In the picture, the channel on the far right is the Master channel in the “Mix” section, while the one below is the “Master Track” DSP panel.
The question is: What is the difference between the volume sliders in these two? Even though I get it down to -6.500 dB in one of the sliders, the peak is above -6.500 dB (as seen in the picture).
Why is it like this? Why do I have to bring both the track AND the mixer volume to -6.500 dB in order to have the peak below or around -6.500 dB?
you’re obviously expecting the behaviour of a limiter, but you’re looking at gain sliders.
you can either set positive or negative gains relative to the input signal.
if your input signal is +2db and you set the master gain slider to -1db you will end up with 1db and not with -1db.
taking a look at the upper right corner of the mixer view, you will see these two buttons:
as the mixer view only offers one slider per track, but you are able to alter the volume PRE effect chain or POST effect chain, the respective mode can be switched.
you are currently in POST mode, where altering the gain slider on the master track in mixer view will also alter the slider to the very right of the effect chain.
so the slider to the left in the effect chain is the input gain for the whole chain and the slider to the very right always controls the gain post fx chain.
for further information / different explanation, see also:
https://tutorials.renoise.com/wiki/Effect_Chains#Pre_and_Post_Mixer_Effects
hope that makes sense to you. lemme know if not - good luck.
If I understand your question well: it is the same with the master track as with any other track: there is a volume control at the start of the chain (leftmost pane in the horizontal strip view) and a volume control at the end (rightmost pane, or bottom slider in the mixer view). The former is automatable via pattern commands or curve strip. The latter is not. Other effects are always inserted between these two.
What can be confusing is that that leftmost pane is called the “mixer” in the pattern editor’s commands menu, but only the other one appears in the mixer tab.
Faders don’t work that way. Tuning to -6.5 means whatever gets into gets 6.5 substracted from its level. Not like it will be pushed down to -6.5.
You need to first measure maximum peak (reset peak, then play all stuff that has to be considered), then you need to tune the level so it boosts/cuts the right amount so the new peak will be as desired. If measured peak is 0.0 you need to substract 6.5 so tune to -6.5. If the measured peak is 1.5, you also need to substract that amount, like -6.5-1.5 = -8 - then you would set the mixer to that value. Of course if peak is below 0db you would need to add some to amplify, like peak -1.5 : -6.5+1.5 = set slider to -5db.
In your case (if you havend had reset it after turning down the mixer from a higher level) the mixer is set to -6.5 and there is a maximum peak of 0.763. So you’d need to substract further: -6.5-6.5-0.763 = -13.763, to that value you would set the mixer. But I bet that peak value was from when the volume was cranked up some more.