Full-Scale Deflection?

[Super 8]

'Set the fader for Track 9/10 to set its volume slightly lower than the setting that causes FULL-SCALE DEFLECTION of its level meter. Note that the volume you select here will have an effect on the way in which the Mastering Tool Kit works'.

Am I right in thinking that FULL-SCALE DEFLECTION is when levels are flat out hitting the very top of the meter?

[64Guitars]

Yes. The meter is labelled from 0dB at the top to -48dB at the bottom. 0db represents the maximum level that can be represented in a sample. Any signals higher than 0dB will be clipped, resulting in distortion. So the trick is to set the levels as high as possible without ever letting them go above 0dB. To do that, you need to set them so that the peaks are just under 0dB.

[Super 8]

Great, thanks for clearing that up for me 64Gs! My problem with the 'Mastering Tool Kit' window display page  on the recorder I use (a BR1600) is that I don't find it that easy manually controlling levels at the all important mastering stage. Why? Because the 9/10 & Stereo L/R meters just aren't detailed enough for my needs. The scale increments are far too wide (0dB, -4dB, -10dB, etc.) plus the metering read out is too small. At this final and v important stage of production it really should be as large as possible surely? Personally I would prefer the option to be able to switch to a large vertical stereo meters readout that pretty much fills the whole available window space showing increments in single decibels from 0dB to -10db. As it stands (and always will stand 'cause I very much doubt there'll ever be further OS updates for what I guess is now deemed as 'out-dated' 16-bit recording technology by Roland!) I find it very hard to control levels visually relying on these tiny meters over to the far right of the MTK display window. If I could physically see these final levels in a more detailed way then I'm covinced I'd be able to produce more consistantly accurate, reliable mastered mixes as a result. All my productions fall down at this last stage because of this. For example: I'm trying to put together an album but, listening back to what I have recorded to date, there is no overall level consistency across the board and I regularly find myself reaching for the volume control on song plaback. Hmm!       

[Hook]

When your done with your master, take your stereo wav and pop it into audacity. I like to use the light leveller, and normalize. That alone will give you more consistantly in over all volume track to track.
 I like to make a duplicate of the wav and apply compression (whatever is the preset) that always give just one little red line and I use the leveler again on the compressed track. Then I mix the copressed track at like -12and the original at about -3, it really thickens up the mix. Then mix and render, normalize again.
It only takes me an extra 10-15 minutes and makes a huge difference.
Good luck.
Rock on!

[Super 8]

When your done with your master, take your stereo wav and pop it into audacity. I like to use the light leveller, and normalize. That alone will give you more consistantly in over all volume track to track.
 I like to make a duplicate of the wav and apply compression (whatever is the preset) that always give just one little red line and I use the leveler again on the compressed track. Then I mix the copressed track at like -12and the original at about -3, it really thickens up the mix. Then mix and render, normalize again.
It only takes me an extra 10-15 minutes and makes a huge difference.
Good luck.
Rock on!

Erm, thanks Hook! I'm off to try and get my head round that .... As things stand this is what I do. It seems to work (in a fashion!) taking a song on it's own basis BUT since I've had this idea of self-releasing an album I've found that listening to the songs I have individually mastered so far altogether AS A WHOLE there appears to be discrepency in levels and I'm raching for the volume dial on whatever format I play it back on. I'm finding it hard to find a set, uniform level that I can apply to each song that when I play back a number of my songs (ultimately an album's worth) they'll just sound cohesive.

So yeah, here's what I've been doing so far to date (with varying results!) The first song I recorded as part of my album project I actually felt at the time came out rather well final level-wise. I bounced the component song parts to stereo tracks 9/10 (fairly low if my memory serves me well) then, before firing up the Mastering Tool Kit section, I copied this bounce mix onto the next available 9/10 virtual tracks and Normalised it. I then put it through 'Preset 01: Mixdown' of the MTK making sure that I was getting as high a level without clipping (as high a level as I could see that is! See original post here - the scale increments on the final master metering levels of the BR1600 just aren't precise enough IMO!) And then ... well, that was it really!

Unfortunately, using this same method on subsequent tracks I have recorded, I have been unable to get similarly pleasing mastered results and now find myself stuck in a loop at the final furlong trying to find some kind of universal way of getting pleasing finished sonic results across the board for my productions (ie: without all these discrepencies from song to song!) I actually now feel very comfortable and 'in control' with practically all the other stages of production when making music with this BR recorder of choice - it's just this final flippin' stage that is causing me much constenation! For example: I thought I'd actually cracked it with the latest song I produced but then I heard it side by side sandwiched on my iPod shuffle between two commercially released 'industry standard' recordings (a Keane song and an Amy Winehouse song if you're interested!) and, well, I really was left feeling a bit deflated with my efforts in the middle there! There was a noticeable drop in level for starters and, a song I THOUGHT I'd finished and was happy with, in this moment, went back to sounding like 'A DEMO'! I've released enough demos in my lifetime. This time round I was/am really hoping to put together a credible album's worth of original material that doesn't sound like a demo and that will ... What??? Just 'stand up' I guess!               

[Super 8]

When your done with your master, take your stereo wav and pop it into audacity.

PS: When you say 'done with your master' Hook do you actually mean 'mix that has been mastered' on your standalone machine? You then take this machine mastered mix and effectively re-master it in Audacity right?? 

[T.C. Elliott]

Late to the party but I have a couple of thoughts. I record on a BR900 and mix in reaper so if you are staying in the BR Box and not going to a DAW then this may not be helpful (and possibly even worsen your existing problem.)

The first is that when I record with levels topping out just below -6db on my br900 I find it much easier to mix. When I'm done I either import a stereo WAV file or just add a limiter to the master track in Reaper and bump it up until I see some limiting (red dots on the limiter) and then back it off a hair. That keeps most of my songs pretty close in volume. The exceptions are acoustic songs, especially just guitar and voice songs. They tend to be a bit too loud in comparison. So I tend to render to WAV and then listen back. I'll bump up or down after comparing that recent track to other tracks and re render. It only takes a few minutes and it is well worth the time.

Now, if you're staying in the br box and not mastering (or normalizing) in a DAW then you have to be a bit more practical. If you record too low there is only so much more increasing the volume you can do with your master fader. In that case you'll want to make sure you leave at least a couple of DB head room while recording (I'd recommend just over the 6db mark at most) and then see about using the built in compressor in the BR you are using. I don't have much experience with that, though. I can tell how it works in a DAW and the principle, but not the practical application. Apparently the 1600 has a track specific compressor you can you tweak. I sold mine before I got comfortable with it.

[Hook]

When your done with your master, take your stereo wav and pop it into audacity.

PS: When you say 'done with your master' Hook do you actually mean 'mix that has been mastered' on your standalone machine? You then take this machine mastered mix and effectively re-master it in Audacity right?? 

Kinda. I used to just put in audacity, use the leveller on light, normalise
And trim the ends. That I dont consider extra mastering, just cleaning up. Normalising doesn't change the mix, it just raises all the levels evenly to just before the tallest peak clips, giving as much volume to the overall track without losing your dynamics(peaks and vallies).
  The duplicating & compressing one track and mixing it under the board master, I guess does make it one more mastering step, but it really thickens up the track and if you keep the compressed track well under the Uncompressed track, you don't lose your dynamics.i put original track level at about -2ish and compressed track around -8 to 10ish. When im mix and render, asuuming i got no clipping, i might normalise one more time. If you raise the compressed track to much you can start to squash the original master. Just a little trick a buddy taught me with good results.
Rock on!

[T.C. Elliott]

That's an excellent point, Hook. And a very intelligent explanation. Thanks.

[Super 8]

That's an excellent point, Hook. And a very intelligent explanation. Thanks.

Agreed! Thanks all to my original post here