How to MIX LOUDER - in 10 Easy Steps! 🔥🔥
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- Опубліковано 6 сер 2024
- Learn how to get a louder mix and master in any DAW with this step-by-step video tutorial. ►► Download my FREE Mixing Guide here: bit.ly/33I4LDR
Download the track in this video here: sirupmusic.lnk.to/DontWannaLose
Why is getting a loud mix and master important?
Getting a loud mix is important despite the fact that streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music attenuate the volume to make playback between various songs more similar.
This is because, if your song or track is getting played out in a venue, and the DJ plays your (quieter) track after a louder one, the energy on the dance floor can drop.
When I started producing this happened to me when I’d play my own music out as a DJ. Not good!
But, obviously you want to get it loud WITHOUT crushing the dynamic range out of your mix, and you can only go up as far as 0dB peak.
So, we need to increase the AVERAGE volume. It’s just the PERCEIVED LOUDNESS we’re after - not higher peaks of volume.
(Even if you are just producing for streaming services, these techniques are still good practice as they’ll help you achieve a cleaner overall production!)
In this video, I show you 10 steps to getting a louder mix and final master. It start early on in the production process!
NOTE: I recommend watching this video with at least a semi-decent set of monitors or headphones so you can hear all the small differences that we’re making throughout the tutorial.
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Ok, here are the points covered in today’s video:
PART 1: SOUND DESIGN
1:34 Layering
3:11 Audio editing (editing transients / shifting audio)
PART 2: MIXING
4:21 Saturation & harmonic excitement
5:49 EQ out unnecessary low end. Be wary of taking it out of everything, otherwise you can end up with a tinny mix.
6:41 Reductive Surgical EQ.
8:17 Reverb (another kind of layering).
8:47 Compression.
10:57 Parallel Compression.
PART 3: MASTERING
12:36 Limiting.
15:42. Referencing & Metering (LUFS)
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There you have it! You are now armed to the teeth with loudness weapons. Use them carefully and wisely :)
You can read the blog version of this post here: www.edmtips.com/10-easy-steps...
►► Download my FREE Mixing Guide here: bit.ly/33I4LDR
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Are you going to give any of these techniques a try? Let me know what results you get in the comments below!
#mixing #mixingedm #ableton
YO! Are you going to give any of these techniques a try? Let me know! 🥳
Definitely! Very nice techniques Will. Thanks!
@@addycomposer9492 Excellent! You're very welcome :)
Hi man i have a problem, i use T-RackS CS Metering and i saw my track has same rms of other tracks i compared but much lower the perceived loudness...can you explain me how? I mean i have a rms of -6.9 and a perceived loudness of -12.6 :(
Nice Job, Have you some tips on mixing tracks?
Awe just want to say thanks for the 30 tips my mix is sounding better than ever will definitely check your future videos blessings~
Damn this was so comprehensive. I think I'm gonna reference this video about 100 more times before I get it down but I'm glad it's here.
Awesome 😎
excellent video well laid out clear and just a great tutorial overall.. thanks soo much I've learnt some real golden tips and tricks here :)
This video is exactly what i was looking for! Thanks for the help
No problem!
Awesome. So clean and clear. ❤️
great video will, taught me a lot man and immediately helped todays mix. Keep em coming!
Brilliant! Glad to help :)
great vid - thorough and to the point 😎👍
Thank you for your concision! that is a rare quality :)
Thank you. Crisp, clean, and clear instructions. Definitely subscribing from here on.
Thanks for the sub!
Great information, many things to try on my hip hop mixes. Thanks for sharing. =)
Very helpful video thank you 😍
Great video!
Definitely the best loudness tutorial I have seen
AWESOME! :D
Thnx mate!!
No problem!
took some productive insights from this video.
Great tips! Thank you a lot!
You're so welcome!
Really great and informative tutorial, thanks for sharing!
You're welcome!
Amazing tutorial
Great tuto, as usually!!! This will really help me improve my loudness objectivity. Thanks Will😊
You're welcome, Pascal, glad you found it helpful! 🙂
Thanks again!!
You're welcome :)
Great tips bruv! 👍
Thanks!
Fascinating and brilliant.
Thanks, Kevin!
Thank you very much, pro tutorial, informative and down to business, outstanding
Tips looking good, i Will try them on my new House track, fingers crossed🤞
This video is reaaallllyyy good - on point as hell
Cheers man!
Thanks again! Def going to start using some of the bits that were new to me right away. The final mixdown process is becoming easier but I really need to figure out a faster way to do it. I have projects piling up because I can't seem to get them to the sweet spot I want prior to mastering ...at least not without hours of toil.
Well done!
This helps a lot !
Glad it helped!
Great 👍🏼 Thank you 🙏
You're welcome!
Good tutorial and great track! 👍
Thanks on both counts! 🙌
You nailed it bro...Thank you so much 🙌
Thanks, and you're welcome!
Dude! Thank you!!! Cheers! :)
Glad to help!
Thanks for this, I am a singer-songwriter / record producer.
This is really great as I've noticed that a lot of the commercial (pop) tracks are mastered at even as low as -4 luFs ... whereas I master at ~ - 7 - -8 ; but I guess I can see there are small steps such as "surgical EQ" even on instrumental tracks or that extra compression on the highs on vocals that we can take to allow us to master louder without too much distortion
Thanks mate! cheers from Kansas :-)
Nice one, thanks!
You're welcome, glad it was helpful! Anything else are you struggling with and would like me to cover on the channel?
I'd better wait until I have exhausted your library of videos before I ask any silly questions, you cover a lot of hidden details, very much appreciated.
you sir are a great guy!
haha...I try! Thank you :)
Very useful. thank you
You are welcome
another great video, i learn good valuable lessons from you, good work brother, keep it up!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching
Fantastic video.
Thank you very much!
Awesome tips. Think it really depends on type of tracks your after to.
If you want a perfect pop or dance record to sound like radio then yep eq surgically etc.
But if you want it raw and underground , go buy an analogue mixer and roughly eq on there, overdrive the channels for a bit of dirt . Tidy up slightly in ableton and your away.
The early recordings on trax records were rough as hell but that gave the tunes character.
Look at artists like lady starlight, Mr G, they literally just record hardware straight into the daw and that's it before mastering.
I'm 100% sure somewhere in the world someone is looking at this video thinking 'Damn I've paid a lot of money in the past for these tips and now it's on UA-cam for free' :D Thanks Will!
You're welcome!
you are right. i am this person
This probably the best video on loudness increase
Thanks!
Agreed-- and I've seen dozens
Fr
I have watched this one 3 times now, I understand most of it and will try to implement these steps in my fl studio projects.
I already learned a lot from your gain staging video and I my mixes our sounding more clear.
Next thing to tackle, more loudness!
I Will let you know if I was succesful.
Sounds like a plan, Eijffelbridge! Keep up the good work :)
Dis video is a national treasure 🖤
Appreciate it! 🙌🙏
Thanks, this is great, like your other videos. I think I watched it a year ago, but now it's even more helpful. One thing I would say: almost all the steps you outline can be explained as improving the crest factor. I think this is a concept that you should introduce here as a unifying principle. You're beating around the bush at it when you talk about increasing the headroom or increasing the perceived loudness, but it's better to just be explicit about it. A mix with a good crest factor has the potential to be loud. A mix with a bad crest factor cannot be made loud without distorting. Another thing: if you use a meter on your favorite EDM tracks, you'll see they exceed true peak A LOT. It's not necessary to keep all peaks below 0db because doing so robs you of final loudness if you need/want it. For example, put Guetta'a Titanium through youlean. You'll see what I mean. When I do it, I get true peak of +1.9db and tons of red at the top indicating that it is clipping A LOT. But, that's ok because it actually makes it sound *better* (clipping is like another round of saturation when the mix is loud). We like that because the industry has conditioned our brains to like it. 😝 Also, you didn't talk about using a clipper in at least the master chain. It's often used right before the limiter(s). But, that's ok because you really did a great job of explaining the most important steps.
Thanks Brian! To be honest, Crest Factor is a term I haven't come across before, but looking into it now...
@@EDMTips Yes, I became familiar with it when I heard a couple of people talk about it and then noticed it's a metric on the Voxengo SPAN free spectrum analyzer. Now I know what it's telling me! Again, run your favorite EDM (or loud pop) track through the meter and notice the crest factor (though this is post-limiting, so it's bound to be small). Using meters on your tracks before mixing/mastering can really help you figure out the weak spots in your mix. And, if you meter the crest factor pre-saturation and post-saturation, you can get an even better idea of just how much it's helping you. Learning is such a great thing, and your videos teach (me) well.
Great video Buddy, Def gonna use some of these techniques. Question tho, when you ran thru your mastering chain, (very quickly), that chain u had was on the master track?
There are tons of "loudness" videos on UA-cam, but this one was exactly what I needed to fill the missing gaps. I've never heard layering explained exactly in this way. I knew about choosing sounds for frequency, but dynamics and spread as well? The other thing that struck me is the amount of boost the last two limiters are adding. Your individual tracks are really low compared to what I've been trying to do. Thanks for sharing this!
You're very welcome! Yes...adding the volume in the mastering is a nice way to ensure you don't clip earlier in the chain
These are amazingly helpful! Thanks! Can I apply each of these steps to every element of the track?
Yep!
I feel like the lizard from the geico commercials is teaching me ableton
EDM guys are the mixing gads
Appreciate it! 😁🙌🏻
Wow, just watching your videos now - and I'm a habitual music producer lurker... and these are Sooo Amaaaazing. Question - what studio monitor headphones do you recommend... have heard all sorts and your mixes are a cut and beyond!
Thank you!! I use the Sennheiser HD650s.
the best channel in all this f@cking place!
BOOM! 🙌🙌 😎
please let me know do you have presented adsr ,groove3, sonic academy music lesson names thanks
Excellent material as always :) Be very careful with HPF with steep roll-offs (or any roll-off for that fact). The artefacts may kill your final few dB of gain boosting. All EQs have them (albeit some modes more than others). There's plenty of material online to describe the exact reason(s) why, if one cares enough to delve into this sort of detail.
Good point, Billy, thank you for sharing!
Very useful tips!, As for the compressor tip one, Does that essentially means that the less dynamic range you have the more you can push it without distorting? If so how do you make a dynamic track loud? or for example a less dynamic track which is more flat but it also has a section where it's more dynamic, What is going to happen there? Thanks again!
You can actually automate the compressor on and off! So, if you have a breakdown, which you want to have more dynamic variation, you can switch off (or reduce the effect) of the compressor, then bring it back in on the drop.
@@EDMTips Does that mean that in end will it allow you less to push the master before it's distorting?, I guess my question should be Is it simpler to push a more rounded track before distorting rather than a dynamic track?
@@Y0nex I'm not sure I understand your question...could you elaborate, please?
Which headphones are you using?
how to loud at - 14 lufs.? after upload for stream why its sound dull even mastering is done right an well. with EQ.?
OKay this is a very good video you really know what you are doing and I am lost, AS a GENERAL rule of thumb , what should Be compressed in independant tracks, The kick ? The bass? Synths? EVERYthing ?? Just Compress and EQ everything so you can bump up the faders and then Compress and add limiter to your master so you can bump it up even more?? Is that how it works ?? How do you choose what to compress really.
Have you checked my video on Compression yet? It might answer your questions :)
6:26 But you got clipping the ProQ Equalizer and extra +1.1dB
Don't get why this is useful?
Maybe use linear phase EQ to keep the extra dB less
terrible tip on the scooping eq use ur ears and good sound comes first. if louder mix means your sacrificing good sound killing the tonal qualities the mix already had then its not worth it
What’s the lowest price I can explain to pay for Serum?
Great content as usual Will! So basically...make your track sound as good as possible with being at -.3db and around -9lufs...even though those numbers are higher than what the streaming services will normalize to...correct/incorrect?
Thanks! Well, this would be for any format that doesn't have specific requirements (like streaming services). For Spotify, I would ease back and get the LUFS to -14.
EDM tips thank you,Will..I appreciate your input! it’s all so confusing...since I download songs from the streaming sites and put them in my daw with metering plugins to use as Reference tracks and they are mostly at -.1db..the true peaks are well over zero and the lufs are -7 to -9 and they are way louder than what they say the sites normalize to...you can really hear the difference compared to say another persons song who stayed more conservative on those platforms....and then you think...well...if someone downloaded a song from iTunes or Spotify and adds it to their library/playlist and they don’t choose sound check or alike on either of those...one song will certainly playback louder and quieter respectively...have a great weekend!
@@craigolsen612 You're welcome! Perhaps the downloadable file is separate from the normalised one?
EDM tips quite possibly
@@craigolsen612 That's what I'm thinking
At 10:00 you can just bump up the make up gain inside the fabfilter compressor in the bottom right corner.
Whenever I crosh -11 my track start producing noise please help sir
until now i pretty much mixed in pain knwing it is not going to be loud enough..thank you!
You're welcome! 🙂
Reductive Surgical EQ is a good thing to know. I'll that.
Absolutely!
wow, this is very thorough, thank you.
One thing i don’t understand: why is everyone using a limiter at the end of the master chain instead of soft clipping? Is soft clipping wrong?
Soft clipping is fine, But the reason ppl use a limiter is because of true peaks and intersample clipping. A soft clipper won't clip the true peak, so u can soft clip but still be peaking.
@@itsmejared674 Thanks, even tho, now that I'm following his videos and learning a lot, and really mixing like it's supposed to be done, I found out that soft clipping makes you distort way sooner than limiting does. I'm blown away
Also if the changes with the compressor and limiter are very settle, How would you know if you're doing enough ? And usually does that mean that if your mix doesn't distort on studio headphones it shouldn't be distorting on everything else? Should you listen in a loud volume when mastering so you can really hear if it's distorting ?
Great question! You should listen to it on several systems to make absolutely sure. Also, if uploading to Spotify, UA-cam or Apply Music, make sure you're not exceeding the stated ideal LUFS value or True Peak (Google them until I make a vid about them 😆)
@@EDMTips Also if the changes with the compressor and limiter are really settle how would you know if you're applying enough of the effect(Getting headroom) or not enough , Should you trust your eyes in this case?
@@Y0nex What do you mean by "really settle"?
@@EDMTips He probably meant "Subtle" :-) The video was tremendously helpful and valuable! Thanks for sharing :D
@@jugglingdrummer Ah, thanks! You're welcome :)
Please tell whether it is true to do a brickwall at lo-end. As I mentioned the peaking level of a kick becomes higher after such lo-cutting
Thanks for the grat Guide btw, just finished reading.
Can you share your experience in the industry when it comes to LUF standards? Loudness, dynamics etc. Submitting to UA-cam, Spotifty, professional music labels. What digits are requirements for the industry? I hope my questions make sense.
Yep! Will make a vid on it
EDM tips thank you so much! I look forward to it
@@WizzThomas You're welcome!
HI Will, I really love your channel. I just want your opinion on something. Do you think modern music sounds too emphasized in the higher frequencies, especially in dance music or is it just me? I'm not trying to be funny or dis respectful to artists, I have been into dance music since the mid 90's and used to hold residency as a dj back in the early 2000's. I know technology has moved on and so have producers but for me modern music especially trance , has a very un balanced sound with a lot of noise and effects masking the musical (euphoric) elements. I would love your input into whether my ears are just getting old or whether it is in fact mixes have change. also do you think it's down to less producers getting their mixings professionally mastered? all the best Will :) Steve.
Hi Steve...in a word...yes! I think the higher frequencies are overcooked nowadays. I think this could be down to several factors: The loudness war (our ears are more sensitive to mid to higher frequencies, probably because it's the range of human speech). Highlighting the higher frequencies therefore makes it sound louder to us. It could be the ubiquity of crappy, tinny laptop and phone speaker usage, so creating tunes that sound "good" on those might have informed the trend. Anyway, I'm rambling now! :)
wow, this is very thorough.
One thing i don’t understand: why is everyone using a limiter at the end of the master chain instead of soft clipping? I’m asking because i want to do the right thing (i always use soft clipping but apparently that’s wrong)
There's no right or wrong way, do whatever sounds good!
At 7:39 you are literally doing what you said was a mistake in "How to EQ like a PRO - 11 EQ Mistakes That RUIN Your Mixes". You search with a surgical EQ of 30dB again and again for "bad frequencies" and because of the +30dB it almost everytime sounds bad, so you end up EQing back like a comb filter. So what is correct here? Should we use this technique only to make things louder, but generally avoid?
The later one, as this is three years old now and I’ve learned more and improved in that time
3:35 hahaha
At what volume do you mix in your headphones?
At a medium volume, checking it at quiet and loud volumes every now an then to make sure the mix is still working
I found your final demo sounding too flat in terms of dynamics. I'd have liked less compression.
"Clipping's nauughty"
JUST WOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW SHT.......... I FOUND A HUGE DIAMONDS HERE. THANKS GOD
Thanks for the tips, however my recommendation (as just an asshole in the internet) to aspiring producers is to not go as loud as possible, but just loud enough so that the final song is not weak, because as everything else in life, there's no free tendies, it's a tradeoff.
Oversaturating/limiting/compressing is practically irreversible and may cause listeners to get tired of your music faster.
Please look at your finished song in Audacity and take a look at the waveform. Does it look like a big turd of information where every aspect, element, and section of it is as loud as possible -- with no contrast between verse and chorus (buildup and drop) for example?
What's the DR and RMS? What's your target LUFS value? Not knowing these as an audio engineer is like a Chef who's never heard of salt.
Many of these tips significantly change the actual character and timbre of the music, rather than just making them 'louder'. Low cutting below 50hz on an instrument like drums is disastrous advice for multiple reasons that will be noticeable on any reasonably powerful system, particularly with a sub. I can't begin to explain how truly bad most of this advice is, and how important it is that people who aren't confident in their skills do not follow any of this advice.
phew. at least one guy got it.
You are so cute bro 🤣
Hmm.... Thanks 😂
A dj won't play your track if it's not loud enough? That's what a DJM mixer trim control is for lol, It is a bit like saying everyone at a festival would walk out if the dj dropped Night Crawlers Push The Feeling on, because it was not mastered loud enough lol I don't think so, a dj won't play the track if the song is crap. Brickwalled loud mixes sound dreadfull on a club system period as it slams the club compressor and limiters and crushes the life out of it. The real reason for loudness now is so it will sound decent on a tinny iPhone speaker or loud in your headphones in the street, since noone owns proper hifi stacking systems like they used all this rms trickery has sucked the life out of music. Loudness is a marketing tool and nothing to do with music.
Your track was not that loud and you didn't even care to show the readings in your "youlean loudness meter".
He just gave 10 clear and to the point tips and you complain about this which is not even true?get a life bro