Tracks always quiet

mp3guy

I've been producing my own music for a while now, just with an at home setup. I use REAPER for everything pretty much. My problem is that the tracks I make have a fairly large range of sounds from quiet clean guitar to loud distorted guitar and whenever I export stuff and amplify it to the highest level without clipping it still sounds fairly quiet when compared to professionally produced music. I'm familiar with the whole loudness war thing too.

How can I pump of the volume of my tracks without destroying the sound too much?

tweeky

Look into mastering. If the tracks are for a release get them mastered properly, it's not that expensive.

mp3guy

Ah, is there a list of good places to get this done?

tweeky

If you do a search on this forum there will be many suggestions. I use Richard at WAV mastering but there is also Aidan Foley at Masterlabs and Fergal Davis.

mp3guy

From looking around I don't think we've got the same definition of "not that expensive". I can't afford to be forking out a few hundred euro per album, I've got 3 I need done.

Aridstarling

Then go read Bob Katz's "Mastering Audio" book, learn it all, spend ages trying to put into practice of all the information in there (there's a hell of a lot) and after all that time and effort spent, end up with an inferior product because you lack the facilities or experience required to be a mastering engineer.

Seriously, of all the things that modern recording has done to and for the business, mastering is the one that gets butchered the most. Its a pro's game is mastering.

For the level of quality and service you get with any of those Tweeky mentioned, the prices they charge are damn good. What they will give you will stand up anywhere in the world.

PMI

mp3guy wrote: »

From looking around I don't think we've got the same definition of "not that expensive". I can't afford to be forking out a few hundred euro per album, I've got 3 I need done.

:rolleyes: Just hand up out as they are then to your mates and stuff

If you dont get them mastered properly they WILL sound toy town and will not be able to be used anywhere TBH as the dynamics will prob punch a hole in everyones speakers be it, a club or radio or car etc...

Mastering is cheap for what you get.... these guys truly have magic ears and put the gloss on the product....

Its not just volume, its compression, eq etc.. etc.. soooooooooo worth doing.

I would NEVER master something myself and ive been doing this for 17 years... ya get me?

madtheory

Put the Realimiter on the main outs and adjust to taste. It's a pretty good limiter. That's not mastering, but it is how you make it as loud as current commercial practice.

Use a mastering engineer once you start making money from the music. But I think you probably guessed that already

maccored

Aridstarling wrote: »

Then go read Bob Katz's "Mastering Audio" book....

Dont know if he still charges around the same but Bob was charging $99 a track not too long back.

dav nagle

+1 For Richard Dowling he is amazing.

i57dwun4yb1pt8

mp3guy wrote: »

From looking around I don't think we've got the same definition of "not that expensive". I can't afford to be forking out a few hundred euro per album, I've got 3 I need done.

do you really care about your music ?

GTE

DaDumTish wrote: »

do you really care about your music ?

Im sure he does (despite the username haha), but if he doesnt have the money he doesnt have the money. Im sure if he had it he would send it to the best anyway. This is a thread about DIY mastering from the way I read it but the understanding has to be its not gonna be epic sounding.

mp3guy

DaDumTish wrote: »

do you really care about your music ?

I tend to care about eating, socialising etc.. a little bit more. At this point in time €2000 for 3CDs really isn't an option.

woodsdenis

mp3guy wrote: »

I tend to care about eating, socialising etc.. a little bit more. At this point in time €2000 for 3CDs really isn't an option.

http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/

check this out. If you cant afford somebody to do it for you DIY. Is it as good as a professional mastering engineer. What you are paying for is more their experience and ears than their equipment, although good gear helps.
Ozone covers a lot of basses and has a wealth of presets to get you started.

Ronan Murphy

If it is simply an issue of level, then get a brick wall limiter plug in and use as much of that as you feel comfortable with.

Keep in mind that the big sound you hear on professional masters is a combo of limiting plus a few other tricks we use to make things to make thing feel or get perceived as louder.