[seannash]

i notice a thread looking to soudproof there rooms so there neigbours wont complain,also one asking how loud a set of monitors will go.


is it just me that monitors at normal listening level?

[Radic]

i monitor at pretty low levels somewhere around the volume of speech. occasionally i'll crank up the volume to hear what it sounds like loud but no longer than say half a minute or thereabouts.

[Comma]

Loud enough to bring everything out and feel comfortable.

[ferretrock]

I tend to monitor pretty soft for production most of the time, a little louder for bass checks, etc.

I monitor VERY VERY softly on headphones.

edit: Never actually pulled out an SPL meter, though, but I'd say normally at somewhere between 60-75dBA, and then pulling it up for loud-checks to 90ish.

[Spectrum]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ferretrock

...I'd say normally at somewhere between 60-75dBA, and then pulling it up for loud-checks to 90ish.

Yep, that'd be me too.

I just have to be careful on headphones that I don't volume creep, but if I start out low, I'm usually OK.

[ferretrock]

^Yeah, my problem is that I occasionally do bass checks on the headphones and I definetely start creeping up then.

[Spinning Half]

i tried calibrating the monitors using the Bob Katz system a while back and found it waaay too loud (85db) for the size of my room. Tried all K-20,K-14 and K-12 setups but ended up just using what felt good and healthy with a few hours of constant noise. Quite quiet it turned out. But sometimes when your jamming out and trying to get into a track it helps to crank it up a little or a lot.

just watch out with loud headphones!

[masterer]

Grab a radio shack SPL meter, I think the analogue one is $50. It should be on the C weighting for getting levels.

You should not go above 85dB SPL for more than 8 hours. I have my monitors calibrated so 0VU on the console is around 83dB SPL. Could never use the K system. If you intend to make a career with music I'd also highly recommend professional ear plugs for gigs.

[timothyallan]

I monitor from 80-85db depending on the type of track when I'm mixing/mastering.

[Fledz]

Only about a 1/4 of what my AI can do, and that's with the monitors at -4db. It's loud enough plus gives me the room to creep up if needed and yet doesn't disturb the neighbours.

[Jude May]

Quote:

Originally Posted by masterer

Grab a radio shack SPL meter, I think the analogue one is $50. It should be on the C weighting for getting levels.

but put it on A-Weighted if the cops come to complain about noise

as for me, most of the time, around 75dB final playback of a mix will be 90dB max

[timothyallan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jude May

but put it on A-Weighted if the cops come to complain about noise

Gold medal advice right there!!

[ferretrock]

I actually thought one was supposed to measure in A weighting for getting levels above at 75dB SPL. Where did I go wrong?

[timothyallan]

Nah, you should always use C to get the average afaik