how much is a little?

I've been venturing into the world of home recording. A lot of the advice here and elsewhere say something like, "pan left and right a little" or "cut or boost the mids/highs/lows a little," etc.

So, how much is a little? I know it depends a bit on the equipment, but is it on or two notches on a knob? -5 or -10 db? What counts as "a little?" Help my ears out; even though I'm just playing, help my ears out.

A little is...less then a lot.

No seriously though. Your best judge is to trust your ears...the next day.

In other words, make your mix how it sounds good to you, then sit on it. Go to sleep. Wake up the next day. Then listen to it. Then, it will be clear what you need to change. The vocals will be too loud, or too far left, etc.

I know it sounds like I am giving you a crappy answer, but just try it. When you trust your sound, the next day...you'll have "virgin ears" and will be able to listen to it like your listening to a song on the radio. The problems will be obvious.

Homer is right about . Your opinion is what sets you apart from everyone else. Listen to the mix on your fave tunes to get ideas. As far DB levels here`s good thing to remember 3db boost will give the image of being twice as loud.

"A little" to me means, make the adjustment to a point that you begin to notice the effect. I guess a subtle change. Less is usually more when applying modulation effects but that is matter of opinion too.

I think the advice is really subjective when it comes to eq'ing. Could really mean anywhere from a little to alot.

agree with Stu that "a little" means "just enough to make an audible difference at the time." to fatigued ears after a long session, "a little" is more than if you just woke up with fresh ears.

And just to add, one thing I've noticed "in the box" is that the panning isn't as noricable as on a console. I wind up going to 9 or 3 o'clock to really notice much.

A little is...less then a lot.

No seriously though. Your best judge is to trust your ears...the next day.

In other words, make your mix how it sounds good to you, then sit on it. Go to sleep. Wake up the next day. Then listen to it. Then, it will be clear what you need to change. The vocals will be too loud, or too far left, etc.

I know it sounds like I am giving you a crappy answer, but just try it. When you trust your sound, the next day...you'll have "virgin ears" and will be able to listen to it like your listening to a song on the radio. The problems will be obvious.

+1. I just spent all morning working on a song and left it sounding what I thought was pretty decent. I just sat down to give it a listen maybe 20 minutes ago and ended up adjusting some levels. Just set everything so that it sounds good to you, then be prepared to give it a listen later on and it'll be clear if anything needs fixing.

remember, after you've wrung it out on your studio monitors, no mix is final til you've played on your home stereo, your car, boombox, your buddy's stereo, iPod ... that's where i find the blind spots in the mix.

Thanks guys.