My Music Sounds Quiet When I Upload It
My tracks are waaaay as well quiet and I don't know why
Hi guys,
This trouble has been bugging me for over half-dozen months at present so I'll practise my all-time to go into item and give examples then on; but long story short, my tracks seem to exist way besides quiet (Compared to commercial releases). I've tried so many different things, I'm actually at a point where I'm questioning whether the problem lies with my hardware/software (and I'm never normally one to blame the tools).
In the example provided I:
- Low passed all tracks to around 60-120 Hz at least, apart from the kicking and bass.
- Used EQ to remove 300-400 Hz region to reduce the muddiness of the mix.
- Also used EQ to remove any unnecessary frequencies, made sure that no sounds were battling.
- Used parallel compression on the drums to bring them out a little flake more.
- Practical limiting to most of the channels, only a touch using Pro-L.
- Applied pinch on the drum bus to around -4 dB, just to glue stuff together.
- Used saturation to bring out the harmonic series of certain sounds such equally the low-mid bass, drums and vocals etc.
- Placed a LPF at around fifty Hz to cheque the lows weren't fighting (also compared this to a reference track, whereby my lows were actually cleaner).
- Used sidechain for the boot and sub, as well every bit hats and snare so that these elements really cut through.
I accept but checked the .wav which I sent off for mastering in Ozone, and the levels were -three dB peak and -13 dB RMS (which seems a lot hotter than I remember information technology being 
). The levels of the primary which was returned to me, again according to Ozone, is a pinnacle of -0.0 dB and -6 dB RMS.
On paper this seems similar my track should exist competitively loud, and although I was very happy with my mixdown, you tin can tell from the chief than the engineer had to really push it to become information technology anywhere virtually commercially loud (which, for the record it'south not close).
I wouldn't ordinarily exist bothered about loudness, only I spent ages and ages working on this track, only to non be able to play it out during my sets; all considering difference in level betwixt this and commercial releases means that it takes abroad all the energy of the mix.
I swear I take tried EVERYTHING that there is to read about with regards to this, and it seems no matter what changes I make or what I exercise differently, the bounces from Logic always come up out sounding the same. What is it that I'm doing so fundamentally wrong? At that place must exist something pretty major to explain the major difference in levels between mine and the 'pros'.
It really makes no sense to me, and I am at wits end with this and on the verge of only giving up so if you lot guys could help me in any way it would be hugeeely appreciated.
Many many thanks
Rail:
EQUIPMENT:
MacBook Pro 2015
Scarlett 2i2
Yamaha HS7's
Audio Technica ATH-M50x
Lives for gear
-6dB RMS is non close to being loud enough? Christ on a bike!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumbergh ➡️
-6dB RMS is not shut to existence loud enough? Christ on a bike!
Well if y'all listened to the track you lot will hear that it isn't...
Similar I say in the original mail service, these levels would suggest that the rails is competitively loud, but it'south not
Yous got low-cal and airy synths and small drums that have very piddling kicking. What kind of loud were you expecting?
Sometimes you have to question the music itself. You lot accept null there in the music itself that's going to sound loud.
Its a affair of Psychoacoustics - the minds perception of what it interprets as beingness loud. A guitar gained up compared to a guitar played clean is going to sound louder even when its bodily decibel level is much lower. The brain hears it equally being more aggressive and therefore louder.
Y'all mix is going to sound tame at any book because you recorded it with tame instruments - period. Y'all want to make it sound louder you lot'd need to add saturation to your instruments to make them sound similar they were cranking through a gained up amp. Even if its not actually saturating its even so a affair of gain staging get-go when tracking and then mixing and retaining a dynamic change between silence and total book. When you lot crush the dynamic levels down to where you only take a few decibels between soft and loud your listen will hear the audio as being tame no matter how loud it actually is.
Quote:
Originally Posted by wrgkmc ➡️
You got light and airy synths and minor drums that take very piffling kick. What kind of loud were you expecting?
Sometimes you have to question the music itself. You have nothing there in the music itself that's going to audio loud.
Its a affair of Psychoacoustics - the minds perception of what it interprets equally being loud. A guitar gained up compared to a guitar played clean is going to audio louder even when its bodily decibel level is much lower. The brain hears information technology as being more ambitious and therefore louder.
You mix is going to sound tame at any volume because y'all recorded information technology with tame instruments - period. You want to arrive sound louder yous'd need to add saturation to your instruments to make them sound similar they were cranking through a gained upwards amp. Fifty-fifty if its not actually saturating its withal a thing of gain staging showtime when tracking then mixing and retaining a dynamic change between silence and full volume. When you lot shell the dynamic levels down to where you simply have a few decibels between soft and loud your mind will hear the audio as being tame no matter how loud information technology actually is.
But as I work entirely ITB, won't likewise much saturation just destroy the audio?
Lives for gear
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lumbergh ➡️
-6dB RMS is not close to being loud enough? Christ on a wheel!
Yep. perhaps it's my monitoring, merely your rails sounds too LOUD to me. Perhaps you are not explaining exactly what you think is missing. Maybe you are wanting information technology to exist "dynamic" which is always a trick when pushing things above -9 rms, at least to me. If it's punch, and so yeah, perchance y'all should employ punchier sounds, simply your mix is much louder relative to all of my references.
Good luck,
fb
Quote:
Originally Posted by foamboy ➡️
Yeah. maybe it's my monitoring, merely your track sounds as well LOUD to me. Maybe you are not explaining exactly what yous think is missing. Maybe yous are wanting it to be "dynamic" which is always a trick when pushing things above -9 rms, at least to me. If it's dial, and so yes, maybe y'all should utilise punchier sounds, just your mix is much louder relative to all of my references.
Good luck,
fb
I guess it'due south essentially the perceived volume?? Not entirely certain simply for example: if you go theough soundcloud and play my rails, then play another track past a commercial artist straight after, it has significantly less dial and presence. its like these 'pro' tracks are effortlessly far more loud
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The runway sounds very compressed, I would try to compress less and go some transients back in. Loudness is about contrast. The crest factor here is limited
To farther emphasize dynamics I would tweak percussion edgyness a fleck in the 2-3kHz expanse and/or remove some 400-500Hz area to create some space.
Information technology will sound more dynamic and open and considering of that information technology will be perceived every bit "louder"
Also when limiting don't shave off more than than the occasional peaks, shaving off similar five-8dB constantly will kill the mix.
The snare is sucking your headroom up
Lives for gear
Quote:
But as I work entirely ITB, won't too much saturation only destroy the sound?
In the box has cypher to do with it. too much of anything, 'can' be bad or can exist good. Its all relative to the specific track or song y'all are working on. Each track in a song and each song is unlike. Combine that with personnel taste and yous may never use the aforementioned verbal settings and effects for anything. I have not in over 25 years.
Quote:
The levels of the primary which was returned to me, again according to Ozone, is a summit of -0.0 dB and -6 dB RMS.
On newspaper this seems like my track should be competitively loud, and although I was very happy with my mixdown, you tin can tell from the master than the engineer had to actually push it to get information technology anywhere near commercially loud (which, for the tape it's non close).
If this is truthful, and i don't know why a mixing engineer would master something to -6dB RMS to get it equal to other songs, unless your mix has some major major deficiencies and issues to it.
I would have told you to ship me a new mix and gave recommendations on how you can make your mix sounding meliorate and better suited for mastering.
CJ
Quote:
Originally Posted past nightlifednb ➡️
But as I piece of work entirely ITB, won't too much saturation just destroy the audio?
I work in the box too and have washed thousands of recordings. I accept no problem with this because I commencement empathise the problem then learn to manipulate it to my will.
Look at the issue from a purely analog perspective where y'all take a synth feeding an amplifier. As yous push the volume up yous outset have an increase in dynamics between silence and maximum book. This range increases to the point where the preamp/power amp/speaker begin to saturate and the peaks begin to flatten out into foursquare waves and somewhen overdrive and distort.
When you use a compressor you lot reduce the ceiling and you enhance the flooring and so there is less and less modify betwixt silence and where the peaks flatten out.
What y'all want to practise on your recording is back off on the amount of keyboard pinch and then its maximum change in volume is closer to what the drums produce. You can also add the aural illusion of the keys condign louder then they really are by calculation a tool that volition begin to saturate at the top of their volume bang-up. Past this I don't mean misconstrue it like a guitar all the way through. The keys can begin by existence as clean as they are now and just in the last 10% of the swell a "small" corporeality of saturation begins to occur.
Its similar turning up an amp to where the speaker is on the brink of breakup. I'1000 sure at ane fourth dimension or another you've taken some radio or hi fi and cranked it up to where information technology wouldn't become any louder without distorting.
The analogy would exist a person going from a whisper to talking as loud as they tin without actually yelling and the people listening know that person is on the edge of yelling.
That'due south what I mean when by saying you bend your tools and manipulate them to your will. Yous have to conspicuously define the issue, know where you want to accept it, then use the tools to get you there.
If you deceit visualize a destination then you'll simply be wondering around in the dark hoping you might stumble into something useful. That rarely if ever happens and when it does its not normally very interesting. Of course you tin can visualize what you desire and fail for any number of reasons but the likelihood of finding something every bit good is much more likely.
Equally far as a expert tool for this, I'grand sure there are a number of fantabulous tools. I'd likely notice something that could gradually add the kind of amplifier growl a Hammond organ gets from its amp. I really own a Leslie pedal that could do the chore with the cabinet rotation turned off.
For plugins, I'd likely effort a Voxengo plugin called "Lampthruster". Its got several amp settings that might exist ideal. Something like the Telewatt setting has a super mild gain setting which tin be dialed back to barely perceptible levels but the perceived dynamic ramping op as the instrument swells volition create an illusion the instrument is becoming twice equally loud (or more than) then it actually is.
You can probably pull the same trick off with whatsoever number of amp plugins too.
Lastly, I'd recommend using a limiter instead of compressors on your tracks. A limiter volition put a ceiling on the peaks merely it doesn't increase the racket floor. This style the volume change between silence and maximum volume are preserved. You lot'll detect mastering tools don't function nigh as well without a skillful dose of dynamic alter occurring.
If you primary a recording that's over compressed its like smearing lipstick on a pig. Its as banal and unpleasant as it was before mastering. If y'all leave allot of dynamic kick that recording will trigger the mastering tools to kick nicely and your recording will air current up sounding lively as hell.
Maybe y'all should endeavour to to do another mix without whatever of the processing yous lathered on. From the list you made, it sounds every bit though you just did a bunch of stuff that you read about and didn't really listen. I think the synth audio you take featured is eating upwardly all your space. The drums sound very small. Throw out your list and shut your eyes.
The track sounds fine. What are y'all comparing it to? Putting it up against similar chiller Teebee type dnb tracks, information technology holds just fine. Squeamish work man, y'all're trippin' 
Gear Guru
Sounds skillful, nice rail BTW.
Yes I similar that also, well done op.
The affair that struck me was the master sustained neat pad sound needs lowering and maybe a fleck more volume riding; it takes up a lot of real estate audio wise and it'll exercise its job a bit lower.
Simply my 2c
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I thought information technology sounded fine and would lay well on any production music library specializing in this kind of music.
For this genre, I commonly find anywhere between xiv and 16 Lufs works well, and a reasonable crest gene. Ane tv prove I work on likes things to be even lower in volume - so context is everything. As someone else said, what are you lot comparing to? Other tracks in this mode, or edm?
Sounds to me similar yous're overprocessing. Too much pinch. Too much saturation. Too much low passing. Definitely too much limiting if you've got information technology all over the place.
Loudness comes from the dynamics and dance of unlike frequencies. If everything is compressed and saturated and limited and so the loud elements need to be pushed way higher to come up out on acme. Improve to keep things relatively dynamic and instead of thinking likewise much about creating a static balance, think nearly making the elements trip the light fantastic. Sounds meliorate that manner and weirdly enough you'll detect it just comes out very friendly to mastering to a high volume.
For what it's worth I by and large primary my ain mixes and if I wanna push it upwardly to the rafters I tin hit -vi LUFS pretty easily. And I piece of work with mostly hiphop, when I'one thousand doing something more analogue the volume is just on tap.
EDIT: Merely heard the vocal, dainty production!
Last edited past illegal4Hunna; 1st March 2021 at 01:fifteen PM.. Reason: Didn't hear the vocal
Source: https://gearspace.com/board/newbie-audio-engineering-production-question-zone/1207453-my-tracks-waaaay-too-quiet-i-dont-know-why.html
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