[Ben Jenssen]

Hi, Dal. I'll volunteer.

When bouncing, you should always have a master fader. (Remember the meter and plugins are always post fader on master faders, ulike all other types of tracks in PT. So if you adjust the master fader you affect the input to the plugins.)

The signal should almost reach but never exceed 0db. In digital that's the absolute limit.

Put the standard PT limiter on your master, pull the threshold back until the highest peaks (only just) starts to trigger the limiter, and bounce. The result is your max volume without compression and mastering.

You will most likely be disappointed.

So, we must make shure that the highest peak is not holding back the overall volume. We must control the dynamics with compression and limiting. Holding back the peaks to let us increase the overall volume without exceeding 0db wich would cause clipping and distortion.

Now, too much limiting will sound bad. Lifeless and kind of distorted. So you will have to find a middle way to compromise, or pay up to get professional mastering done.

There are no rules to get you there, but here's my take on it: the best way to achieve loudness is to mix well, and with loudness in mind. Control your low frequencies, they have much energy. Limit individual tracks instead of limiting the whole mix, less distructive. A gentle compressor on the fader (set up to sound good, not just for volume). And last insert on the master, a limiter to catch the peaks. (It's common to set the output of the limiter to something like -0.3 for a little leeway.) Remeber if you touch the master fader, it will affect the input of the limiter.

If it's not loud enough, tell people to reach for the volume knob, or pay up for a pro.

It's called the volume wars. Some people are wizards at it and you can just forget beating them, you will never sound as loud as them on the radio, but it's possible to get close.

Ben.