How To Set Input Levels In Cubase For Perfect Audio Recordings

Understand the relationship between hardware and software levels when recording in Cubase with this quick explainer video from Matt Hepworth.  

Getting a solid recording level is essential when capturing any sound. Cubase is a popular and powerful DAW and in this short video from the course Cubase 10 103 - Audio Recording And Editing, Cubase expert Matt Hepworth is here to show you how to understand and set input recording levels when recording audio. It's the first step in the process of making a track, and one that is essential to get right.

Cubase 10 103 - Audio Recording And Editing

Matt starts at the very beginning to show you how a typical project might start. Taking an empty project, he adds a mono audio track and names it. He then goes to the physical input that his bass is connected to (the track is mono since bass is a mono instrument, but a similar approach applies to stereo sources). Next, he demonstrates the importance of playing your sound as loud as it is going to get during the whole performance, so that you can set your input level accordingly to avoid unexpected clipping.

Matt moves through the various physical controls on his Steinberg interface including Pad and Hi-Z buttons, explaining how they allow you to moderate the levels as they come in. He also runs through using the VU meters to check how much signal is present. Then you'll see the relationship between hardware and software input levels, and how to understand when to switch either one of them up or down. Be sure to watch the rest of the videos in this course for much more on the fundamentals of audio recording and editing in Cubase.

Watch the course Cubase 10 103 - Audio Recording And Editing in the Ask.Audio Academy | macProVideo | Ask.Video

Hollin Jones was classically trained as a piano player but found the lure of blues and jazz too much to resist. Graduating from bands to composition then production, he relishes the chance to play anything with keys. A sometime lecturer in videographics, music production and photography post production, Hollin has been a freelance w... Read More

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