volume equalization

Z

zombiesaregoodforyou

New member
hey there

ive been recording a bands demo cd and i was wondering, how do i get all the songs to have the same volume level on the cd, i dont want one song to be quieter than others, it would be helpful to get all the songs the same volume so you dont have to turn it up for one song, or turn it down for another song when listening to the cd, is there any plug in or technique that could help me out with this?
thanks
 
U can use Sounforge or wave editor of your choice to get the RMS Power of each track. Write them down so you know the lowest tracks in volume. There's tons of plugins that will allow you to boost the volume of each track (for example Waves Ultramaximer and Steinberg Mastering Editon are good ones).

Keep in mind that there's a bit more involved in mastering a finished project besides just volume. I'm sure u knew that though. Good luck
 
hey, thanks for the replies, im gonna check out the whole rms thing, when it comes to mastering the song as a whole i dont do much, i might use some stereo enhancers and push the volumes up just under 0 dbs, other than that i dont eq, only the individual tracks mainly because well im always "shy" on eqing a whole song, when it comes to guitars, vocals, or drums im not worried and i think i have the ear for it other than that im very careful with eqing, but i wanna learn how to master my own tracks here, i know i could send them to a mastering house but i would really like to learn the techniques because equalizing the volume isnt my only concern as you said
 
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zombie...u don't have to do them in this order and you don't have to do them all
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spectral analysis (u want to make sure the guy with the hi-fi stereo and the guy with the mono system can hear it)

stereo width (spread)-enhance the stereo image. listen to songs on the radio compared to an unmastered track. There's the feel of space

Limiter-to chop off transient peaks (spikes in volume)

Volume Maximizer- Waves Diamond or Steinberg Mastering Edition are good ones. I shy away from the "Normalize" option on most stock audio softs, but that's your choice. Check your RMS Power here and keep notes so all your songs have the same relative RMS. Don't be fooled by the peak meter...a negative (-)3db on the peak meter can be louder than a 0db because of the RMS. RMS=LOUDNESS. *Make sure you listen to the track from beginning to end to make sure it does not clip (i.e. above 0 db in the peak meter) anywhere.*

EQ- if needed. use it gently and parametrically

Some folks put reverb on the master mix. Depends on the song, but I shy away from that as well.

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There you have it. You can tell the difference in a mastered wave file and a non-mastered one when you open them up in say Soundforge. The mastered wav will be (almost) even across the horizon on the top and bottom edges. The non-mastered one will have ups and downs like a polygraph chart.

Many methods out there. Search here to get tips from other members. Good luck
 
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