Music Glossary: level

Magnitude of pressure deviation from ambient; correlates to perceived loudness but not linearly. more

Level stage at clip level before compression; leave faders for balance/automation. more

Difference between the noise floor and maximum level (noise-limited or headroom-limited). more

Target consistent channel headroom (e.g., peaks around -10 dBFS) into buses & plugins. more

Procedure to set monitoring level (e.g., 83 dB SPL C-weighted) for consistent loudness judgments. more

A standard listening level used for consistent perception; adjust for room size and personal hearing safety. (≈83 dB SPL) more

Match monitoring SPL (e.g., 79–85 dB) and use pink noise to calibrate consistency. more

Acoustic level referenced to 20 µPa in air; typical measures include dB SPL, Leq, and peak. more

Sound pressure level measurement (dBA/dBC) for loudness and compliance; protect hearing. more