Thanks for this. Our musical genres couldn't be more different but I found your video informative as I'm fairly new to mastering. Also I am using the plugin.. Cheers
Very helpful. I'm just a casual player/composer/hobbiest so I let my Zoom H6 do this automatically. As long as I don't clip while recording the results are acceptable. Yes, I'm softer than everyone else out there. However, it's also well documented that there's been a loudness war and way too much compression of music over the last 20 years. I have no desire to screw up my dynamics. People have forgotten the value of the gentler times in melodies and even brief moments of silence. The result has been to suck much of the emotion out of music. If it's not loud enough, turn up the gain on your end. Don't give yourself tinnitus in the process.
Just getting into recording, but found this useful. You are always so articulate and clear with your explanations of things, it makes me wish you'd do a series on home recording, mixing, and mastering. That's a huge wish, I know, and maybe it doesn't quite fit the purposes of your channel. But I can dream, right?
Sorry to be off topic but does any of you know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account..? I was dumb forgot my account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.
@Lionel Boston i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im in the hacking process atm. Takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
Another note. If you are listening to a track such as the one mentioned here that sounds right, but the tools show something off, it could be the result of some peaks in the track that are outside the range of the norm level for the track. We all love dynamics, but the computer is seeing something outside of what it considers normal. Find those peaks and bring them down a little and the computer will give you a more accurate reading.
Great explanation. I've been using the FabFilter L 2 plugin for all my iPad projects lately and just got the Ozone Elements plugin for use in my desktop Reason projects but honestly haven't figured out how to use it yet. This helps. The Loudness Penalty plugin/site is also news to me. I don't see physical media coming back to any great extent so this information should be considered "finalizing 101" now.
I use Garageband, and I'm using the built in plug ins. I guess I'm going to have to upgrade to better plug ins. It's a matter of there are sooo many. And I can't afford the really good ones. I will be shopping, for those. Even before I started using software, I've never been turned down, on any platform. I used to use TuneCore, now I use Distro, but I haven't been able to get anything done, for awhile. I got some new equipment, and I'm starting to work, again. Once again, a timely video. Thanks for the info!
Awesome stuff. My deal is I feel like I can just never get my song loud ENOUGH without clipping somewhere. Now, granted, I'm using Garage Band for free and not a big professional DAW like Logic, but I hope that doesn't matter too much. Anyway, when I'm mastering in Garage Band and I finally get the song down to a point where it's not clipping in the master volume, it just seems to have notably less loudness than everyone else's music. Is this a problem with Garage Band? Or can I get away with clipping just a little in order to get some more loudness in there? Or is there some other type of compression trick I might be missing out on?
Have you looked at the master track in Garageband? You can add a compressor and/or limiter there to raise the overall loudness without clipping. And no, you can't get away with digital clipping.
Love your videos, Bill. Apparently, you do your own mastering. Do you get ISRC codes for your songs, so as to track them on Spotify, etc., before putting them on Bandcamp?
This is very helpful - I've been quite happy with the dynamic range I got so far, but will be great to actually compare it with "rest of the world". :) I'd love more mixing-related videos.
Could be wrong, but its my understanding that the services only turn down, but they don't turn up. I believe the positive numbers are just the tool letting you know that you can (if you wish) add some gain as per the value for these particular services.
As I mentioned several of the services turn up in addition to down. As an example, here's Spotify's explanation of how it turns up and down to normalize: artists.spotify.com/faq/mastering-and-loudness#what-is-loudness-normalization-and-why-is-it-used
Thanks for sharing. I have been reading up from various sources on LUFS and have the calculation means nailed. I have a question for you, you mentioned sometimes you do not want to put the LUFS all the way up to the max that the distribution platform accepts, you need to listen and let your ears be the judge, what method do you use to set you listening reference levels, i.e. the audio to usb has a level knob, the Daw has level, the computer OS has another level knob, I listen with headphones. Generally I just adjust until I “like it”, but then when luffs are sets, it’s too loud and I turn down the volume knob, but sounds fine on the distribution platform. Thanks.
I've literally been looking into this recent. I put out an ambient cover of Areith theme From FF7 and had so may issues with levels and normalising. Ambient music I find hard to eq mix and master compared to what I've done previously. Rock, heavy and acoustic.
You have a great understanding of your topic. Maybe you could help me with my problem. I just released a song to Spotify, my first, but Apple Music rejected it! Apple Music want more quality recordings. I increased the LUFS Integrated and True Peak Max to the Level you just mentioned but still they rejected it. I am a new learner of Mixing and Mastering.
Hey Bill, some off-toppic, bit I have a question about your gitar rig. So, I know you are using an amp modeler instead of amplifier or cabinets, but what about the speakers? Do you use only your studio monitors? And how do they sound with а guitar?
So I used the online version of Loudness Penalty, however they say according to spotify my song is not going to be turned up, nor down. But when I compare the audio file to spotify songs, the volume of my songs are still too low. Someone help me please...
Hey man! First of all, thank you for this video, very informative and helpful! I do find struggle in adjusting to the correct integrated lufs cause it feels like -13 is too low. Idk what I don't get about it all : My unmastered track uploaded to loudnesspenalty(.)com says youtube indicates -1db... but it's unmastered!! Also when I download from youtube a pop song and drop it in loudnesspenalty it indicates -3.6 for youtube.. So I really don't get it
if your unmastered tracks are loud enough to be turned down by YT, then I would say you are probably mixing too loud. you will have more mastering options if you keep the level lower. And what level feels right to you? You can certainly master to a higher level and in some cases that is appropriate for the genre. It's just good to be aware of what the streaming platforms will do to your music.
This may be a silly question, but if these services are going to alter the overall output of your song(s), and you’re not releasing physical copies, does it matter how loud the last version of the song is going to be aside from mixing your instruments to their appropriate volume?
A little late to reply, but you generally want to be at or over the target for loudness. The reason being, spotify and other services use a compressor/limiter to bringing it up to the correct level. This can mess with how you song sounds in general.
So this is why all rock bands now sound like nickel back And if anything this is makeing music worse I can't hear most songs But then nirvana comes on and I get blasted Why are that turning it down Just seems like a pack of lies to me I bet if I uploaded teen spirit thay would turn it down to Im not realy in to nickel back or the fake recorded sound No real recording ever sounded like that I would rather have an old tape recording than that Its just not cool for them to hurt the small guys And that's what this is about Can't have everyone's song as loud as the compotition so that came up with this and it works I don't think anyone can tell the difference But the CD is wher it's at It's just better in every way possible It can handle way more Sounds infinitely better that is if you can hear quality if thay turn my song doun by a smidge I notice Thay should have just left it alone It wasent bad until now I can't even hear half of the songs Especially if its an old song Thay just ther it to pieces Like its something to be mest with It's a master let it be let it be I can't stand it blurry hill sounds like a place of trash next to its counterparts it's not even the same song but if you get a CD of the same song you will infact like blueberry hill more than the newer songs it dosent stand a chance and it's the real treshur hear a real recording of something not compleatly molested But a computer program afterwords Ther is no art left Everyone will sound like kickback now trying to boost the sound Without boosting the sound Well that's what thay get Something that dosent even sound like real recording and guess what pepole will get tierd of it pretty quick becaws ther is nothing ther you took it all out to make it sound fake Befor thay did this ther was no problom now ther is a problom half the songs play so quiet it's a waist of time if anybody ever dose buy a CD again thay will probly crap ther pants becaws thay have been listening to this treble and mid boost base killer Thay call it dynamics but it's realy just cutting the base out with a carving knife leaving you with the high piched nothingness of what has become the nickel back sound Oh ya dunamics no it started with the Bose radio that's the sound you are likely listoning to You probly forgot about big old fashioned boom boxes That was a marketing ploy to get you ready for cell phone music witch is not music So let me get this straight dynamics is wher I cut half of the sound out dobble up the highs and mids. And this is dynamic It sounds like stupidity to me How everyone fell for this is beond me Many my hearing is on a mother level that there but I can pick out streaming blindfolded compaied to a CD 100%of the time every time It's sickening and it all started with the Bose radio sound Literaly know one knows this Or even though about it Johnny Lee starkey Did
Thanks for this. Our musical genres couldn't be more different but I found your video informative as I'm fairly new to mastering. Also I am using the plugin.. Cheers
Thanks! The website to double check loudness is gonna help me a lot!
Great to hear!
Very helpful. I'm just a casual player/composer/hobbiest so I let my Zoom H6 do this automatically. As long as I don't clip while recording the results are acceptable. Yes, I'm softer than everyone else out there. However, it's also well documented that there's been a loudness war and way too much compression of music over the last 20 years. I have no desire to screw up my dynamics. People have forgotten the value of the gentler times in melodies and even brief moments of silence. The result has been to suck much of the emotion out of music. If it's not loud enough, turn up the gain on your end. Don't give yourself tinnitus in the process.
Just getting into recording, but found this useful. You are always so articulate and clear with your explanations of things, it makes me wish you'd do a series on home recording, mixing, and mastering. That's a huge wish, I know, and maybe it doesn't quite fit the purposes of your channel. But I can dream, right?
That would be great! :)
Sorry to be off topic but does any of you know of a trick to get back into an Instagram account..?
I was dumb forgot my account password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me.
@Wilson Grey Instablaster :)
@Lionel Boston i really appreciate your reply. I found the site through google and Im in the hacking process atm.
Takes quite some time so I will reply here later with my results.
@Lionel Boston It worked and I actually got access to my account again. Im so happy!
Thank you so much you saved my ass !
Thank you for this
Perhaps the most useful recording tool EVER put on the Web!!!
Another note. If you are listening to a track such as the one mentioned here that sounds right, but the tools show something off, it could be the result of some peaks in the track that are outside the range of the norm level for the track. We all love dynamics, but the computer is seeing something outside of what it considers normal. Find those peaks and bring them down a little and the computer will give you a more accurate reading.
Great info!! Thanks!!
🎶🔥
Your the 🐐 for this 🙏
Great explanation. I've been using the FabFilter L 2 plugin for all my iPad projects lately and just got the Ozone Elements plugin for use in my desktop Reason projects but honestly haven't figured out how to use it yet. This helps. The Loudness Penalty plugin/site is also news to me. I don't see physical media coming back to any great extent so this information should be considered "finalizing 101" now.
What is best app iTunes for leveling low/loud dialogue audio (typically from vid file) to even level? Thanks
I use Garageband, and I'm using the built in plug ins. I guess I'm going to have to upgrade to better plug ins. It's a matter of there are sooo many. And I can't afford the really good ones. I will be shopping, for those. Even before I started using software, I've never been turned down, on any platform. I used to use TuneCore, now I use Distro, but I haven't been able to get anything done, for awhile. I got some new equipment, and I'm starting to work, again. Once again, a timely video. Thanks for the info!
Awesome stuff. My deal is I feel like I can just never get my song loud ENOUGH without clipping somewhere. Now, granted, I'm using Garage Band for free and not a big professional DAW like Logic, but I hope that doesn't matter too much. Anyway, when I'm mastering in Garage Band and I finally get the song down to a point where it's not clipping in the master volume, it just seems to have notably less loudness than everyone else's music. Is this a problem with Garage Band? Or can I get away with clipping just a little in order to get some more loudness in there? Or is there some other type of compression trick I might be missing out on?
Have you looked at the master track in Garageband? You can add a compressor and/or limiter there to raise the overall loudness without clipping. And no, you can't get away with digital clipping.
Love your videos, Bill. Apparently, you do your own mastering. Do you get ISRC codes for your songs, so as to track them on Spotify, etc., before putting them on Bandcamp?
This is very helpful - I've been quite happy with the dynamic range I got so far, but will be great to actually compare it with "rest of the world". :) I'd love more mixing-related videos.
please try to test the echoplus + from digitech it is wonderful pedal
Could be wrong, but its my understanding that the services only turn down, but they don't turn up. I believe the positive numbers are just the tool letting you know that you can (if you wish) add some gain as per the value for these particular services.
As I mentioned several of the services turn up in addition to down. As an example, here's Spotify's explanation of how it turns up and down to normalize: artists.spotify.com/faq/mastering-and-loudness#what-is-loudness-normalization-and-why-is-it-used
@@chordsoforion Very cool, that's the first I've heard of turning up to a desired LUFS, glad they are doing this!
Thanks for clarifying this, Bill!
Whoa i wanted to start recording (upgrading from phone mic 😅) this weekend , thanks a ton!
Thanks for sharing. I have been reading up from various sources on LUFS and have the calculation means nailed. I have a question for you, you mentioned sometimes you do not want to put the LUFS all the way up to the max that the distribution platform accepts, you need to listen and let your ears be the judge, what method do you use to set you listening reference levels, i.e. the audio to usb has a level knob, the Daw has level, the computer OS has another level knob, I listen with headphones. Generally I just adjust until I “like it”, but then when luffs are sets, it’s too loud and I turn down the volume knob, but sounds fine on the distribution platform. Thanks.
I've literally been looking into this recent. I put out an ambient cover of Areith theme From FF7 and had so may issues with levels and normalising.
Ambient music I find hard to eq mix and master compared to what I've done previously. Rock, heavy and acoustic.
You have a great understanding of your topic. Maybe you could help me with my problem. I just released a song to Spotify, my first, but Apple Music rejected it! Apple Music want more quality recordings. I increased the LUFS Integrated and True Peak Max to the Level you just mentioned but still they rejected it. I am a new learner of Mixing and Mastering.
Who did you use to distribute (CDBaby, DistroKid, etc.) Was a there a reason given for the rejection?
@@chordsoforion It's another music Dittobrutor. Take a listen to my song, Iisa ka!
Hey Bill, some off-toppic, bit I have a question about your gitar rig. So, I know you are using an amp modeler instead of amplifier or cabinets, but what about the speakers? Do you use only your studio monitors? And how do they sound with а guitar?
In the studio, I listen through the studio monitors. It sounds exactly like the recordings that you hear on my videos.
@@chordsoforion So you dont paly "live" at home? I ask because now I chosing between palying through guitar amp and monitors
I started using the penalty site and for Spotify i get the “-“ symbol what does that mean?
So I used the online version of Loudness Penalty, however they say according to spotify my song is not going to be turned up, nor down. But when I compare the audio file to spotify songs, the volume of my songs are still too low. Someone help me please...
Hey man! First of all, thank you for this video, very informative and helpful! I do find struggle in adjusting to the correct integrated lufs cause it feels like -13 is too low. Idk what I don't get about it all : My unmastered track uploaded to loudnesspenalty(.)com says youtube indicates -1db... but it's unmastered!! Also when I download from youtube a pop song and drop it in loudnesspenalty it indicates -3.6 for youtube.. So I really don't get it
if your unmastered tracks are loud enough to be turned down by YT, then I would say you are probably mixing too loud. you will have more mastering options if you keep the level lower. And what level feels right to you? You can certainly master to a higher level and in some cases that is appropriate for the genre. It's just good to be aware of what the streaming platforms will do to your music.
Very informative, mastering is arguably the most important step of the process!
I got iTunes in 2008, and having 50 songs on my mp3 player, they were all different volumes, this sucked, I eventually stopped iTunes.
This may be a silly question, but if these services are going to alter the overall output of your song(s), and you’re not releasing physical copies, does it matter how loud the last version of the song is going to be aside from mixing your instruments to their appropriate volume?
A little late to reply, but you generally want to be at or over the target for loudness. The reason being, spotify and other services use a compressor/limiter to bringing it up to the correct level. This can mess with how you song sounds in general.
So this is why all rock bands now sound like nickel back
And if anything this is makeing music worse
I can't hear most songs
But then nirvana comes on and I get blasted
Why are that turning it down
Just seems like a pack of lies to me
I bet if I uploaded teen spirit thay would turn it down to
Im not realy in to nickel back or the fake recorded sound
No real recording ever sounded like that
I would rather have an old tape recording than that
Its just not cool for them to hurt the small guys
And that's what this is about
Can't have everyone's song as loud as the compotition so that came up with this and it works
I don't think anyone can tell the difference
But the CD is wher it's at
It's just better in every way possible
It can handle way more
Sounds infinitely better that is if you can hear quality if thay turn my song doun by a smidge I notice
Thay should have just left it alone
It wasent bad until now I can't even hear half of the songs
Especially if its an old song
Thay just ther it to pieces
Like its something to be mest with
It's a master let it be let it be
I can't stand it blurry hill sounds like a place of trash next to its counterparts it's not even the same song but if you get a CD of the same song you will infact like blueberry hill more than the newer songs it dosent stand a chance and it's the real treshur hear a real recording of something not compleatly molested
But a computer program afterwords
Ther is no art left
Everyone will sound like kickback now trying to boost the sound
Without boosting the sound
Well that's what thay get
Something that dosent even sound like real recording and guess what pepole will get tierd of it pretty quick becaws ther is nothing ther you took it all out to make it sound fake
Befor thay did this ther was no problom now ther is a problom half the songs play so quiet it's a waist of time if anybody ever dose buy a CD again thay will probly crap ther pants becaws thay have been listening to this treble and mid boost base killer
Thay call it dynamics but it's realy just cutting the base out with a carving knife leaving you with the high piched nothingness of what has become the nickel back sound
Oh ya dunamics no it started with the Bose radio that's the sound you are likely listoning to
You probly forgot about big old fashioned boom boxes
That was a marketing ploy to get you ready for cell phone music witch is not music
So let me get this straight dynamics is wher I cut half of the sound out dobble up the highs and mids. And this is dynamic
It sounds like stupidity to me
How everyone fell for this is beond me
Many my hearing is on a mother level that there but I can pick out streaming blindfolded compaied to a CD 100%of the time every time
It's sickening and it all started with the Bose radio sound
Literaly know one knows this
Or even though about it
Johnny Lee starkey
Did
Sounds backward.