Volume

Francisca

My husband bought Stage Traxx 3 already quite a while ago, as I need my backing tracks to stop at the end of each one. But, while having played tracks continually with another app in order to try out a new speaker, I discovered that when I went back to Stage Tracks it has a lot less sound, even if on max. Any ideas on that? I was shocked because I even had to buy a more expensive speaker as the one I bought didn't have enough volume for busking. Is there any way to contact Stage Traxx directly? I am very disappointed.

peter

Stage Traxx has a 6 db safety buffer to allow Equalizer boosts without distortion.

rumbakid

It would be great if we can turn this buffer off if we don’t use the EQ. I rather have a better signal to noise ratio on my tracks and use the EQ from my mixer.

Damir

rumbakid if you have a mixer then just adjust your input trim to compensate the 6 db headroom.

peter

rumbakid Just add 6db gain in the master equalizer.

rumbakid

Damir Not the same thing. Increasing the mixer preamp adds noise to the signal.

rumbakid

peter Ah it's digital right? So pushing 6DB in the master equalizer will not increase the noise floor?

Sharonzaz

rumbakid Peter meant the master EQ gain on the app, but also, if your tracks are at “normal” bounced volume, adding channel gain on your mixer by 6db definitely will not add audible noise unless your mixer is so cheap and badly made.

Every song has an option to boost by 6db.
Then you have playlist master volume that can be boosted by 6db
Then your master EQ gain can be boosted by 12db and that’s with the eq flat, you can boost the frequencies each by 12db.

Plenty gain staging options. 😊

peter

Yeah, that gain is added before the conversion to analog.

rumbakid

Sharonzaz I rather not add analog gain to the channel. I'm well aware how a mixer works. I'll do what Peter says, that is exactly what I wanted.

Sharonzaz

rumbakid the function of the gain button on any preamp is to add gain. That’s its sole purpose. The faders’ job is to reduce and not to boost, but you can still do that and there’s nothing wrong there either.
An eq is “better at cutting and not boosting” but show me one Grammy award winning producer/engineer that never boosts eq gain and I will give you a million of any currency.

Absolutely that if the source is waaaaay too soft and you need to add crazy amount of gain you will be adding noise.
After this little tech tip I am not going to say it again. I don’t know who taught you that using the gain isn’t advisable, but if you want to be misinformed and stubborn at the same time you can choose that and have a happy life in your realm 😊🙏

Gain staging has many forms and using the gain knob on your mixer is perfectly fine. Yes, not all the way up if you can help it rather, because then your source definitely needs to come up at the source and not on the mixer. Pushing “too much” gain on your iPad will produce distortion/clipping.
I’d take some unheard noise over clipping any day of the week 😊

rumbakid

Sharonzaz Trust me I understand all of that. You are not understanding the point here. Stage Tracks is purposely attenuating the signal. To bring the signal back to the normal level, it is better to remove the attenuation than it is to turn up the mixer's input gain. This is the point. Yes either work, but one way is better than the other.

peter

I would like to argue what ‚normal level‘ is. For something like Spotify or Apple Music that only play a single stereo file at a time that has been heavily mastered and limited to maximise volume, the normal level leaves no possibility to mix two tracks or add a bit of gain on the Equalizer. You might immediately get clipping.

That‘s why you never run signals in a mixer near the 0dbFS mark. You usually aim for signals to bei around -12 to -18dbFs. Same is true for gain staging in a DAW.

I consider the -6dbFs operating level as even being a bit hot but a good compromise.

Sharonzaz

peter while most of us (and I mean all of us 😊 ) can’t “hear” if the signal is a little low out of the iPad, most experienced ears will definitely hear if the internal audio is starting to clip/distort/etc.

Having converted all my tracks now to multitracks, I can hear that some tracks now starting to push that threshold. It’s no longer stereo mastered output it is now 6-8 tracks together pushing the output of the iPad, even having a limiter on the master effect bus I can hear that some tracks are simply sounding like they reached the limit. Backing up playlist/eq gain by a couple of db helped and then I gain in up in whatever I plug into.
No noise and nothing funny. Any mixer needs an optimal input, and having the iPad on the verge of clipping isn’t going to do your sound any good. We’re talking 6db here not a faint whisper of sound.

It’s fine if that’s how you like to do it, I have my own pet peeves, many of them, and maybe other pros also raise an eyebrow, it’s ok, that’s how I like it, like to use it etc
😊

Damir

You all have very good points , having 6 db extra headroom is definitely a good idea , i use stereo tracks only and i still apreciate i can use the EQ without fear of clipping , signal to noise is not an issue here unless you have very crappy recordings , using mixer trim to compensate has absolutely no probles either unless you have a very crappy mixer , the point of the lower gain output is to give you more freedom to use the EQ to tweak in either direction or fiddle with your multitracks mix and not immediately reach clipping, i dont see any issues with less output unless you jump in to another app like MUSIC🤮 and play something from there that would give you a bit of an extra boost in output but you can always drop that apps volume to suit ST3 .why would you want that anyway ST3 is the best player out there.
Great to hear so manny passionate comments the solution is simple go to master EQ and boost volume by 6db.
I wish that was my only problem 😂