How do I get my mixes loud enough(Fl Studio)?

L

L.M.S

Guest
Hi I could use some help here.
I have been making music for about 1,5 years now and have some problems regarding the mixdowns.
My mixes are always not loud enough compared to the mainstream productions or any other good produced song.

I usually have the track around -6db, so all instruments are rather quiet around the max of 70%, most sounds are more in the 40-60% region.
Then I export it at 125% master volume to make it atleast a bit louder.
The mixes do sound good on my studio monitors,as they are quite loud, but the finished mp3/wave sounds around 20-30% quieter then any other comercial song I compared it too.

Is there anyway to get the track as loud as a comercial release without ****ing up the mix?

Also are there any BASIC mastering techniques to get things done just for listening.
Decent sounding would be enough for know,you know a solid mix.
If I ever was in need of a pro mix/master I would get people do do it.
Trying to focus on producing with some basic mix/master knowledge.
 
L.M.S said:
Hi I could use some help here.
I have been making music for about 1,5 years now and have some problems regarding the mixdowns.
My mixes are always not loud enough compared to the mainstream productions or any other good produced song.

I usually have the track around -6db, so all instruments are rather quiet around the max of 70%, most sounds are more in the 40-60% region.
Then I export it at 125% master volume to make it atleast a bit louder.
The mixes do sound good on my studio monitors,as they are quite loud, but the finished mp3/wave sounds around 20-30% quieter then any other comercial song I compared it too.

Is there anyway to get the track as loud as a comercial release without ****ing up the mix?

Also are there any BASIC mastering techniques to get things done just for listening.
Decent sounding would be enough for know,you know a solid mix.
If I ever was in need of a pro mix/master I would get people do do it.
Trying to focus on producing with some basic mix/master knowledge.
Click to expand...

If its just a beat, it should only be -3db to give engineers headroom to tweak. If you want to have a final song @ 0db, you have to use a limiter and or compression. I dont use FL studio much but I know the master track has a limiter. Increase the volume of the master track to untill the point right before clipping. Then export it and see how turns out.
 
I just wanted to upload some beats for people to listen too or use on a non professional level, say underground rapper.
At the moment there are some peps who are interested in some of my stuff, so what would be a simple mix/master to get it ready for an artist?

It's like me giving out a beat CD with beats which should be ready to be used for rapping and adding vocals.
Where should the db meter peak?
Should it get to 0db BEFORE any vocals are added or should I leave the ''finished'' beat at -3db to give them some room for their vocal part?
 
L.M.S said:
I just wanted to upload some beats for people to listen too or use on a non professional level, say underground rapper.
At the moment there are some peps who are interested in some of my stuff, so what would be a simple mix/master to get it ready for an artist?

It's like me giving out a beat CD with beats which should be ready to be used for rapping and adding vocals.
Where should the db meter peak?
Should it get to 0db BEFORE any vocals are added or should I leave the ''finished'' beat at -3db to give them some room for their vocal part?
Click to expand...

yeah, leave the beat at -3db if your sending out beats. I got scolded by an engineer for having my tracks @ 0db when I was in the studio with an artist... It makes the engineers job harder I guess. I dont know exactly how, but they told me to leave them room.
 
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I want to know this as well. So leave the beat at -3db so when i add the voices it should go to 0db max or a little less?
 
-3db is good, but the lower the better, lol. Don't aimm for "loudness w/gain. -6db to -12db without any FX is a good range. Then you throw a limiter on the master output to bring up the overal loudness. Maxim or the Fruity Limiter should do the trick.

Mind you, this is good for making your beats listenable, but you don't what to later add vocals to an already processed track.
 
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deRaNged 4 Phuk'dup said:
-3db is good, but the lower the better, lol. Don't aimm for "loudness w/gain. -6db to -12db without any FX is a good range. Then you throw a limiter on the master output to bring up the overal loudness. Maxim or the Fruity Limiter should do the trick.

Mind you, this is good for making your beats listenable, but you don't what to later add vocals to an already processed track.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but I wanted to ask something more specific.
Why don't add vocals to a processed track?
Overprocession?
And let's say I send out a beat for someone who wants to make a song out of it.
Should I just leave it unprocessed at -12db upto -6db and let him do the master when he finished the vocal part?
Man the average listener has no idea how much work is into all of these songs......I don#t want to switch with an audio engineer.
 
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^^^Yeah, it's best to send an artist a beat with plenty of headroom(-6 to -12 is what I say, but I've heard variations going as far as from -0.1db to -18db no set in stone answer and as long as it's below 0db(no clipping0 the engineer can get the track where he wants it with the gain knob.

But I digress, yeah, for recording purposes, you want to send the track dry of any dynamic effects and below 0db.
 
What if i wanted to add vocals to the beat before exporting. Including the vocals, the project should be at 0db correct? meaning that just the beat itself should be at around -3db before adding the vocals?
 
Yes the finished song should be at 0db.
The beat itself can be around whatever you want it to be, if -3db feels right then it's ok, you just want to leave a bit of room.

Reread Deranged's post, he summed it up pretty well.
 
here's what i do,..

i send my beat out at 0db.

mc's write to that.

when they're ready they come down and record, or they record and send me the vocals.

then it gets mixed into the track properly.

or are you guys sending these beats out to random net mc's and not doing any further mixing? if thats the case then I would send out 0's for them to check out and once they decide send them -6's and let their engineer worry about the final volume.

and dry meaning they dont want reverbs etc, and thats so they can put them in after the vocals, which is what helps to make the vocals and the track sound like they belong together.
 
anomalouscode said:
here's what i do,..

i send my beat out at 0db.

mc's write to that.

when they're ready they come down and record, or they record and send me the vocals.

then it gets mixed into the track properly.

or are you guys sending these beats out to random net mc's and not doing any further mixing? if thats the case then I would send out 0's for them to check out and once they decide send them -6's and let their engineer worry about the final volume.

and dry meaning they dont want reverbs etc, and thats so they can put them in after the vocals, which is what helps to make the vocals and the track sound like they belong together.
Click to expand...

Great point. It can be loud if you are putting it up on your site, so it catches people and sounds more professional. But people shouldn't be recording over it if it's already limited like crazy.
 
If your sending it to and engineer then export it from -3 to -6 to give them head room, if your not then export it and -0.2, so that it never clips even on crappy stereos. To get it there use compressors and limiters. Do some research to learn how to use them
 
deRanged is right, you want your production tracks as clean as possible, if the track is already nice loud and maxed out, then the engineer or masterer don't have room to tweak and sweeten the mix with they're processing.

On the other hand, if you're trying to sell a track to an artist or shop a production demo, it's ok to drive the track up with limiters and compressors, so that your production could sound like it comes from the mastering plant, it gives the executives an idea on how your work could sound at the end of the day.

But after clearing or closing a track sale or deal, then you'd want to go back and get the raw version of your material so that the professionals can put their years of expertise into your work.

A really really good cheat I like to use personally is T Racks3, an amateur can get an unbelievably good quality final for there mixes and the technology and algorithms used with there software does all the hard work for you, in my opinion this is a good place for you before going to the pros and spending the big bucks, let the labels foot that bill, but this is great for a budgeted production piece.
 
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