Headroom
Posted on | April 25, 2009 | No Comments
In my ever-growing list of non-audio analogies, here’s my latest…
People always wonder (and ask) how much headroom they should leave while tracking and mixing. It’s a matter of personal preference and varies for the style of music you’re recording. Also, a lot of it depends on your equipment and skill level.
But think of the concept of headroom — in general — this way: When I go get a cup of coffee at my local coffee house, I get asked if you want “room for cream”. Whenever I say no, I end up spilling a good amount of the coffee as I transport it to wherever I’m going.
It’s human nature to want to pack as much as we can into what we’re getting. But that never leaves much room for error. Better to have a bit of wiggle room.
Comments
Leave a Reply
About This Blog
From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
We welcome comments from readers...pro or con!
