Yes absolutely correct, and thanks for mentioning it!
Btw. I have done another test, just to be sure. I patched the outputs of my interface into its own inputs and checked if there was some significant level differences going on. As far as I can see there is just a 0.4dB difference.
In the light of this:
Flex and Thru machines behave as expected, if I send out a sine @ -12dbFS and sample it back in and play the result back I get the same volume. which means that the incoming level is maintained. If I do the same with Thru I get a signal that is 12db lower, which confirms that there is a -12db attenuation and tells us that the Thru machines do nothing to make up for it by default.
So far so good.
Now considering that:
- the output level of my audio interface (and please note that as @Open_Mike as stated before, this value changes from interface to interface) hits the overdrive mark in the OT at -8dbFS (in the DAW) and
- that when I import a sinewave at 0dbFS into the OT directly and play that back without any changes of level it will measure 20dBFS in the DAW. 20 - 12 = 8, so you have those 8dbFS again.
So let’s just say that my audio interface has an “offset” of 8dbFS compated to the OT. If we remove those 8db we get how the OT bahaves independently from my audio interface.
For the sake of this explanation let’s just call the -8dbFS in my DAW 0dbFS. so 0bd in the DAW == 0db in the OT
Now, there’s one oddity that emerges if I do the math:
- If I send out a file @ 0dbFS from the audio interface and sample it I end up with a @ 0db on the OT’s CF card not -12db.
- When I import a 0dbFS sample and play that back I get a level of -12dB, which is 12db lower than what I was expecting.
So I deduct that the OT will apply the +12db boost that is automatically set in the sample settings for the recording buffers the moment you hit “save to new sample”. I need to see if the same happens if the setting is at 0db.