Achieving Loud and Clean Music

Jul 28, 2024

Achieving Loud and Clear Music

Overview

  • Struggle to get music loud and clean
  • Often leads to distortion or quiet tracks in DJ sets
  • Importance of loudness in modern electronic music
  • Loudness vs. volume: subjective perception vs. scientific measurement

Loudness in Music

  • Songs can be the same volume (peak at 0 dB) but perceived differently due to mix balance
  • Different genres have typical loudness levels
  • Issue of perceived volume in DJ sets and streaming

Streaming and Loudness

  • LUFS (Loudness Units Full Scale) measures perceived loudness
  • Spotify standardizes songs to one LUFS level (e.g., -14 LUFS)
  • Songs with same LUFS can still sound different due to mix balance
  • Importance of balance in lows, mids, and highs for perceived loudness
  • Other contributing factors: sound selection, placement, and dynamic tools

Techniques for Loud and Clean Mixes

  • Cosmic Academy students’ success with these techniques
  • No secret recipe; requires understanding tools and techniques

Reference Tracks

  • Use reference tracks to determine genre-specific LUFS range
  • Differences in LUFS ranges (e.g., bass music: -2 to -3, melodic techno: -6 to -8)
  • Achieving loud master requires good production and mix

Sound Design and Selection

  • Create differences among sounds
  • Avoid masking by using different timbral characteristics, octaves, frequencies, and stereo placement
  • Apply the same concept to drums

Level and Volume Balancing

  • Mix balance crucial for perceived loudness
  • Tool: Match EQ (e.g., iZotope version)
  • Match perceived loudness, capture reference, and your song’s balance
  • Use tool to guide fixing problem areas manually
  • Compare with multiple reference tracks for accuracy
  • Visualize balance using spectrum overlay plugins

Dynamics in Music

  • Dynamics essential for perceived loudness (compressors, clippers, limiters)
  • Well-balanced dynamics lead to louder perceived volume

Compressors

  • Shape sound and balance volume of dynamic performances
  • Example: leveling drum loops

Clippers and Limiters

  • Clippers: remove stray peaks for more balanced dynamics
    • Effective for drums, can add distortion
  • Limiters: cleaner control, good for musical instruments
    • Use in mastering for balancing dynamics and achieving loudness
  • Visualize peaks using an oscilloscope plugin

Mastering

  • Use limiter/clippers during mastering to control dynamics and achieve maximum loudness
  • Compare mastered track to references using Metric AB plugin
  • Dynamics tab to check compression and squashing relative to references

Low End Management

  • Critical for achieving loudness in tracks with significant low end
  • Recommended to watch further videos on low-end compression and mastering

Link for further personalized coaching

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