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Calcimator

Mix Bus Level Calculator

Calculate proper track levels and fader positions to maintain headroom across your mix.

Inputs

dB
dBFS
dBFS

Results

Suggested Fader Adjustment

0 dB

Estimated Peak Level-6 dBFS
Headroom at Current Levels4.2 dB
Average Bus Level-10.2 dBFS
Summed Output Level-4.2 dBFS
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Number of Tracks, Target Headroom, and Loudest Track Level.
  2. Set Average Track Level and Number of Buses.
  3. Review the Suggested Fader Adjustment (dB) result.
  4. Use Estimated Peak Level (dBFS) and Headroom at Current Levels (dB) to inform your decision.
  5. Use the chart to visualize the results and explore different scenarios by adjusting inputs.

How the result changes with Loudest Track Level

Loudest Track LevelSuggested Fader Adjustment
-5442 dB
-3927 dB
-219 dB
-6-6 dB

What each input means

Number of Tracks
Total number of audio tracks in your session.
Target Headroom
Desired headroom in dB below 0 dBFS.
Loudest Track Level
Peak level of the loudest individual track.
Average Track Level
Average RMS level of your tracks.
Number of Buses
Number of subgroup buses (drums, vocals, instruments, etc.).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Number of Tracks = 24, Target Headroom = 6, Loudest Track Level = -12, Average Track Level = -18 = 5 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Suggested Fader Adjustment
    Suggested Fader Adjustment
    0 = 0
  3. Calculate Estimated Peak Level
    Estimated Peak Level
    -6 = -6
  4. Calculate Headroom at Current Levels
    Headroom at Current Levels
    4.2 = 4.2

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