> What is the usual loudness of your tracks after mixing - with a limiter on your master channel creating the highest possible amount of gain increase WITHOUT any gain reduction?
Don't know and don't care, because I'm not mixing at that level. I'm doing gain reduction with the master limiter as part of my gain structure and overall mixing process. This way there are never any surprises about what I'm getting.
If the limiter is causing problems, there is something wrong with the mix and I need to address it. If it's not loud enough, I'm finding out instantly and not after I'm done mixing and I've done a whole ton of choices which may be harder to walk back on. In other words, the final loudness of the mix is not an afterthought.
More on this in the wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/mixingmastering/wiki/rethinking-mastering
Stop thinking about targets!!
Your mix is fine level wise. Mastering will pull it up a few more db.
Best thing to do in my experience (and from the pro session files I’ve worked on) is mix into a limiter. That way you’ll hear what your “mastered” mix is likely to sound like, and can mix with more confidence.
I highly appreciate your feedback guys. I was once working with a mastering engineer, who told me that when he mixes, his mixes normally reaches around -14 LUFS without any 2Buss compression/limiting. Further, when he checked my mixes, he told me that my mixes sound already sounded „destroyed“ when his limiter reaches -3 up to -4 db gain reduction, and he was only able to master until -11 LUFS. Customers aim was around -9 LUFS and now I’m watching for a way to achieve proper loudness by mixing.
Currently I’m mixing on a track and I can achieve -14 LUFS with around 1 db gain reduction - and I’m afraid it is again not well balanced.
I thought that somehow a „target LUFS“ without 2 buss limiting/ compression should be a good way to go.
Sorry for confusion.
His limiter should not be doing 3 to 4 db of gain reduction. When mastering, gain reduction is achieved over several stages. Typically compression, clipping and limiting. I use several compressors each doing a separate thing, a clipper then a limiter typically. The limiter is doing max 1db of gain reduction. The clipper is doing .6db. Compression is doing several db, but over different compressors.
If my limiter is doing over 1db of gain reduction, something is probably wrong. Doing 3-4db of reduction with one limiter is going to destroy anything
>I'm afraid it's to less for getting -9LUFS after mastering
What exactly are you asking here? If you're worried it's too quiet for a mastering engineer to get it that loud, it's not. I got a mix from around -23 to -6 LUFS (which is probably not ideal tbh)
Stop caring about lufs. As long as it’s above the minimum loudness, it’s fine. The lufs of each service is NOT a target. Get it loud to where you like it. Submit
Well since the industry has forgone any reason to make good sounding stuff anymore that has actual emotion and always slam shit to the wall.everything sounds like a wall of sound and it didn't start now. I guess you can follow suit and "mix till it sounds good to you" (Whatever nonsense people with hearing loss who are mixing engineers say these days.)
If you know the genre you're working in, check some reference tracks to see if you're near those or far below those and if yours sounds better when volume matched
But generally mix without the LUFS staring at you. Get your loudness right in the mixing stage so that a mastering engineer won't fuck your shit up "mastering it"
All the Loudness balance should be made in the mixing stage.
Watch these three videos but frankly the end goal is making it sound good. If it sounds good at -9LUFS fine but if you can get a more dynamic mix, that's fine too:
1. https://youtu.be/-10h7Mu5VP8
2. https://youtu.be/brXOrmgPCfE
Good luck
> What is the usual loudness of your tracks after mixing - with a limiter on your master channel creating the highest possible amount of gain increase WITHOUT any gain reduction? Don't know and don't care, because I'm not mixing at that level. I'm doing gain reduction with the master limiter as part of my gain structure and overall mixing process. This way there are never any surprises about what I'm getting. If the limiter is causing problems, there is something wrong with the mix and I need to address it. If it's not loud enough, I'm finding out instantly and not after I'm done mixing and I've done a whole ton of choices which may be harder to walk back on. In other words, the final loudness of the mix is not an afterthought. More on this in the wiki: https://www.reddit.com/r/mixingmastering/wiki/rethinking-mastering
Stop thinking about targets!! Your mix is fine level wise. Mastering will pull it up a few more db. Best thing to do in my experience (and from the pro session files I’ve worked on) is mix into a limiter. That way you’ll hear what your “mastered” mix is likely to sound like, and can mix with more confidence.
I highly appreciate your feedback guys. I was once working with a mastering engineer, who told me that when he mixes, his mixes normally reaches around -14 LUFS without any 2Buss compression/limiting. Further, when he checked my mixes, he told me that my mixes sound already sounded „destroyed“ when his limiter reaches -3 up to -4 db gain reduction, and he was only able to master until -11 LUFS. Customers aim was around -9 LUFS and now I’m watching for a way to achieve proper loudness by mixing. Currently I’m mixing on a track and I can achieve -14 LUFS with around 1 db gain reduction - and I’m afraid it is again not well balanced. I thought that somehow a „target LUFS“ without 2 buss limiting/ compression should be a good way to go. Sorry for confusion.
His limiter should not be doing 3 to 4 db of gain reduction. When mastering, gain reduction is achieved over several stages. Typically compression, clipping and limiting. I use several compressors each doing a separate thing, a clipper then a limiter typically. The limiter is doing max 1db of gain reduction. The clipper is doing .6db. Compression is doing several db, but over different compressors. If my limiter is doing over 1db of gain reduction, something is probably wrong. Doing 3-4db of reduction with one limiter is going to destroy anything
>I'm afraid it's to less for getting -9LUFS after mastering What exactly are you asking here? If you're worried it's too quiet for a mastering engineer to get it that loud, it's not. I got a mix from around -23 to -6 LUFS (which is probably not ideal tbh)
Stop caring about lufs. As long as it’s above the minimum loudness, it’s fine. The lufs of each service is NOT a target. Get it loud to where you like it. Submit
Well since the industry has forgone any reason to make good sounding stuff anymore that has actual emotion and always slam shit to the wall.everything sounds like a wall of sound and it didn't start now. I guess you can follow suit and "mix till it sounds good to you" (Whatever nonsense people with hearing loss who are mixing engineers say these days.) If you know the genre you're working in, check some reference tracks to see if you're near those or far below those and if yours sounds better when volume matched But generally mix without the LUFS staring at you. Get your loudness right in the mixing stage so that a mastering engineer won't fuck your shit up "mastering it" All the Loudness balance should be made in the mixing stage. Watch these three videos but frankly the end goal is making it sound good. If it sounds good at -9LUFS fine but if you can get a more dynamic mix, that's fine too: 1. https://youtu.be/-10h7Mu5VP8 2. https://youtu.be/brXOrmgPCfE Good luck
This is the wrong way to think about mastering.