Digital Converter Levels into Console

[marcmozart]

What reference levels are you guys using to hit the console?
I heard 0db on VU-meter = -18DBFS is common. Does that leave enough headroom if a fully mastered signal is hitting the channels line-input?

Is there are way to fine-tune the line-level on the Input-board? Same for the output-level from channel that hits the mix-bus? Can I calibrate the output-level from channel to left side and right side to mix-bus separately? Some of my channels have a 0.5 to 1 dB difference between pan far left and pan far right.

[brewery]

i wouldn't mess with the line amps, everybody will expect a +4dBu alignment. -18 works fine for me, and it's not like you have mastered tracks coming in when you're mixing.
'modern' cds will of course totally slam the meters, but i just back down the line trims if i have a hot ref, and i have pads on the computer and cd player feeds (both normalled to stereo machine playbacks)

you can always play around with the converter alignment of course.

[marcmozart]

I got the 24 Channel SSL Alpha Link Converters. The thing is, the 4K channels don't pass the same levels from input to quad-bus output if set to unity gain. This is what I want to align and I wonder how to get there.

I believe precise alignment between console and converters on all channels is important so I can trust all channels to behave the same.

Of course the question is, where to align, at the master, at the channels, and at what cards?

EDIT: I found a document entitled
Service Calibration Procedure
611 I/O Module Calibration
18 September 1996
Issue 1.01

It answers the 611 Channel alignment questions.

[kilmister]

Hey.

I was just about to write calibration procedure I have written down when saw your edit.
Would you mind to share your document to the tech manual area?

Cheers,
Paavo

[marcmozart]

No problem - I'll post it as an attachment.

Cheers.
Marc

[kilmister]

Excellent, thanks a ton!

-Paavo

[Artur D'Assumpção]

Although consoles are definitely calibrated for an optimal 0dbVU = -XdbFS level, the exact level for conversion I think is a matter of taste of how hot you want to drive your console. With the old Apogee AD-16X and DA-16X converters I've seen producers to use -18dBFS and others -16dBFS on the same console.

The idea is always to keep the console calibrated to specs, and then tune your AD/DA converter to meet your taste. The Apogee's were "tunable" on the frontpanel in increments of 0.1 dBFS.

[Artur D'Assumpção]

Marc,

Could you share the procedure documents?

No problem - I'll post it as an attachment.

Cheers.
Marc

[kilmister]

Marc has posted them allready to:
http://forum.sslmixed.com/index.php?topic=298.0
 

-Paavo