Mission 003
Amplitude & Volume
How we measure and control loudness.
Bigger wave = louder sound. But your ears measure it weirdly.
+40 XP
// WHAT IT DOES
Amplitude is how big a wave is — how hard the air is being pushed. Bigger pushes = more energy reaching your ear = louder.
We measure loudness in decibels (dB). The scale is logarithmic, which means it bunches up huge real-world differences into small numbers. 60 dB is 1,000× the energy of 30 dB.
In your DAW, 0 is the absolute ceiling. Going above it doesn't get louder — it clips and distorts.
Think of it like → Amplitude is how hard you slap the table. dB is a logarithmic ruler that lets you measure both a tap and a punch on the same scale.
▸ WHY YOU CARE
- • Fader moves of 1–3 dB make audible mix differences. You don't need huge changes.
- • prevents when you stack tracks and add effects.
- • Perceived loudness depends on duration and frequency, not just peak — which is why exists.
// SEE & HEAR IT
Round 1 · 0/0 correct · 0%
LOWPASS CUTOFF
Listen for the brightness. High cutoff = open and bright. Low cutoff = dark and muffled.
Your value6.1kHz
200Hz12.0kHz
▸ HOW IT WORKS
▸ Signal flow — watch the dot
▸ SIGNAL FLOW
Glowing dot = your signal travelling through Live.
▸ LISTEN FOR
- • The 'pump' of a doing too much work.
- • Subtle distortion on transients = clipping.
- • Mix translating quietly = good dynamics.
▸ WALKTHROUGH (5 steps)
- 1. DO: Set a kick at -6 dBFS peak.▸ LISTEN: Clean , headroom for the rest of the mix.
- 2. DO: Push it to +3 dBFS into the master.▸ LISTEN: Harsh, crunchy — that's clipping.
- 3. DO: Pull master fader -10 dB and re-listen.▸ LISTEN: Quieter but cleaner — your ear may even prefer it.
- 4. DO: Insert a , drop -6 dB on a loud track.▸ LISTEN: Mix breathes; nothing else changed.
- 5. DO: Bounce at -1 dBTP and check on a meter.▸ LISTEN: revealed even when sample peaks pass.
▸ COMMON MISTAKES
- ✗ Mixing only at high volume.
- ✗ Pushing every track up instead of pulling problem tracks down.
- ✗ Trusting peak meters alone — track LUFS too.
// QUIZ (QUICK)
Question 1 / 40 correct
Decibels (dB) use a __ scale because our ears work that way.