Quote:
I figured out why I had -4db, and it was because I was using the live recording option in edcast plugin and had it selected on WAVE. I then had the WAVE volume turned down a little too much. So now that it is at 0db and x2.00 loudness. Should I still try and shoot for a -2 or so DB to avoid any clipping? If so should I do this with the winamp gain, or stereo tool preamp.
Hm....
1. If you're using 'WAVE', I think (depending on your soundcard drivers) chances are that the Stereo Output is converted to analog, and then back to digital (with a chance of adding noise, changing the waveform shape etc.). If possible, try to use the Stereo Tool output directly (which should be easy assuming that you're using the EdCast Winamp plugin).
2. MP3 encoding causes changes in the waveform, which causes peak levels to change. The best way to check if you're not causing distortion is:
a. Open a 2nd Winamp instance (in Winamp, go to General Preferences, then enable "Allow multiple instances".)
b. In this 2nd Winamp instance, tune into your stream.
c. Load Stereo Tool in the 2nd instance, and check the volume of the INPUT. (Don't change the settings or you'll loose the settings in the 1st instance). If the INPUT signal clips a lot (fully filled, and turns red), then you should lower the Post Amp of the 1st instance. If not, you might increase it. Note that occasional clipping (usually a single spike that is cut off) is not that problematic - but if you set Post Amp very close to 1.00 (0 dB) you'll see that it's constantly clipping - and that's really bad.