Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

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mikehalloran
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Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by mikehalloran »

It seems that my in box is being bombarded by those trying to sell me loudness plugins.

Izotope wants me to buy RX Loudness Control for $299. It certainly appears to be the Loudness module from RX4 Advanced although Izotope never states this. Since I have RX4-A already...

I know that PSP and others have their tools, too, including Xenon which I have.

Today I got a blurb for this from Don't Crack. $1,199? I'll pass.
http://store.dontcrack.com/product_info ... ts_id=1895

So, I'm curious. Who is using these loudness tools and which do you like?
Last edited by mikehalloran on Thu Apr 23, 2015 8:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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bayswater
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by bayswater »

Xenon is the one I use most, buy by far my favourite was Prosoniq Dynasone.
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by HCMarkus »

New? :wink:

The loudness wars will end only when we can no longer distinguish peaks and troughs in our masters. Or if perceived volume metering and control (like YouTube s doing) become ubiquitous and universally accepted.

Audio files already too often look like a solid black bar. Initially impactful, but so fatiguing!

< end rant >
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by leigh »

I'm very happy with the RX4-A Loudness module and have an RX4 batch program to loudness-normalize bounces from DP.

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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by stubbsonic »

I wonder how the YouTube spec handles content with longer quiet sections and longer loud sections-- or just dynamics in general. It's one thing to ask "How loud does it sound?" But quite another to say, "How loud is it now? ... and now? ...etc."

I was slow to come around, but I think if we want to produce music with dynamics, just release it that way. So what if your track is quieter?
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by mhschmieder »

I think of Xenon as a Limiter, but it does have some nice settings for monitoring various loudness standards.

I have a bunch of such tools in my box. Each has its purpose, and some are more useful for tracking vs. mixing vs. mastering. I like them all.

Having said that, it's a hard sell for me to spend $300 on the new one from iZotope, now that I already have several, and especially as it seems likely to be redundant with RX4 Advanced.

If I was at home, I could check which one I'm using the most, but I forget. It might be the cheapest one from NuGen. Whichever one it is, I like how it keeps track of the number of overs and gives you different ways of monitoring your averages and peaks from most of the others.

I used RNDigital for years (formerly Elemental Audio). I kissed that one bye-bye when I went 64-bits. Some of these newer ones are clearly influenced by that historically relevant monitoring plug-in.

Anyway, back to the point of having several, I find that each one covers different ground, so far. The one I'm using now, is my preferred one precisely because it covers more loudness standards than the others.

I find the one(s) from TC Electronic to be especially good for getting a clearer, detailed picture of phase relationships and overall stereo width and imaging. Not specifically related to loudness, but sometimes it becomes a balancing act of one vs. the other.
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by billf »

Not to mention that the new Izotope Loudness app only runs as a plugin on Avid stuff and Adobe CC (the endless rental thing).

I have zero interest in either of those, even if I wanted to spend $300 on it.
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by monkey man »

HCMarkus wrote:New? :wink:

The loudness wars will end only when we can no longer distinguish peaks and troughs in our masters. Or if perceived volume metering and control (like YouTube s doing) become ubiquitous and universally accepted.

Audio files already too often look like a solid black bar. Initially impactful, but so fatiguing!

< end rant >
So fatiguing I'm literally allergic to 'em, Sir Markus. It's rare for me to listen for more than 6-8 seconds, with 15 or so being my "record".

Rant all you want as far as I'm concerned, bro'; you're preaching' to the choir.

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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by mikehalloran »

One reason I ask is that, though I have some of these tools, I never use them to level a CD mix for loudness sake. I haven't done anything for KLOVE in a couple of years - and even then it's singles, not albums.
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by billf »

mikehalloran wrote:One reason I ask is that, though I have some of these tools, I never use them to level a CD mix for loudness sake. I haven't done anything for KLOVE in a couple of years - and even then it's singles, not albums.
Izotope is touting the RX Loudness tool as being a plugin for Adobe Premiere and Media Composer (and of course Pro Tools), so they are probably targeting the broadcast industry, maybe as a method of ensure levels between content and commercials are consistent? Interesting though that Final Cut isn't supported, or is that no longer used in broadcast?
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by mikehalloran »

billf wrote:Izotope is touting the RX Loudness tool as being a plugin for Adobe Premiere and Media Composer (and of course Pro Tools), so they are probably targeting the broadcast industry, maybe as a method of ensure levels between content and commercials are consistent?
That makes sense.
Interesting though that Final Cut isn't supported, or is that no longer used in broadcast?
They do say that other formats are "being considered".

I see that RX4-A Loudness module is part of the standalone, not the plugin. OK, I get it now.
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Re: Loudness plugins -- the new bandwagon?

Post by Tritonemusic »

mhschmieder wrote:I think of Xenon as a Limiter, but it does have some nice settings for monitoring various loudness standards.
Me, too. Even though it can help make things "louder", it is much more than that. I think it's best when used with rather "gentle" settings, if that makes sense.
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