how do I make a Pro Tools mix louder without clipping???

[rmeuchel]

I'm currently working on mixing my band's CD on a TDM system and we're getting close to the final mixes on all 10+ songs...When I mix, I make sure that the master fader is just barely below the 'red' on the 'hottest' part of the song. However, when I play the mixes back on CD that I burn and play on other systems, the mixes are only 50-75% volume of most CDs that I buy in stores. I realize that my mixes need to be mastered with overall compression and EQ with will give it more volume and punch, but I was wondering if there's any good solution in the meantime until I send it out for mastering, so that we can make sure that our mixes are indeed accurate. (Right now, if I go into the red, the mix is obviously louder, but it's crackly.)
Please e-mail me at [email protected]
if you have any suggestions. Thanks much! Russ

[email protected]

[ejsongs]

use L1 on the master fader.

ej

[Mark Haliday]

True, L1 is great but L2 is even better : Sounds better, auto-release is just great, excellent dithering, even higher level.
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[Zeus]

Why don't you just turn up the listening volume?

Z

[Mark Haliday]

Why don't you just turn up the listening volume?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Well, you are right of course.

But what can we really do ?

I mastered lately a Hip Hop album and I spent 75% of the time squezzing these last dBs to have the record play "in your face"
As thankful as I was for having the technology to do that, I could not keep from feeling the absurdity of what I was doing.
It has now reached the stage where it is actually affecting the way people arrange songs. No more lush pads, reverbs or instruments that may not survive the enourmous amouts of compression you have to apply to have your levels meters stuck at 0 dBfs.
The other ridiculous point is that all this gets multiband compressed again on Radio and TV, no wonder it it sounds muddled...

I suppose all this will have to end somewhere, and that obviously means a new media (DVD?) with a real headroom written in the spec.
Even though I sometimes like it I am well aware that the "Phat sound" is in the end going to kill the 16/441 CD media.

[woodywho]

I usually record all my stuff @ around -2db on a 2 track tape and 1x recorded cd for backup b4 I go to mastering, this gives headroom to tweak (add subtract) the mix. $.02

For clients and my personal demos, I record directly from protools into masterlink and then I do all of my leveling there. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

[gavinchan]

Of course there's compression/Limiting/EQ.... But what about increasing harmonic density? I've seen some outboard stuff that does this (eg Cranesong HEDD 192) . Anyone know if there are software plugs that do it?

[Alécio Costa]

a) try sending your stuff to a serious mastering lab/guy

b) if you are on a budget, try one of these templates in your master fader, for bouncing:

Q10 > TC MASTERX 5 band mode > Power dither
suppose you are working at 44k/24bit, bouncing down to 16 bits

or:

Q10 > C4 > (L1) >Power dither

even better:
try the New Waves MAster series package.. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

Hope it helped you...
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