What's the best way to raise volume on a "bounced" track?

[The Zone]

I'm new to this whole Pro Tools thing, I really like it and I have a question.

Say I've mixed an entire project on a digital console and I'm bringing it into Pro Tools via the SPDIF input, in stereo.

Once I get the beginning and end all edited up really nice and I'm ready to "bounce" it to a mixed stereo wave file, I have noticed that the volume output of the file is always "quiet" and needs to be "turned up" (I am over simplifying on purpose here, please bear with me)

SO!! How do you guys do it??

THANK YOU-

Jhon [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] [email protected]

[Cinemafixer]

Audiosuite 'normalize' to get the peaks up to zero, then use a limiter to increse the overall volume...

[The Zone]

Thanks- but do I apply that as a "plug in" or do I highlight the track and then try to apply the Normalizer thing? then the limiter? The "details" are my problem.

Forgive my ignorance, the rules are different then they were on the O2R!

Jhon [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [email protected]

[Cinemafixer]

Audiosuite refers to Highlighting the waveform and destructively applying the plug in. Use the limiter as an inline plug on the master bus.

[The Zone]

Right on!! I will go and attempt to do as you said . . .(it's a different PC) then I'll come back and tell ya if I failed or not!! ha ha

Thanks a bunch-
JHon [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[The Zone]

The song I used this technique on is a heavy rock tune and there's alot of "big punches" in it that tend to make the song "clip" so what do I do about that? Compress it? I did use the Limiter like you said and that seemed to raise the gain pretty well.

Jhon [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img]

[gracepoint]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by homerg:
Jhon, I think ProTools is probably not the best tool to use for audio editing of this kind. You might want to look into SoundForge by Sonic Foundry. It is a 2 track editing tool which has better built in tools for editing a 2 track mix, or pre-mastering if you will. It's pretty inexpensive too, about $190. http://www.sonicfoundry.com/pro ducts/NewShowProduct.asp?PID=426<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
There's nothing wrong with mastering in Pro Tools. I prefer it over Soundforge and some of the other programs out there because PT is way more user friendly in my opinion and if you get Waves plugins especially the L1 your pretty much set. Be careful normalizing though...if used wrong can ruin a mix. I personally don't even normalize mixes and just use the Waves L1.

[Jorge442]

Hi Jhon,

you already have peaks that are clipping, so normalizing isn´t going to do anything at all.
Definitely go for the L1...

[The Zone]

to tell you the truth Jorge, I read the manual on plug-ins today and I was also wondering why you'd even bother to normalize the thing . . . . there's no benefit, or so it sounded to me.

And it most certainly has been a long, strange trip. [img]images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]

[Jorge442]

I rarely ever normalize, but you might consider it for poorly recorded files(level-wise). In theory, it should have less audible artifacts than limiting.
If you have a single peak in the file that reaches 0, then normalizing will have no effect whatsoever since it raises the level only until the highest peak peaks.......

In your case I would try a multiband compressor (waves-C4), then a nice stereo compressor, like one from www.bombfactory.com, follow that with a some sweet EQ (meek) to compensate for what the compressors might do [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] .....then follow that with the L1+

If you have the S1 from waves.......now you´re talking. It´s a cool spacial enhancer, basically helps to open up the stereo field a bit. I´d insert it somewhere between the compressors....

depending on the mix and level you want to achieve is not as simple as slapping an L1 on it.


alright I´m babbling