The question is bigger than the answer - Your gear wants to work at 0dBVU (roughly -14dBFS).

That's where I tend to stay around. The "meat" at -14 or so (or lower - Hey, it's 24-bit - As long as the signal is okay, it really isn't much of an issue) and the peaks normally hit around -6dBFS or so.

Headroom is GOOD room - Don't ever forget that. Your gear will appreciate it, your mixes will know the difference.

Thanks for that! Would I be right in assuming that there are two camps though when it comes to tracking digital? One that says get as close to 0db as possible, and the other that says leave plenty of headroom as noise is negligible with digital anyway? (Which I believe is what you are saying?)

-6dBFS for peak is VERY close to 0dBFS as far as a real life signal is concerned

in a 24 bit record a completed take with -9 to -3dBFS is a fine take
even -12dBFS is cool if the take was a ripper

Headroom solves Headaches later
8)

I just though of that one :D
sometimes I make myself laugh ... so easily amused

Thanks for the reply Kev

If -6dbfs is very close to 0dbfs, why does cubase (in the wave editor) seem to say that -6dbfs is 50% amplitude, whereas 0db is 100%? a whole 50% difference seems a lot to me.

and isn't -6dbfs about HALF the amplitude of a 0dbfs signal? according to the fomula db = 20log(amplitude)

-6db = 20log(0.50); that is, 50% of amplitude is -6dbfs, and
-3db = 20log(0.71); that is, 71% of full amplitude is -3dbfs

to me, this (and cubase, it would seem) says that -6db is 50% of a full scale, which seems to me to be not a very strong signal

and if i were shooting for an average level of the track to be at -14dbfs as John said, wouldn't that mean that most of my signal would be only at 20% of the entire range?

sorry about the long post and sorry if i'm missing something.... obviously you guys know what you are talking about but i just can't seem to understand the rationale of -6db being "close" to 0dbfs... to me, it's 50% away!

thanks again guys!

yes you are missing the point
8)
sorry
not meaning to be rude
but this is the biggest point about a log scale

yes it seems half the height ... half the voltage swing ... but that's only 3dB change or 6dB change depending on your methods of presentation
don't get picky with the 3 or 6 for half voltage/amplitude as it's not the point of this thread

dB is a relative scale and the various indicators like dBu dBv ... and many more all have specific meanings
even voltages can be misleading if the correct indicator is not given
Volts RMS, volts Peak ... Volts peak to peak.

It can be a large subject and can easily confuse.

BUT
to get right to the comment
" ... 50% difference seems a lot to me. "
and NOT a full answer to how dBs work

100 W amplifier is twice as powerful as 50 W
but into the same speaker it only gives you an extra 3 dB more level.

some would say that's just a notch or two ... or three.

When recording into 24bit digital it is fine to leave a few notches in reserve.
clipping into the Digital Converter is just not worth that couple of notches.

ok i think i got ya...

so getting back to the "why does -6db show as only 50% on cubase", you're saying that the scale on cubase is logarithmic?

Don't think of it as 50% of the voltage - Think of it as over 95% of the available signal level.

0dbFS and -6dBFS is on the log scale

the height of the cubase presentation is on a linear scale and more like Volts peak

so looking at my chart at RO .. the old Group DIY front page
(Dead Link Removed)

0dBu is 1.0654 volts peak
+6dBu is 2.1875 volts peak

very close to twice the volts for the 6dB change

a better view may be the top view

At 0dBFS = LOUD this may be around 18dBu for your interface

18dBu = 8.70 volts peak = 8.7 pixels high on the cubase picture
drop by 6dB to
12dBu = 4.36 volts peak = 4.36 pixels high on the cubase picture

half the height
8)

another scale that is has it's own quirks is temperature

What is the temperature in your part of the world today ?