Reference Guide

255

Recording audio

Recording

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Arpeggiator

Recording audio

Before you record audio, you should check your input levels. If the levels are too low, you may end

up with too much hiss and background noise in your recording. If the levels are too high, your

recording will be inaccurate or distorted. To check your audio levels, use the audio meters in the

either the Track view or Console view. To adjust the input levels, you must use your sound card’s

software mixer program (or the Windows XP mixer) or an external hardware mixer for certain sound

cards.

The audio meters indicate the volume at which the audio will be recorded, in units called decibels

(dB). The meter values range from -INF (silent) to 0dB (maximum volume). You can change many

options in the way SONAR’s meters display data: see “Metering” on page 609. To maximize the

dynamic range of your recording, you want to set the levels as high as possible without clipping.

When the audio level exceeds 0dB, some of the audio information is lost. This is known as

overload. Many sound cards use clipping to deal with an overloaded signal, but clipping can distort

the audio signal. As a result, you should avoid letting the meter level exceed 0dB.

To check the Input levels

1. In the Track view, choose the inputs for the tracks you want to record, and arm the tracks for

recording. Make sure that the Show/Hide All Meters button at the top of the Track view is

enabled.

2. The default meter range is from 0 dB to -60 dB. To change the range, right-click on the meter and

choose a new range from the menu.

3. Perform at the loudest level at which you plan to record.

Note: Because SONAR is a digital recorder, a level of 0dB indicates digital zero. Digital

distortion will occur at 0dB. You will not get analog compression or warmth from pushing the

input levels. If you are transferring data from a DAT or another device, you may want to calibrate

the input levels of your sound card with the output levels of other devices in your studio. This will

ensure that 0dB on one unit will appear as 0dB in SONAR.