How Loud Should My Master Be? | Major Mixing (2023)

FAQs

How Loud Should My Master Be? | Major Mixing? ›

So, the answer is, that you can master your music to -14 LUFS or louder, up to -7 LUFS. It's not a great idea, though, to master quieter than -14 LUFS. There are several reasons why it's not good to do so.

Most mastering engineers recommend having the loudest part of a mix at –5 dB from absolute '0' dBFS. This means you should have the loudest section of the mix 5 dB lower before the peak level of '0'. It is recommended to not go over '0' dBFS on the master fader or individual tracks in the mix.

The ideal listening range for most home studios is around 73-76dB SPL. But mixers have no control over how loud people listen to music. Only how loud each element is in the track. That's why it's crucial to make sure that your mix is balanced and each instrument is at the proper level relative to the other channels.

what volume should you mix at? To hear the most accurate representation of your music, you should mix at 85db to 90db while EQing and critical listening. The rest of the time you should mix at a volume level that allows for a conversation without raising your voice.

The best mastering level for streaming is an integrated -14 LUFS, as it best fits the loudness normalization settings of the majority of streaming services. Although other measurements like the true peak value and other metrics need to be considered, -14 LUFS is the best mastering level when considering loudness.

That pro volume level is a basic expectation in modern music, so it can be pretty discouraging when your own mixes don't measure up. If you've ever wondered how to make music louder once you're done mixing, the answer is usually found in the mastering process.

Setting the correct level for a bounce is usually part of the mastering process though, so if you're bouncing out to send off to someone with magical ears (and a treated studio), you'll want your master track's metering bouncing around at the ‑12 to ‑18 dB level to give the mastering process some headroom.

Compression is essentially how you get a mix to sound loud, but you have to be careful in how you apply it. The energy in the track comes from the individual elements, and the compression applied on those elements.

Mixing at low volumes is a common practice used by professional engineers everywhere. This technique is one of the most crucial ways your mixing can improve right away! You'll hear volume imbalances a lot better. At lower volumes you'll be able to hear if some instruments are too loud & what's sticking out too much.

Your vocals should sound louder than the beat between -10dB and -15dB. A reliable method would be to set your lead vocal track to -12dB, then push back your instrumental tracks accordingly.

What is the best audio level for mixing? ›

While 85dB is the mixing level suggested for larger pro control rooms, when I talked with Grammy-nominated Capitol Studios staff engineer, Steve Genewick, he mentioned that when mixing in a smaller room, stay closer to 75dB.

Sound is measured in decibels (dB). A whisper is about 30 dB, normal conversation is about 60 dB, and a motorcycle engine running is about 95 dB. Noise above 70 dB over a prolonged period of time may start to damage your hearing. Loud noise above 120 dB can cause immediate harm to your ears.

If mastering for TV or broadcast, you'll want to hit no more than -14LUFS for fear of distortion at the broadcast end. It's also probably wise to aim for an output RMS/True Peak of -1.0db since you're not aiming for the loudest sound, but the clearest.

You'll want to aim for a fairly high threshold level. You should be getting 2 to 3 dB of gain reduction at the most in order to avoid obliterating your mix. Start with a low ratio around 1.25:1 or 1.5:1. Again, subtle changes on the master fader are essential.

He finds that avoiding anything over −9 LUFS sounds best. But tons of pop songs are mastered as loud as −5 LUFS or higher. The point is, the number doesn't matter that much. You should mostly be focusing on making the song sound great.

Mastering is the final and arguably most critical stage of music production. It's also one of the most misunderstood. Great mastering can take your mix to a whole new level with brighter highs, deeper lows, and punchier dynamics. But bad mastering can ruin a great song.

Your master will most likely be a lot louder than your mix. The human ear perceives the frequency spectrum differently depending on how loud the sound is.

This is usually a sign of terrible monitors being used at the mixing stage - great monitors let you hear the whole frequency range of your mix. A simple rule of thumb is to keep instruments of the same frequency apart, like naughty children, so you don't get them clashing and fighting with one another for attention.

Why is mixing and mastering so difficult? ›

Mixing and mastering are difficult because it can take years to train your ears to identify and focus on specific frequency ranges. It takes even longer to recognize how to fix a problem with a frequency, and what actions to take to bring forward or push back a particular element of your mix.

Is mixing and mastering necessary? Mixing is crucial for the perfect balance of the song's instruments and voices and for placing them in the stereo image. Mastering makes it possible for a song and an album to fit among other songs on streaming platforms.

Handing an overly compressed mix off to your mastering engineer leaves less room for the mastering processing. This often includes some type of additional compression as well as limiting, so squashing the dynamics out of every track should be avoided before mastering.

Rule 9: A 1 dB change in loudness is a just noticeable difference (JND). At mid loudness levels, a 1-dB change in loudness is just noticeable. A 1-dB increase requires a 25% increase in power. At higher loudnesses, changes as small as 1/3 dB may be noticeable.

Mastering a bad mix is the art of compromise. It's a delicate process of balancing unbalanced material. “Can mastering make vocals louder?” Yes, but depending on how the song has been mixed, it may bring up another element with them…

While it's okay to briefly listen to a mix at a louder level to hear what it sounds like cranked, you need a default volume level to call “home.” Renowned mix engineer Chris Lord-Alge agrees, recommending that you mix at a consistent volume that's quiet enough for comfortable extended listening.

The dynamic range of an audio track is the range of decibel levels that fall between the distortion ceiling and the noise floor. The dynamic range of a vocal recording should peak at -10dB and be lowest at -24dB (best level is -18dB).

Sounds at or below 70 dBA are generally considered safe. Any sound at or above 85 dBA is more likely to damage your hearing over time. Researchers have found that people who are exposed over long periods of time to noise levels at 85 dBA or higher are at a much greater risk for hearing loss.

Headphones and earbuds can reach as loud as 100 dB or more, so a safe level is 50 to 60 percent of the maximum volume. This helps protect our hearing and allows us to listen to our favorite music for longer. When using Bluetooth-enabled earbuds, limit the volume using the phone's settings.

The cochlea has thousands of hairs within it to sense sound. The vibrations move them. Eventually, if the sound is too loud, they lose sensitivity. Loud noises cause the hairs to bend, and lead to hearing loss.

What does 100 decibels sound like? ›

85 – 100 decibels: For example, a hair dryer, blender, power lawn mower, forklift, or subway train. 100 – 120 decibels: For example, a bulldozer, impact wrench, or motorcycle. 120 – 140 decibels: Such as, a rock concert, auto racing, or a hammer pounding a nail.

General Environmental Noise web page. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that noise exposure levels should not exceed 70 dB over a 24-hour period, and 85 dB over a 1-hour period to avoid hearing impairment.

First and foremost, it's best not to make any changes greater than 3dB during a mastering session. Unless you're trying to fix a serious issue with a mix and you don't have access to the mix session for a revision , you should typically stay within the . 25dB to 2dB range for amplification or attenuation.

Here are some general guidelines if you want to use compression while mastering: Start your ratio at 1.25:1 or 1.5:1. Going past a ratio of more than 2:1 is not recommended. Set your threshold pretty high so that you're getting 2 dB of gain reduction at most.

Never hit the 0 dBFS mark -there is plenty of opportunities for reaching that level when you initiate the mastering phase (if that is your goal). To play it safe, simply lower the master fader until you have at least 3 dB headroom towards 0 dBFS.

Mastering isn't just making your song louder. Mastering often includes increasing the final volume, but there is far more to mastering than just turning the volume up.

Data Infrastructure

A diagram of data flow in Spotify (Spotify). The Cassandra database, Spotify's storage unit, consists of over 100 Cassandra clusters, each containing a nested storage system within itself.

Background vocals should sit somewhere underneath the leads in terms of volume. There's no one-mix-fits-all dB amount to go by, but you should definitely be thinking in terms of quieter backgrounds and louder leads.

Should my drums be louder than my melody? Yes, in most cases, the drum track exceeds the melody track in terms of loudness. In a typical pop/hip-hop mix, the drums take a more fore-front position as compared to the melody tracks, especially in choruses and drops.

Should the melody be louder than the accompaniment? ›

In short: to achieve balance, the melody should always be played louder than the accompaniment. In the majority of piano works, the melody is at the top of the score, while the accompaniment is below it. There can often be many more notes in the accompaniment than in the melody.

Mix loudness varies on a case by case basis, but most mastering engineers recommend around -6dB Peak loudness, with an average of -18 LUFS integrated.

Experts recommend keeping sound levels at somewhere between 60 and 85 decibels to minimize the damage your ears are exposed to. If you are listening to music at around 100 decibels, restrict your usage to within 15 mins. However, these are general guidelines and listening threshold is different for each individual.

It's a common practice to keep the vocals at a loudness between -12 and -18 dB LUFS, depending on which stage of mixing you're in. You should gain stage vocals at about -18 dB LUFS, but you can have it up to -12 dB LUFS by the end of the session, as vocals are one of the loudest elements in the mix.

Vocals are tricky. They're often the loudest thing in a mix, which leaves little room for error. And since we're so familiar with the sound of the human voice, we're quick to notice any imperfections.

The hardest style of drumming to learn is jazz, followed closely by metal and latin. This is because jazz has one of the biggest ranges of material to learn to be a proficient drummer in an ensemble.

Try to have your monitor volume at around 73-76dB for the optimum level for setting the perfect low-end. We hear frequencies differently at various volume levels. We hear less bass when it's quieter, and more bass when it's louder.

Drums can be as loud as between 90 and 130 decibels. Different drums vary quite a bit in how loud they are. Smaller drums would be closer to 90dB, but larger ones, like the tom-toms, can be as loud as 120 decibels.

Most good melodies are comprised of stepwise motion (i.e., move by scale steps), with occasional leaps. Melodies that are too leapy are often too difficult to sing. Good writers use melodic leaps as a good way to generate little shots of energy. Most good melodies have a discernible relationship with the bass line.

What are the two most important elements of melody? ›

Kliewer states, "The essential elements of any melody are duration, pitch, and quality (timbre), texture, and loudness. Though the same melody may be recognizable when played with a wide variety of timbres and dynamics, the latter may still be an "element of linear ordering."