Quote:

I typically gain change the track to just before it would clip. I can always mix DOWN in the final mix



You're still missing the point. What is all this recording software doing when you get down to it? It's trying to emulate a real studio. What happens if you were in a studio 20 years ago recording on that very cool and expensive Studer 24 track tape machine that took up half the control room and you physically recorded to tape 12 tracks with each one up at -2db? How can you possibly mix that? Since what is printed to tape cannot be manipulated the only way would be to apply OUTBOARD compression and/or limiting to each track BEFORE you try to mix it. You have to get the levels down because you're telling the Studer to physically combine all those tracks and bounce the result to a separate 2 track. Being forced to do that is called fixing a bad recording after the fact. This problem would only come up if a second engineer is trying to fix the bad recordings that are too hot done by an incompetent first engineer. Otherwise any good studio would never allow those tracks to be recorded that hot in the first place. You CANNOT mix down PROPERLY just by moving the volume sliders on your mixing console or in this case RB's software mixer. That is merely for you to adjust your monitor mix, it's not physically changing the levels on each track. Therefore all you're doing is, again for the 5th time or so, letting RB do it all AUTOMAGICALLY and from what you've been saying you don't want that, you want to know how to do it right.

IF the results you're getting sound OK to you then don't worry about all the why's and going to school and all that. Just let RB do it BUT as soon as you start asking these sorts of questions...

Just think of me blowing off your IT answers because I won't listen and you don't want to have to write a book about it.

You've got two choices, let the software do it or shut up and start reading and learning. You know me by now, I'm being friendly when I say this.

Bob

Biab/RB latest build, Win 11 Pro, Ryzen 5 5600 G, 512 Gig SSD, 16 Gigs Ram, Steinberg UR22 MkII, Roland Sonic Cell, Kurzweil PC3, Hammond SK1, Korg PA3XPro, Garritan JABB, Hypercanvas, Sampletank 3, more.