The 0.5 dB rule
When I’m nearing the end of a mix, and everything’s sound basically great but little things still need to be adjusted, I have a simple rule:
No adjustments greater than 0.5 dB!
The reason: it’s pretty impossible to throw off your carefully-constructed balances with a 0.5 dB adjustment. Badly or irretrievably, anyway. And when you have tired ears and have heard something 300 times in a row, that’s valuable! This means:
No loudness adjustments greater than +/- 0.5 dB
No EQ gain adjustments greater than +/- 0.5 dB
If I think that something needs an adjustment greater than 0.5 dB, I’ll adjust it 0.5 dB and listen again from the top. If it’s better, great! If I still think it needs more help, I’ll do another 0.5 dB.
Approaching by degrees is pretty key when you’re tired; it minimizes the risk of impulsively wrecking your situation.
Inventing rules to help keep myself honest — jamie
