Vi. a – Slate Digital FG-X Virtual Mastering Processor User Manual

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Slate"Digital"FG-X"Virtual"Mastering"Console"

• Display(mode:"

o Absolute:"use"this"mode"to"read"the"absolute"level"on"the"meter"scale."
o Relative:"use"this"mode"to"read"the"level"in"a"relative"way."The"0dB"of"the"

scale"is"set"according"the""Reference"RMS"level""setting."

• Range:"select"the"range"according"to"the"RMS"dynamics"of"the"song.(
• Needle(Velocity:"adjust"it"to"slow"if"you"need"a"more"average"display,"and"to"fast"

if"you"need""

• Reference( RMS( Level:" You" can" choose" for" each" setting" to" use" the" Global"

Reference"RMS"Level"or"to"set"a"particular"Reference"RMS"Level."

VI.

OTE FOR

IXING

NGINEERS

The"FG-X"is"essentially"a"mastering"tool.""But"it"can"also"be"used"effectively"in"the"mixing"

stage,"either"as"a"buss"compressor"(using"the"FG"Comp"module)"or"as"a"powerful"tool"to"

give"your"clients"a"reference"mix"that"is"competitive"with"professionally"mastered"mixes.""

To"this"end,"please"be"aware"of"your"final"plans"once"the"mix"leaves"your"hands.""If"the"
song"is"intended"for"mastering,"you"should"remove"FG-X"before"sending"it"to"mastering,"

or"if"you"are"using"the"FG"Comp"as"a"buss"compressor,"you"should"bypass"the"FG"Level"

module.""Otherwise"your"mastering"engineer"will"not"have"enough"headroom"to"work"

with," since" your" FG-X" processed" mix" will" be" reaching" -10db," rather" than" the" -20" to" -

15dB"FS"preferred"level"of"an"unmastered"mix."

VI.1.

RMS

E V E L

RMS," or" “root" mean" square,”" is" considered" the" standard" for" measuring" loudness" in"
audio.""Typically,"a"mix"should"have"an"average"RMS"value"of"-20"to"-15"dB"FS"(FS"for"Full"

Scale,"i.e."0dB"or"16/24bits"digital"maximum).""This"leaves"plenty"of"headroom"for"you"to"

process"the"mix"further"in"the"mastering"stage.""By"printing"a"mix"higher"then"-15dB,"you"

are" not" leaving" enough" room" for" the" mastering" stage" processing." " Mixes" need" to" be"

MIXES," not" MASTERS." " If" you" are" comparing" your" mix" with" a" reference" of" an" already"

mastered"mix,"lower"the"mastered"mix"by"roughly"8dB.""Do"not"try"to"match"a"mastered"

song’s"level"during"the"mix"stage.""Leave(loudness(processing(to(the(mastering(stage.(

Mastered"songs"have"an"RMS"of"-11"to"-8"dB"FS.""Some"masters"are"pushed"louder"to"-7"

or"even"-6"dB"FS.""While"the"FG-X"can"certainly"make"these"types"of"loud"masters"sound"

better"than"typical"limiters"have"in"the"past,"there"is"no"way"it"will"sound"as"dynamic,"

punchy,"and"“big”"on"the"bottom"end"as"a"-10"dB"FS"RMS."