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03-03-2015, 06:31 PM
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#1
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 6
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How To Create Headroom In Mix Before Mastering
Alright, so I finished the recording/mixing process using Reaper in my home studio, and now I want to sent the song off to get mastered. The companies i'm communicating with want me to do a few things to prep the song so they can master it and one of the things is to create headroom - they're saying the track itself is way too loud for them to do anything. I've been trying tutorial videos and using these forums but i'm having trouble understanding how to do this. I keep seeing that the levels should be at -6 to -3 db and peak at no more than 0, but I don't want to simply turn my Master Volume down because that can corrupt the sound. Does anyone know how to create headroom in the mix? I've read other DAWS have channel faders that you can simply reduce which can create headroom, but I was having trouble finding/performing this feature in Reaper. Any help would be great guys.
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03-03-2015, 06:34 PM
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#2
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Online
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Turn up your monitors and turn down the gain on each individual track.ANd keep turning them down until the summed total on the master track peaks at no more than -6db.
Don't worry about the apparent loss in volume of the mix..the mastering engineer will bring it up
__________________
it aint worth a bop,if it dont got that pop
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03-03-2015, 07:22 PM
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#3
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 230
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ7
Alright, so I finished the recording/mixing process using Reaper in my home studio, and now I want to sent the song off to get mastered. The companies i'm communicating with want me to do a few things to prep the song so they can master it and one of the things is to create headroom - they're saying the track itself is way too loud for them to do anything. I've been trying tutorial videos and using these forums but i'm having trouble understanding how to do this. I keep seeing that the levels should be at -6 to -3 db and peak at no more than 0, but I don't want to simply turn my Master Volume down because that can corrupt the sound. Does anyone know how to create headroom in the mix? I've read other DAWS have channel faders that you can simply reduce which can create headroom, but I was having trouble finding/performing this feature in Reaper. Any help would be great guys.
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You're correct about not just turning down your master fader. Although, as long as there is no distortion beforehand, that would work.
Assuming you have your tracks mixed to where they sound the way you want, you need to lower the fader on each track the same amount to maintain your mix. -3db or maybe -6db on each track would give more than enough headroom for the mastering engineer.
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03-03-2015, 07:27 PM
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#4
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,696
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Headroom isnt the issue. You need to preserve dynamic range. The mastering engineer can create headroom with a gain plug.
Dynamic range is the volume difference between the quiet and loudest parts. Dynamic range is usually lost by compressing the mix
Last edited by thequietroom; 03-03-2015 at 07:38 PM.
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03-03-2015, 07:29 PM
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#5
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jan 2014
Posts: 5,220
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You can use the master fader if you want to, but keep in mind any processing you have on your master track is pre-fader. You can use this to your advantage if you want a bit of compression on your master but just want to turn down the track so it doesn't clip for sending it to a mastering engineer. If you adjust all your tracks the threshold of your master track compressor is no longer relevant. So in this case it's fine to turn down the master fader. Rendering obeys the master fader so what you hear is what you get.
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03-03-2015, 08:02 PM
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#6
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,958
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Do you have a limiter on your master fader?
Remove it. Limiting the mix is part of the mastering process. I would also bypass any mix compression. You need to see exactly how much unprocessed signal is hitting your master.
If your master fader is now clipping that means your individual tracks are way too loud. If the mix is peaking at -3db or less its too loud. Either scenario suggests you need to better understand gain staging your mix.
The easiest way to bring everything down while leaving the master fader at zero is to create a "submix" folder track than contains every track in your mix.
Bring the submix down until the loudest peak in your song is -6db on the master meter.
Last edited by Magicbuss; 03-03-2015 at 08:18 PM.
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03-03-2015, 08:07 PM
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#7
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Silicon Valley, CA
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You don't want to add headroom, you want to leave headroom.
If the track is clipped (or over-limited & over-compressed) lowering the volume to create headroom doesn't really help anything.
Your mastering guys might accept a 32-bit floating-point file which has essentially unlimited headroom. But, you still don't want to over-compress or over-limit because you need to leave something for the mastering.
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03-04-2015, 01:46 AM
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#8
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Banned
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 62
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i just move the front set back a little and that gives your mother plenty of headroom...
Last edited by squidward; 06-10-2015 at 12:04 PM.
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03-04-2015, 02:42 AM
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#9
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Kent, UK
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Remove any plugins that you have used for LOUDNESS. Master buss processing is fine if you've used it for glue or subtle eq balance - that kind if thing - but if there's anything there that's being used to squash the dynamic range for the sole purpose of making it perceptibly louder then remove those.
That's the only advice I give my clients.
Yes, as long as the dynamic range is there you can hand it over with peaks hitting 0 dB - the ME can use a gain plugin/track fader to create the headroom needed.
Another point - if you've used master buss processing to create a pumping effect (quite common in dance genres) it's often a good idea to remove that plugin for the purpose of mastering but also give the ME your own 'home master' as guidance for how you want it to sound. The ME will often be able to do a better job.
Last edited by bladerunner; 03-04-2015 at 03:24 AM.
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03-04-2015, 03:14 AM
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#10
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jan 2012
Posts: 545
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ7
I don't want to simply turn my Master Volume down because that can corrupt the sound. Does anyone know how to create headroom in the mix?
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Select all your channels (not master fader, send effects or parent folders) by shift + clicking each one. Pull one fader down by -12dB. All the rest should follow. Done.
I personally set each new project with all faders (except master fader, sends & parent folders) at -12dB.
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03-04-2015, 06:25 AM
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#11
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2011
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Before the mastering engineer, there should be no plugins on the master bus and the strongest peak should stay around-3 to -6dB.
With 24bit audio processing (or 64 if your mastering engineer accepts 64bit wavs) there's nothing to worry about even if the strongest peak of your mix is around -12dB or even lower. There's enough dynamic range and enough bitdepth in Reaper's audio engine to be sure of quality results.
Making mix "loud" is the wrong way of approaching mixing and instead it should be balanced. Not loud enough? Bring up your speakers volume, not the mixes.
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03-04-2015, 07:09 AM
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#12
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Germany
Posts: 3,039
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Quote:
Originally Posted by squidward
no such thing as too loud to master. mastering engineers have faders, too.
if any 'mastering engineer' ever tells you he needs 'headroom'...run away.
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This isn't true, squidward. Depending on a few factors (architecture of plugins used, gain staging, file format) the OP could have produced a master file that has clipping in it making it impossible for a mastering engineer to correctly master the file. Generally, immanent clipping in a file cannot be undone. You cannot assume that the signal path had been entirely floating point which would be the only circumstance where levels of +X.X dB do not actually damage the signal. As soon as some fixed point operation has introduced clipping, the damage cannot be undone by simply lowering volume further down the signal path.
Real clipping has to be avoided in the first place and can't be healed afterwards! DSP settings have to be corrected at the exact location where clipping is introduced (or even immediately before that point in the signal chain)!
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03-04-2015, 07:53 AM
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#13
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 82
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If you're using sub-busses in a mix, say, DRUMS, GUITARS, VOX etc, pay also some attention not only to leaving headroom on a master buss, but on these sub-busses too. Put peak analyzer as a first insert fx on a sub-buss, and if its input is nearing clip (or clipping already), just lower proportionally the volume faders of each individual track coming to this sub-buss.
As a rule, if each sub-buss has some decent headroom left, preserving headroom on a master buss isn't a problem.
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03-04-2015, 08:21 AM
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#14
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2012
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no need to worry about clipping a (sub-)bus - Reaper uses floating point precision that yields almost infinite headroom. Problem lies in using plugins that were designed in fixed point precision. Fixed point based calculations have a fixed clipping level (over 0 dB). As soon as you use those plugins somewhere in your project, they set the clipping level of that track to 0 dB.
Unfortunately, one cannot easily determin if a plugin calculates in fixed or floating point. This is why you should always take the approach of assuming they were all fixed point and keep correct gain staging to be on the safe side.
Putting a peak analyzer as the first plug into an fx chain alone does not prevent clipping occuring somewhere in the rest of that chain. You should put another analyzer at the end of the fx chain, too, to verify illegal level increase by intermediate plugins.
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03-04-2015, 09:18 AM
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#15
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 12,632
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ7
Alright, so I finished the recording/mixing process using Reaper in my home studio, and now I want to sent the song off to get mastered. The companies i'm communicating with want me to do a few things to prep the song so they can master it and one of the things is to create headroom - they're saying the track itself is way too loud for them to do anything. I've been trying tutorial videos and using these forums but i'm having trouble understanding how to do this. I keep seeing that the levels should be at -6 to -3 db and peak at no more than 0, but I don't want to simply turn my Master Volume down because that can corrupt the sound. Does anyone know how to create headroom in the mix? I've read other DAWS have channel faders that you can simply reduce which can create headroom, but I was having trouble finding/performing this feature in Reaper. Any help would be great guys.
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This sounds like it was a surprise to you and that you had not heard anything wrong with your mix before it got bounced back to you for remix.
If so, what are you listening to for personal enjoyment? Serious question with no sarcasm intended. If you listen to industrial noise music with zero dynamic range (for an extreme silly example), then you would be kind of wanting your master to be in the same arena and you'd be unconcerned with a classical music mastering engineer's opinion.
Do you listen to 24 bit HD masters of your favorite music or portable formats like mp3? (The 16 bit CD master is often considered portable nowadays too and processed to be just as squashed as the mp3 version.) If you try to match levels of a mix (working at full resolution and dynamic range - which is what 24 bit preserves in a HD master) with a portable master, you are going to be all kinds of confused and almost certainly end up with a very compressed lifeless mix. If that's what is going on, get yourself a few full quality masters of your favorite music to compare with.
If you have a direct comparison you can hear with your own ears, you will simply be able to mix to a target you can now perceive. If you're just shooting in the dark for some number on a meter for something that you can't hear, you'll just be going in circles.
Hope that helps. Apologies if I'm way off base.
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03-04-2015, 09:47 AM
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#16
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 82
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
Putting a peak analyzer as the first plug into an fx chain alone does not prevent clipping occuring somewhere in the rest of that chain. You should put another analyzer at the end of the fx chain, too, to verify illegal level increase by intermediate plugins.
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Certainly, each plugin should be double checked about clipping at its output, for clipping can occur in any point of fx chain. I just forgot to mention it in that context.
Thanks for your remarks about floating point issue. Remaining on a safe side is still a priority though, so lowering faders a bit never harms.
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03-04-2015, 10:10 AM
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#17
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,696
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
This isn't true, squidward. Depending on a few factors (architecture of plugins used, gain staging, file format) the OP could have produced a master file that has clipping in it making it impossible for a mastering engineer to correctly master the file. Generally, immanent clipping in a file cannot be undone. You cannot assume that the signal path had been entirely floating point which would be the only circumstance where levels of +X.X dB do not actually damage the signal. As soon as some fixed point operation has introduced clipping, the damage cannot be undone by simply lowering volume further down the signal path.
Real clipping has to be avoided in the first place and can't be healed afterwards! DSP settings have to be corrected at the exact location where clipping is introduced (or even immediately before that point in the signal chain)!
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There wasn't any mention of clipping. Of course if thats the case then the gain is too high but the mixing of the terms headroom and dynamic range sounds pretty likely here. Thats where I'd put my money if the mastering house is rejecting the file. I've heard multiple MEs complain about clients mixing these terms so I would be a bit skepticle myself if the ME was doing it.
I think its the OPs turn to jump in here and clarify. Were just speculating
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03-04-2015, 10:12 AM
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#18
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Kent, UK
Posts: 4,846
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
This isn't true, squidward.
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Actually it is true. I've had some fantastic mixes handed to me that were already pretty loud that only needed subtle eq and limiting.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
Depending on a few factors (architecture of plugins used, gain staging, file format) the OP could have produced a master file that has clipping in it making it impossible for a mastering engineer to correctly master the file.
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The operative word here is 'could'. You can't baby the person doing the mix. There are many ways a mixer 'could' harm a mix but you have to work under the assumption that whoever is handing you a file to master knows how to mix. There's no point in bombarding someone with the myriad ways you can destroy a mix - just deal with it if you have to. I will listen to a mix and let the mixer know if issues like this are preventing a great master.
Also, there is no such thing as a 'correct master'.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
Generally, immanent clipping in a file cannot be undone.
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Yes it can - you get in contact with the mixer and tell them there's clipping and advise them on how to remove it. They will hopefully learn from this situation for future masters.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
You cannot assume that the signal path had been entirely floating point which would be the only circumstance where levels of +X.X dB do not actually damage the signal. As soon as some fixed point operation has introduced clipping, the damage cannot be undone by simply lowering volume further down the signal path.
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This kind of information is just over complicating things. If you do a good, dynamic, mix you will get a great master. End of!
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03-04-2015, 10:15 AM
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#19
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 1,696
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Icchan
There's enough dynamic range and enough bitdepth in Reaper's audio engine to be sure of quality results.
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low noise floor and dynamic range arent the same thing (if thats even what your tying to refer too)
if the mix is squashed to death and has a DR of 2db.. reapers audio engine can't help and the ME is going to send it back with a WTF sticky note.
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03-04-2015, 01:15 PM
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#20
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Seattle, WA
Posts: 876
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Quote:
no need to worry about clipping a (sub-)bus - Reaper uses floating point precision that yields almost infinite headroom. Problem lies in using plugins that were designed in fixed point precision. Fixed point based calculations have a fixed clipping level (over 0 dB). As soon as you use those plugins somewhere in your project, they set the clipping level of that track to 0 dB.
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I think that your understanding here is a little inaccurate. Some plugins limit the output to 0 dB, but it's not a function of whether they use floating or fixed point math, it's the inclusion of a "limit output to 0 dB" statement in the code. Both fixed and floating point can represent very small and very large numbers.
"Headroom" is a word that can mean dynamic range, the difference between the softest and loudest parts of a song, and how close it is to 0 dB. Neither has anything to do with the differences between floating vs fixed, except that anything over plus/minus 1 (0 dB) is clipped when it is rendered.
http://www.dspguide.com/ch28/4.htm
http://www.ti.com.cn/cn/lit/wp/spry061/spry061.pdf
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03-04-2015, 04:13 PM
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#21
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jan 2006
Posts: 1,595
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cosmic
Turn up your monitors and turn down the gain on each individual track.ANd keep turning them down until the summed total on the master track peaks at no more than -6db.
Don't worry about the apparent loss in volume of the mix..the mastering engineer will bring it up
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Yep. The exact peak level might vary depending on various factors but yeah that's pretty much it IME. Turn down the gain on each track BEFORE you turn up your monitors though, heh.
Some other good points in the thread as well.
I'd like to add that the fact that the OP's mastering engineer sent it back for a remix shows a high level of professionalism.
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03-04-2015, 11:16 PM
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#22
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Germany
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
Actually it is true. I've had some fantastic mixes handed to me that were already pretty loud that only needed subtle eq and limiting.
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If you receive "fantastic mixes" that are "pretty loud" and just need subtle eq, that's fine. I was referring to files that are delivered and turn out to be simply too loud (clipping, wave tops cut off) or files that linger in fact below 0 dB throughout but contain already clipped signals nonetheless. Such files are inappropriate for serious professional mastering. The OP did not specify unambiguously what the basic issue was in his mix (clipping, overcompression, etc.).
Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
You can't baby the person doing the mix. There are many ways a mixer 'could' harm a mix but you have to work under the assumption that whoever is handing you a file to master knows how to mix.
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I assume nothing! Experience shows that you get mixes containing plenty of mixing errors and - depending on how severe they are - I certainly refuse to master such a track, politely informing the person to redo the mix avoiding the errors I'm concerned about instead of simply "dealing" with the material.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
There's no point in bombarding someone with the myriad ways you can destroy a mix - just deal with it if you have to.
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Could you please tell me: where did anybody (me in particular) "bombard someone with the myriad ways you can destroy a mix"?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
Also, there is no such thing as a 'correct master'.
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I'm sure you comprehended very well what I was talking about. I wrote "correctly master the file" not "build a correct master". "correct" refers to the way he accomplishes his work not to the result being "correct".
Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
Yes it can - you get in contact with the mixer and tell them there's clipping and advise them on how to remove it. They will hopefully learn from this situation for future masters.
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Speaking of a file damaged by clipping, NO it can't be undone. Logically, you can ask to get a new, corrected version but you cannot undo clipping in a given file. That was what I wrote. You know it, so what's the point in commenting this statement?
Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
This kind of information is just over complicating things.
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Why? I've been contributing some simple facts and hints related to the subject of this thread, intending to help the OP. Simply skip everything that you consider dull. Somebody else might consider it valuable.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bladerunner
If you do a good, dynamic, mix you will get a great master. End of!
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Sounds so logical so what's the point of this thread anyway? It's about issues in a mix (clipping, overcompression, headroom) and you don't stop talking about perfect mixes instead. This doesn't help.
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03-05-2015, 12:19 AM
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#23
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Human being with feelings
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SaulT
... but it's not a function of whether they use floating or fixed point math, ...
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Sure it is! Please read the docs you linked to.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaulT
Both fixed and floating point can represent very small and very large numbers.
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More or less true but irrelevant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaulT
"Headroom" is a word that can mean dynamic range, the difference between the softest and loudest parts of a song
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Never read such a definition anywhere. Please read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headroo...al_processing)
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaulT
how close it is to 0 dB.
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That's it!
Quote:
Originally Posted by SaulT
Neither has anything to do with the differences between floating vs fixed, except that anything over plus/minus 1 (0 dB) is clipped when it is rendered.
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Sorry, but did you really read the articles you linked to? Though the first one is more about general computing architecture and not specifically about audio application it confirms what I wrote: While fixed point format has a definite level limit and thus a limited headroom and can clip above 0 dB, floating point has virtually unlimited headroom and is almost impossible to clip (as long as you don't hit the converter or render to a fixed point format).
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03-05-2015, 12:41 AM
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#24
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Human being with feelings
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The approach I take with maintaining headroom is to gain stage everything before I start mixing.
My favourite technique for doing that is the Pink Noise technique that was in Dec14 issue of Sound on Sound. Although, my cat does not like the sound of pink noise.
Edit: I use FreeG with the trim knob so the processing is accurate, then I render those to stems.
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Last edited by wyleegee; 03-05-2015 at 12:46 AM.
Reason: Thought of something extra to say
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03-05-2015, 02:55 AM
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#25
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Human being with feelings
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wyleegee
The approach I take with maintaining headroom is to gain stage everything before I start mixing.
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Yes - if you maintain a disciplined approach to an established gain staging method you should never run into headroom problems.
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03-05-2015, 06:23 AM
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#26
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Human being with feelings
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@SonicAxiom - I started a point by point thing with your post but then I thought, hold on... recipe for endless, semantic driven, pointless internet arguing... We both basically have the same ideas at heart - advising how to get that all important great, dynamic mix. I just thought that going into floating vs fixed point stuff may not be that helpful to the OP - likely to get the chap more confused. Sorry if it seemed like I was putting words in your mouth - didn't mean it to look like that.
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03-05-2015, 06:50 AM
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#27
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Human being with feelings
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SonicAxiom
Sounds so logical so what's the point of this thread anyway? It's about issues in a mix (clipping, overcompression, headroom) and you don't stop talking about perfect mixes instead. This doesn't help.
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Well, this is the only point I'm going to address individually. I didn't understand the point of the thread being about 'issues in a mix' - it was about creating headroom as far as I could see which is what I addressed with post #9. I probably should have left it there rather than get more involved with discussion - from experience I know that the whole subject of mastering usually gets quite heated on forums.
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03-05-2015, 07:44 AM
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#28
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Human being with feelings
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damn.... all this time I thought "headroom" was the place under the stairs where we used to go to burn one before the show.
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03-05-2015, 07:56 AM
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#29
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Dec 2012
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@ bladerunner (quote: "I started a point by point thing with your post but then I thought, hold on... recipe for endless, semantic driven, pointless internet arguing...". That's a wise idea, let's focus on getting this thing sorted for JJ7 :-)
Quote:
Originally Posted by JJ7
... The companies i'm communicating with want me to do a few things to prep the song so they can master it and one of the things is to create headroom - they're saying the track itself is way too loud for them to do anything. ...
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For the track/mix is judged too loud to be mastered, this thread is essentially about issues with a mix (most obviously clipping the master file = lack of headroom) and how to avoid this to be able to deliver a clean, "masterable" mix. I hope we agree here.
My approach was to assume that JJ7 had in fact provided a decent mix (atristically/musically) but missed some technical requirements to have it mastered. If the mastering company claims that the mix is simply too loud, this lets me assume that there's a simple problem with the final volume of the mix (but nothing is wrong sound-wise).
"Mix is too loud" means that the mix is probably constantly clipping, hitting the 0 dB limit of the file rendered in fixed point format. To avoid this, he has two options:
1.) lower the level of the entire mix in the master bus until maximum peak level behind the master level meter stays below or equal to 0 dB
2.) render the file to a floating point file format that can temporarily preserve a clean signal even if levels exceed 0 dB
It is importand to keep in mind that regardless of the option he picks there might be some signals in the mix that clip before even hitting the now correctly set master level due to inproper gain staging or the intermediate presence of plugins using fixed point architecture. Clipping introduced in this manner cannot be undone afterwards by lowering the master track volume and will still be present in the final file.
Therefore, JJ7 should verify the whole gain structure of his mix even after reducing the master level to a "healthy" setting.
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03-05-2015, 08:31 AM
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#30
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Sep 2010
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hopi
damn.... all this time I thought "headroom" was the place under the stairs where we used to go to burn one before the show.
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I thought that was the "green room".
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03-05-2015, 10:17 AM
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#31
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Silver City, NM
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Max Headroom is doing mastering nowadays?
Also, if the OP has so little knowledge of concepts like gain staging and compression, I'm not sure how the tracks would be master-ready...
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03-05-2015, 11:31 AM
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#32
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Human being with feelings
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tgraph
...if the OP has so little knowledge of concepts like gain staging and compression, I'm not sure how the tracks would be master-ready...
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That might or might not be the case but was my take on it as well.
Maybe JJ7 will post a link to the mix just so we all know what we're actually talking about.
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03-05-2015, 12:46 PM
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#33
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Human being with feelings
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Quote:
Quote:
Both fixed and floating point can represent very small and very large numbers.
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More or less true but irrelevant.
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...because with 32-bit fixed, maximum value = 0 dB = 2^31, soooo I'm wrong because I was thinking of a more general computing example where the fixed point would be located elsewhere.
Thank you for the correction.
https://www.gearslutz.com/board/musi...hats-true.html
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03-05-2015, 01:50 PM
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#34
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Belgium
Posts: 10,474
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Place the fabulous free plug in "stereo channel" from sleepy time records as last insert on your 2buss.
Switch the vu meter to output, set nominal level to -18 and turn down the gain knob until the loudest section of your song reach 0VU on the plug meter.
Also make sure that you're not clipping, if you're clipping, turn down the gain knob by 3db.
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03-06-2015, 05:53 AM
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#35
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: New York USA
Posts: 284
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reno.thestraws
Place the fabulous free plug in "stereo channel" from sleepy time records as last insert on your 2buss.
Switch the vu meter to output, set nominal level to -18 and turn down the gain knob until the loudest section of your song reach 0VU on the plug meter.
Also make sure that you're not clipping, if you're clipping, turn down the gain knob by 3db.
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Just as an FYI -- Sleepy Time has ceased development and support of its plugins, as announced on its homepage: http://sleepytimedsp.com/
The downloads still remain, and there are mirror links at BedRoomProducer and Google, but there is no timetable saying if these are permanent or might disappear.
Tommy V
__________________
"You Can Observe A Lot Just By Watching"
~ Yogi Berra ~
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03-06-2015, 06:48 AM
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#36
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Belgium
Posts: 10,474
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Tommy V
Just as an FYI -- Sleepy Time has ceased development and support of its plugins, as announced on its homepage: http://sleepytimedsp.com/
The downloads still remain, and there are mirror links at BedRoomProducer and Google, but there is no timetable saying if these are permanent or might disappear.
Tommy V
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The stereo channel is an awesome plug-in that made life so much easier in the digital era.
Hopz d.bop will still working on new plug in in another compagny. All the ones he made are great!
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03-06-2015, 10:22 AM
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#37
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Human being with feelings
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 1,958
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Reno.thestraws
Place the fabulous free plug in "stereo channel" from sleepy time records as last insert on your 2buss.
Switch the vu meter to output, set nominal level to -18 and turn down the gain knob until the loudest section of your song reach 0VU on the plug meter.
Also make sure that you're not clipping, if you're clipping, turn down the gain knob by 3db.
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There was a recent thread questioning the value of VU meters in the digital domain. IMO gain staging is THE reason why everyone should be using VU's. A good VU makes gain staging easy. I try to record eveything except drums so that the level hovers around -18db on the VU (0 VU = -18dbfs). For drums I keep the peaks around -6dbfs or less using reapers peak meters.
If I am mixing trax someone else recorded I use satson as the first plug to see what the VU level is and then either lower (very common) or boost (less common) the gain so that the track is hovering around -18db. This method ensures that my master is never overloaded even with dozens of trax.
For faux mastering I bump the VU calibration up to -10db (0vu = -10dbfs) and use appropriate amounts of compression and limiting to get the track hovering around zero on the VU. I also use alot of other metering but VU's are the easiest and fastest way to see that your mix is in the right ballpark.
Last edited by Magicbuss; 03-06-2015 at 10:39 AM.
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