One key thing about this gainstaging topic is that when people mention about -20dbfs as a “good” level, they mean RMS. -20 dbfs peaks is too low in my opinion. Then you risc working with -30-40 dbfs levels. Just wanted to mention it as i dont think it was spesified anywhere in this thread. And i “struggled” abit with that when researching this myself.
Gainstaging is a simple, but confusing consept. Because of all the different measurement standards. Like dbfs, dbU, dbV. And now LUFS as well.
Hi,
Im pretty new to using DT via OB on Ableton. I am aware that the DT audio sounds low in ableton when using OB to leave more “headroom”. However, that’s exactly what I dont really understand (yes iv searched through google, dont attack me please). What can I do to bring up the volume or what exactly is headroom? is that space aduio filters for when im mastering the audio from the digitakt? I really want to try use the DT more for production bc its more fun than that way, but this volume thing has been discouraging.
any feedback is really appreciated.
I won’t go in depth with what / why you need headroom, but if you need the Digitakt louder just use Abletons Utility plugin and bring up each track until it’s peaking just a little below -6db. That will leave enough headroom you shouldn’t clip and be a fine volume for working.
If you want an in-depth explanation of gain staging, and the importance of headroom I’m sure there’s some great videos out there that will do a better job explaining then I would haha.
Run a search of the board for overbridge volume too low. There is some threads with insightful information about the subject.
Hi,
Im pretty new to using DT via OB on Ableton. I am aware that the DT audio sounds low in ableton when using OB to leave more “headroom”. However, that’s exactly what I dont really understand (yes iv searched through google, dont attack me please). What can I do to bring up the volume or what exactly is headroom? is that space aduio filters for when im mastering the audio from the digitakt? I really want to try use the DT more for production bc its more fun than that way, but this volume thing has been discouraging.
any feedback is really appreciated.
What I do is drop an Ableton Utility plug on each of the DT tracks and raise the gain to what I want. Then you can save it as a template, or set it as your default template, so every time it opens, it is ready to go. Works for me.
Good news since updating overbridge, to 2.0.24 I have level again, giving me waveforms I can see yay.
They are back to -14 to -26 which I can work with 
Cool. I will test it. thanks a lot !!!
I have a question, I read through this whole thread and maybe I missed it.
I have everything coming into Ableton via overbridge and each digitakt track has it’s own audio track in Ableton. I am fine with putting a Utility on each track to boost the volume, (to get them to -12db) however, I wish that volume increase was reflected on the meter for the track I am boosting. As far as I can tell this is only reflected on the master since it doesn’t hit the Utility effect until after the input stage.
I think I found a workaround where I could route the output of each audio track to a separate audio track before going to the master. This lets me see the new level on the meter for that track and gives me bigger waveforms to work with, but is there not an easier way to do this? I feel like there should be.
What is everyone’s strategy for mixing with an overbridge setup? I thought that seeing the level on the meter for each track would be extremely useful in the mix process. Using Utility plugins I can boost or reduce the signal but I find it a bit clunky when I don’t see the level changing on that track in Ableton.
most DAWs have 32bit float summing bus minimum. I am quite sure your audio will null to digital black after normalization regardless if your masterbus meter is hitting -48dBFS or -0.5dBFS
This also means you can redline every individual track in ableton and it wont make a damn difference as long as master output doesnt exceed 0dBFS. 32bits = INSANE headroom
TL;DR - for the umpthteenth time, levels in digital only matter for plugins that excpect a certain signal level (these are usually of the “analog emulation” variety). Only thing you need to worry about is keeping the master output levels below 0dBFS
If you dont believe me, check any earrape scare video on the net… that ear-blasting volume that comes after the quiet beginning demonstrates digital headroom beautifully.
You could also rebounce the tracks after adding gain with utility.
They must have updated it. My rytm 2 comes in at -6 as dual mono in ableton 10. Is there no way to get a single mono file? It would be perfect and at -12db. I cant figure this out in ableton.
I remember my DT was super low and i had the same issues, but this was a year ago.
I just made an Ableton Template for Digitakt Overbridge and put the Utility plugin in each track.
Like others said, its better to have lower levels coming in than too high. Especially when Overbridge cuts away all FX per track. So its nice to have extra headroom for re-adding FX to each track for example.
Lots of headroom is fine, but it leaves the tracks much quieter than stuff recorded by any other means. That means you have to do extra work just because Elektron is making things technically correct.
U.K. power plugs are probably the safest anywhere. But do any U.K. companies insist on selling gear with U.K. plugs into the US and Europe, because they know better? They do not.
There should at least be an option to normalize the inputs via Overbridge to a more compatible level.
Like I said, I just create a template with Ableton Utility plugin on each track and set it to around +12dB or so for example (depending on your needs) and keep using that for more normalized levels.
You just do it once to create a template and then you can keep re-using it whenever you want. It’s just a one time effort that takes literally less than a minute to create such template.
put compressors on your channels lol
i have not had a single problem with digi volume boost levels on your sampler slightly maybe add some overdrive and put compressors on each individual channel
Ehh no that is just overkill. Ableton’s Utility plugin is made for exactly these purposes.
you dont compress drum tracks?
I would like to normalize everything first, before I start adding compression and no I don’t use compression on every single track.
That’s why I created my Ableton Digitakt Overbridge template with pre-loaded Utility plugin set at a specific +dB amount. So I have a good starting point for my needs.
PS. It really depends on what source material you are using. There are a lot of samples out there that already have for example compression already applied to them. As example. Some percusive elements I don’t need/want to use compression at all on its track.
Lot of people really over-use compression. This is a known fact.