: 978-0-240-52086-5 http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/bookde ... escription
> Samples: http://books.google.nl/books?id=7aoiR1v ... -5&f=false


Good luck !

Miguel

I will certainly be picking up Katz book.

I downloaded the -20 pink noise file that he had on the site and re-calibrated as follows:

I'm using WAVOSAUR as my audio editor out by Wav Source to Scope,

1 created a 1khz test tone to align all meters to 0db FS, including the analog mixer.
Then play the pink noise back which registers at 0 on the High Times meter set at K-20
then with one speaker plugged in I increased the gain to reading of 83db and did the same with the other speaker. Marked it on my mixer and all I can say is...

WOW!!

I have reset the entire mixer's levels and trims so that I can hear everything and I can indeed hear everything and also can better point to what treatment needs to go on what sound.

This is very eye opening!!!

Just as it was explained you can immediately hear what is too loud and too soft. I will practice this on every record from this point forward.

http://www.mixingwithyourmind.com