Mastering: Commercial Volume

[nero120]

Hi guys,

this question kinda carries on from the mastering plugin thread below but is slightly different so I thought I'd start a new thread.

Basically, I am mastering my sessions (can't afford a good mastering engineer and don't know any good local ones anyway) using iZotope Ozone and Maxim - I think they sound comparible to similar commercial records but are slightly lower in volume. I have used maxim to limit and increase the volume but the sessions comes out slightly quiter than a commercial cd. I don't want to push maxim too hard as I start to hear distortions.

Can anyone give me some advice in achieving commercial volume using the plugins I have mentioned, or any tips/techniques?

Thanks partners!

[Mr.BossPlaya]

I try not to limit too much with just one limiter...i sometimes like to open up 2-3 L2 (WAVES)in a row on the master track and do slight limiting on each. something like...output -0.1 and the threshold around -2. i will do the same for each L2. Hope this will help!

[Bob Olhsson]

I've found that paying close attention to levels and distortion can pay huge dividends when you go to crank the volume up at the very end.

All distortion is additive. It creeps up on you and eventually the sound quality shatters like glass. Riding the volume of individual tracks or groups of tracks generates far less distortion than any compressor or limiter. Less distortion allows you to use more overall peak limiting on the final mix.

[nero120]

What do you mean by "riding the volume", Bob?

[audiogeek1]

What do you mean by "riding the volume", Bob?

I believe he means actual mixing rather than letting the compressor be the automatic volume control. By riding the volume it takes longer but can pay dividends in the end as far as something sounding maybe even more dynamic.

Hope this helps.

Mike

[nero120]

Ah, I see! Thanks Mike.

[Bob Olhsson]

I mean riding faders. It's not necessarily more dynamic but it's less distorted. The release time of a compressor or limiter generates distortion. None of them are as "smart" as fingers and a good ear.

[Barnabas]

Have your read the Maxim owners manual? After I did, Maxim finally came to life, and I was creating much better tunes.

[DeNiro]

So are you running your music into Maxim before you begin recording or after? I know that may sound a bit nieve but based on the last comment I was trying to figure out what you meant by creating better music...Did you mean to say the mixes are coming out better now that you have read the manual?

[daeron80]

First of all, congratulations on actually listening! It's a rare skill these days. Second, if your masters sound quieter than your refs, I'd suggest comparing them to quieter refs. Seriously, though, there's absolutely nothing wrong with letting the listener turn up the volume.