Nights @ the Sound Table.... I just can't stand it...

[Arno Peeters]

... went trough the numerous posts about mastering and just read what I already knew: C4 & L1 (or L2)
should do the trick... And then some more tricks: use a HP roll-off @ 40 Hz, apply some BF-plug after the C4....

AND STILL MY REFERENCE STUFF IS TWICE AS LOUD images/icons/confused.gif

Of course I know there's something called a Finalizer and sw like T-Racks and UV22... still I don't get it...
If I push the envelopes more, it will distort and on PAZ everything looks nice and swell, no abnormalities....

What am I missing here ? Is there a way to press louder on CD ... Is there ?
The stuff I'm mastering now is underground hip hop, so volume IS an issue...

looking for the golden tip images/icons/smile.gif

[BboY]

Hey Pete try this:

Bounce your mix to a stereo file using L1 not L1+ to get the volume up to 0db then import this file into a seperate session and use these plugins

1----RenComp with very little--1.25 ratio and subtle threshold--3 to 3.4--This plug to just level and add Warmth to tracks...Lower the gain for no more than .3 (under the gain faders)

2----C4, with Electro Mastering preset selected--turn the 2 high bands Gain down from preset 2.4 to 0 or even lower for even more warmth and great sound...

3----S1 with 1.6 shuffling and 1.2 trim for wonderful stereo image... and...

4----L1+ with no more than 5 to 6 db of attenuation after entire song has played and 40 on release...if you want more dynamics and less volume restrict the attenuation even more

Now between 3 and 4 i use my reneq to roll off low end 40hz and below and touch it up a bit and then i add the L1 on step 5
This should get you mixes up there images/icons/grin.gif

P.S I got this setup from Guitaies sorry for the mispelling images/icons/smile.gif

[Jules]

Best tips

Are you listening to your refs;

via the SAME converters?
Clocked by the same WC?

Only when you fix that up can you be doing real A/B ing..

images/icons/smile.gif

[audiaudio]

Originally posted by Arno Peeters:
AND STILL MY REFERENCE STUFF IS TWICE AS LOUD. . . . What am I missing here ? Is there a way to press louder on CD. The stuff I'm mastering now is underground hip hop, so volume IS an issue...<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Arno,

Loudness and volume are different animals.

Your mix can be the same volume as another mix and still not be as loud.

Judging from the amount of compression you're using, I'll guess that your mixes are already the same volume as your reference stuff--but not as loud.

Matching a mix's loudness to a reference is not as simple as using a particular piece of equipment or a PT plug-in. You have to mix in a way that fills the frequency spectrum in the same way that your reference fills the spectrum.

Do this: After carefully matching the playback levels of your mix and the reference, compare the elements of your mix to the elements of the reference. For example, compare your kick to the reference kick, your bass to the reference bass, your vocal to the reference vocal, etc, and try to make those individual sounds similar. Once those elements begin to correspond to your reference, the loudness of your mix will also start to match up.

It's a journey! Hope this helps.

[Arno Peeters]

B-Boy, thanx 4 da tips !
Jules: good point, yes; I imported 'em in PT
Audiaudio: yes, very true (volume vs. loudness).
I was thinking of that too: some of the stuff is loop-based with just 3 or 4 sample inredients added.
So 'empty' as in 'not the full spectrum' applies.
But on the other hand: it's not just one, but all 17 tracks that suffer from a lack of punch.
The reference material is very close to what I'm doing in terms of style, budget etc.

I was wondering: I used to not worry too much about reds in the sub,-and masterchannels, as long as it sounded ok.
This time, I reduced gains until no overs were left.
(Thought I do it the proper way this time....)..
Maybe that could play up ?
Btw.: I mixed down from the original session to a 4 ch session for mastering (instrumental + vocals) with nothing on the master fader except IDR. All is done @ 24 bits / 44.1 kHz

[Mullholland]

arno, maybe your refernce material was not created on PT. images/icons/grin.gif

[audiaudio]

Originally posted by Arno Peeters:
This time, I reduced gains until no overs were left.
<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Lots of rock, R&B, and rap CDs contain many flattened overs.

Take a look at the waveforms of Rodney Jerkins' stuff (Brandy, Destiny's Child, Michael Jackson), and you'll find levels that are beyond hot.

Obviously, for Rodney and others, what you see on the meters doesn't really matter--it matters only how it sounds.

[Arno Peeters]

Ok, but just run some stuff trough a L1 and it will look just te same, without any red led at all....
I mean over in the sperate channels of the source session...