Loudness wars and clipping

[blackwax]

Hi Dennis
I'm sure you have read about loudness wars
I seem to struggle making my tracks loud but not clipping
I usually keep my stem levels low and my master level at -3 or -5 db and maybe add a limiter on the master (ozone isotope) but my tracks still seem quite compared to others
If I start pushing up individual stems they clip very quickly.
What is your process on this?

Thanks in advance

[dennis f]

This all stems from proper gain staging. See the post for that. http://www.deephousepage.com/forums/...d.php?t=218539
What you can do is after properly gain staging your drums..send them out to a group.

Brickwall limit that group so that the total of it's output is -18/or whatever your ad/da sets 0dbvu at. Then send that drum group along with the rest of your keys to the master buss. Use your Ozone to make up the gain from -18 to -0.3(redbook cd) using the maximizer side by activating it, keep all the other ones off , make sure you pick intelligent, margin -0.3(redbook cd) as your saying don't allow the output to go higher than this value, threshold -18 and your done. Oh and DC offset on and Dither should be Mbit. Viola! Nice and loud. How you gain stage it is what determines whether you come out with mush and distortion or just a nice loud mix. Fine line to tread there. If your using another limiter/compressor...the theory and application is just the same. Some manufacturers just use a different naming convention that's all.

Now...this by no means is the iron clad way of doing it. Just one of many ways. It's up to you to research and find a method that you're comfortable with and feel suits your musical style and ability.


YMMV

DF

[blackwax]

Holy cow!!
Just tried it combined with the gain stage post
A massive world off difference I need to practice this some more :-)
Glad u knew your way around isotope it's sometimes just the terminology that stumps me

Many thanks Dennis

[zebulon monks]

When you are working on a project do you insert a limiter and/or maximiser etc on the master right from the start or do you leave it and adjust the master fader to avoid clipping as you are working. Only inserting a limiter and/or maximiser etc. once you have finished the track and you are happy with the mixdown?
Do you set the master fader at -0.3 when you are recording the the finished mixdown or.....?
Are there any other plugs or eq that you regularly use on the master fader when running off the finished track appart from the ATS-1.

Oh yeah thanks to all the peeps involved in doing this, keep up the good work

[blackwax]

When you are working on a project do you insert a limiter and/or maximiser etc on the master right from the start or do you leave it and adjust the master fader to avoid clipping as you are working. Only inserting a limiter and/or maximiser etc. once you have finished the track and you are happy with the mixdown?
Do you set the master fader at -0.3 when you are recording the the finished mixdown or.....?
Are there any other plugs or eq that you regularly use on the master fader when running off the finished track appart from the ATS-1.

Oh yeah thanks to all the peeps involved in doing this, keep up the good work

Is this directed at me or Dennis?
If its for Dennis please post the question in a new thread as per the guidlines sticky

Many Thanks and enjoy!

[zebulon monks]

It was directed at Dennis, as it was related I left it in the same thread. If it makes things easier then new thread it is. Job done

Cheers

[blackwax]

Thank you sir :-)

[dennis f]

When you are working on a project do you insert a limiter and/or maximiser etc on the master right from the start or do you leave it and adjust the master fader to avoid clipping as you are working. Only inserting a limiter and/or maximiser etc. once you have finished the track and you are happy with the mixdown?
Do you set the master fader at -0.3 when you are recording the the finished mixdown or.....?
Are there any other plugs or eq that you regularly use on the master fader when running off the finished track appart from the ATS-1.

Oh yeah thanks to all the peeps involved in doing this, keep up the good work

some people work with the maximiser on ...some pop it on afterwards.

if you have a limiter/maximiser/comp then your master level stays at 0db your output max out of the plug should -.3