What volume should i set my PC to?

Shands

Shands

Dj Shands
Hey guys just had a quick question. Just got a new HP pc with windows 7, and i wanna know about what level i should have my volume around in the settings. I feel like its throwing off my mixes because i dont quite have the volume set well. hope this makes sense. If someone could tell me a good default volume to set it to that would be great!
 
^Moses actually had an amazing post a few weeks back. When you lower you main volume... you're actually degrading the sound. Stop me if I say this incorrectly but it sounds like the chip lowers the volume by getting rid of information here and there.
 
I actually prefer to mix at low volumes. Mixing at loud levels makes everything sound better than it might be. When I turn things down I am able to decipher more of the details and find what I need to adjust. Also, listening at loud volumes for long period of time will quickly lead to ear fatigue and make it hard to mix. Not sure a good setting as I don't work with your set up but for mixing start at a low volume. Definitely below 50% I would imagine.
 
^true... but this is actually a different issue IMO.

I didn't know this until a few weeks ago but.. apparently, when you turn down the volume using your PC (or most digital devices)... you are degrading the sound. The volume is lowered b/c 0s and 1s are being removed from the sound before it's sent to your speakers.

If possible... it's best to have your PC all the way up 100% but then either A) turn your monitors down physically or B) use a passive volume controller between your computer and your monitors so you can adjust the volume there.

There's some very very expensive options out there that do this.. b/c apparently there's a good amount of sound information being lost, so people will pay big bucks to maintain the high quality of their audio playback. There are less expensive solutions like SM Pro Audio Nanpatch or TC Electronics has an item to assist with this also. Both should be under $50. I didn't like the SM Pro ultimately b/c it felt a little uneven between L & R monitors. A few guys here use the TC Electronics one and like it.... i've never used it.
 
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yeah i agree-- having your primary volume control (computer volume) maxed out and then tweaking the final output on monitors, or through a soundcard or mixer definitely gives the best sound...at least as far as I can detect. one of my roommates has the opposite opinion; that it's best to have primary volume at ~50% or lower, then crank up the amp, monitors, whatever, because doing so lets the speakers work better as they are capable of handling more power/producing higher volumes than when the final out is lower.
it makes sense in a way, but i dunno. I usually have my primary between 75 - 100%, which then runs to a preamp/mixer, then to my stereo receiver, as I don't have powered monitors.
so i guess my volume and amplification setup goes like this:

primary (100%) -> mixer (defeat) - > stereo amp (~25%)

---------- Post added at 03:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:10 PM ----------

also i realize it might sound redundant for me to have a mixer in the middle there, but my setup is weird and a bit unconventional
 
As said, you don't want digital attenuation - computer output at max, then use a passive attenuator (ie. monitor controller) or the monitor's controls for the output volume. Adjusting the audio interface's volume is usually digital as well, so that's a bit of a no-go.
 
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