Getting a Loud Final Mix..

[DjRio]

Quick question...

After everything is mixed down and as hot as possible.... how do u get a louder mix?
I notice my tracks arent all that loud..

Should i had a limiter/compressor to the whole mix? And what settings would be useful?

[RyanR]

That's done in mastering.

I wouldn't add a limiter to the final mix when bouncing, but when mastering it. I would add a compresser to certain busses of the mix, but not the whole mix - save that for mastering. As always, the settings depend on the track.

[orbit]

hi there

if u give your song to a mastering studio its important that u dont have any compression on your mix, BUT if u just want your friends to listen to it, of course u want to have a good volume:
take your stereo mix and equalize it(waves 10q) take a multipressor (emagic), and a limiter (waves L1 or L2), or just use the t-rex 24

[LonnyLord]

Yep. In fact all you might need is Waves L2. That thing can create some DOMINATING volumes with only minor altercations to spectral balance and perceptive punch.

[allisonjane]

yes, waves l1-l2 will be great as well as t-racks. T-racks is a standalone app whereas Waves are plugins that work within your soft sequencer.