How do you make final mix louder in mastering

[billydrummerboy]

I just mixed a song and it sounds very good but its weak in volume on the cd. The song is very rich & full even at low volume but needs to come up as a hole. For example how far can you push plug-ins on the master fader like the Uad precision limiter, ect. or do I put the tracks in another program to bring up the levels, or just send it out to the mastering pro. Any help would be welcomed.
Billy

[Gibble]

I use the Normalize function found in the Audio drop down menu prior to doing a final bounce to the HD. I've noticed that their have been comments that using the Normalize function tends to increase the noise floor in the recording. This function works well for me and gives the added punch that the recordings need to bring them up to a 0 db level. I have also noticed that some people use the Trim plugin to accomplish the same task. Maybe somebody else can shed a bit more light on this topic ?

Hope this little bit helps

Cheers

[Resonant Alien]

Personally, I send all of my material to a Mastering house for final Mastering, unless it is just a demo. I have mastering plug ins, but there is nothing like having a second set of ears listen to and tweak your mixes to get them where they need to be for commercial release.

That said, if you are going to do it yourself, use a mastering-grade limiter, such as the UAD Precision Limiter, or something similar. This is how mixes get louder at the pro Mastering houses. They don't use Normalization to "do the magic".

Cheers,
RA

[Nama]

Sounds like you have a nice limiter. Use it until your track gets as loud as the songs you are comparing with.
If you hear some distortion oractually hear the limiter working so much, then go back to the mixing stage or you could send it to a mastering engineer.

Just my opinions!

[Jim]

If you want to use what you've already got, try the MW Limiter. I'm not saying it's going to be the best solution, but you can definitely achieve louder mixes with it. Just set the ceiling to just below clip, and then raise the input gain until your track is as loud as you want it. Then fine tune the Lookahead, Attack and Release.

Or you could use the MW Compressor for multi-band limiting.

FYI, Normalizing changes the overall volume, like a volume knob. It does nothing to the dynamic range. Compression and Limiting can change overall volume, but they can also be used to take the lower volume material and make it louder, while maintaining a peak level for the overall track. This reduces (or destroys, depending on your opinion), the original dynamic range of the recording (the degree of contrast between the loud and the quiet).

Compression/Limiting is a personal choice and a matter of opinion, and there is no single right approach as to whether and how much to use. The only wrong thing is introducing digital clipping.

.

[llowis]

Since we're on limiting, how does "look ahead" work ... how can we use it, what does it do? Thanks for the input!

Larry

[Splinter]

Originally posted by larry33:
Since we're on limiting, how does "look ahead" work ... how can we use it, what does it do? Thanks for the input!

Larry

"Look ahead" doesn't really look ahead at all. It is actually a delay that creates a short period of time for the plug in to analyze the incoming audio for more accurate processing. This delay used to be problem, but with DP's ADC the plug reports the delay to the host and the audio remains sample accurate.

[jimmy330]

I second the UAD-1 approach. The Precision Limiter is excellent! The other plugs are more than worth the price of admission. Check out some of the other threads on plugins and UAD. Or better still just buy it, you will never be sorry!

[chrispick]

Another mastering option gaining a lot of popularity is Izotope's Ozone.

Check it here: Ozone 3

It's a mastering suite (a maximizer/limiter, a multi-band-linked compressor/stereo enhancer/exciter, mastering EQ and reverb).

At $250, it's a less expensive option than an UAD-1, but still very powerful. I use it and highly recommend it.

The only caveat: There's a bit of a learning curve if you're not familiar with limiter/ compressor/expander tools. The good thing is it comes with a great .pdf on how to make these things work.

<small>[ April 11, 2005, 10:27 AM: Message edited by: chrispick ]</small>

[jon]

Originally posted by billydrummerboy:
I just mixed a song and it sounds very good but its weak in volume on the cd. The song is very rich & full even at low volume but needs to come up as a hole. For example how far can you push plug-ins on the master fader like the Uad precision limiter, ect. or do I put the tracks in another program to bring up the levels, or just send it out to the mastering pro. Any help would be welcomed.
Billy

UAD-1 Precision limiter!!!!!!

[billydrummerboy]

Thanks for your input I'll keep trying.
Billy

[visiblecow]

Another good limiter/maximizer is the L1, and L2 from Waves. I use them a lot.
Excellent...

[Jim]

I always thought it odd that MOTU's Lookahead introduced a delay. This is probably a result of lazy or thoughtless programming.

The biggest advantage that computer based transient manipulation tools have over hardware counterparts is their ability to scan the audio file BEFORE it plays at it's pre-ordained moment, and introduce processing coincident (without delay) with it's stream from the computer.

.

[Fibes]

Please don't normalize and don't limit your recordings to the point where the audio is degraded. Too many albums are ruined by the need for loudness established by clueless A&R weasels that couldn't hear a train cutting them in two. The loudness war has created a world where audio = fatigue; do you really want that. Dynamics, left intact, give the listener an ebb and flow therefore granting their ears time to reset and await a new dynamic onslaught.
That doesn't mean your mixes should be mastered quiet and anemic but above all else leave the level to a qualified ME if you are unsure yourself.

BTW I use the Uad Precision limiter for in house mastering/demo squashing, it works great, much better than the L1 and L2 IMO and is easier to dial in than most other super plugs.

[eriknorlander]

There have been other posts about this topic as well, but I heartily recommend taking your mix out into the analog world, compressing it there (I use Avalon and / or Manley units), and then bring it back into DP through a digital limiter like the great UAD-1 Precision Limiter or Waves L1 - L2. Things seem to get saturated differently in the analog world than they do with the digital limiters, so by combining both technologies, my mixes get louder overall without suffering too much.

And for the record, yes, this is wrong and I hate it. CDs are WAY TOO LOUD these days and we are all forced to just cream our mixes in order to get their volume near parity with competiting products. Especially in the rock world. To quote the immortal Bill the Cat. Ack. Pffft.

Best regards,
Erik