How do I get my masters to be as loud as commercial level music?

[ShipwreckSoundWorks]

I can't seem to bring it up to the same DB level as everything else. I mean, a master I do can be great where it is, but you can't just go through life as an AE and not be able to master adequately enough. I'll throw up my mastering chain here, I master with plug ins.

I really want to get this straightened out, so if having screenshots of the plug ins settings would be super helpful, let me know.

Here's a shot of the limiter at the END of the chain

NOTE: Everything I do here brings my mix to an acceptable db level, but if I push the limiter any more than that I start getting attenuation and pressure like a mother fucker. I just don't see what else I can do to get it any louder, it's as if it WONT go louder. I've tried mixing at a higher DB level, (I start my mixes with the bass at -5.0 db and work from there) but it does the same thing. It just won't match the volume of commercial tracks.

What do I do?

Here's one of my tracks if you want a reference:


EDIT: For reference, this is what I figured out. In my car when I have the volume set at the 30 for a commercial track, I have to have my volume set at 33-35 for my tracks

 

[The StabbinCabin]

A good mix that doesn't have unnecessary low end and high end information taking up space is easier to quash than a bad one. That and subtle transparent compression help.

 

[kylendm]

I usually try and get my mixes hitting around -10db. It's really a matter of getting the bass really even with the mix. Try and see if lowering 200hz and under on your master (just a little) lets you push your mixes louder. High passing a little information could help. I like using something like Sonimus's Satson on my master bus to cut out some of those really sub lows.

EDIT: Also, maybe I'm missing something but I didn't see some kind of clipper program (brickwall limiter) in your chain. Try something as simple as gclip, they usually help push my mixes a little further.

EDIT EDIT: That bass drop is pretty damn loud.

 

[Terminus]

I start my mixes with the bass at -5.0 db and work from there

That's too hot for a single track, imo. Especially the bass. You're going to be pushing up everything else to compete, and then it'll all be in the red on the master track.

Hi pass and lo pass filters work wonders, and slicing out strategic bits of eq on certain things can clear up a mix wonderfully. You should also try staging your master buss compression/limiting in increments instead of one limiter doing all the work. I cant tell what gain reduction it's pulling on that comp but try using two instances of it and halving your threshold just to see if it'll preserve the dynamics better.

 

[xFkx]

generally speaking, a good mix will be easy to make loud, i'd tinker more with how the bass and guitars are mixed together

also, haven't used L1 in a while, but I think there are a few limiters that outperform the L1 by a mile when it comes to bringing the loudness without sacrificing the sound (too much at least). I recomend the fabfilter pro-l, but to each his own.

 

[RedDog]

Cut low end, gclip that shit. LOUD. TOO LOUD. TURN IT DOWN.

 

[Klosure]

Bus comp>Waves C4>Sonnox Inflater (this is the bad boy)>Limiter.

That will make your mix loud, just set it as you go along and keep mixing into it. CLippers are good but the Sonnox inflator is fantastic as was mentioned to me by a mastering engineer as a good transparent way to go loud.

Careful , low end/ low mids are crucial to get right too little though and it will sound shit and thin.

 

[slo77y]

ozone 5 maximizer, load up preset "loudness warlord". pull thresold. done.

 

[colonel kurtz]

loud-ass masters start from the beginning...you gotta make sure you're gain staging properly when tracking, and again during mixing...track too hot, and you're all fucked up. mix too hot - all fucked up again.

also high pass EVERYTHING, and cut out as much low end as you can...that shit eats headroom for breakfast, lunch, and dinner - at the same time! also make sure that your drums and other percussive instruments are being comp/limited at the track and/or buss levels - if you have huge peaks hitting all over the master comp/limiter, things are gonna go haywire. sending the mix into the 2-buss already half-smashed will help you squeeze those extra couple db's without wrecking the whole thing.

 

[Arsonstudios]

clipping certainly helps to make things louder. something like ozone or slates fgx. limiting does not really help to get all the loudness it will steal your snare and make things sound like shit with to much gain reduction. if your mix has a good tonal balance its def easier to make it louder, tho thats probably not very helpful advice cause it takes time to learn what a good balance is. with less low end its easier to get it loud.
i would use the L-1,-2 etc at the mixing stage on individual tracks and drumbus etc but with mild GR and use a clipper on the 2bus to get the loudness.
maybe try a demo of slates fgx or izotope ozone.
gclip is not available as rtas afaik so you can't use that i think.

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

Noob question, but where do you guys actually master up to? -5db? Higher?

 

[Arsonstudios]

if we are talking bout -5db RMS thats way to much imo. thats almost deaf magnetic like. i like my "masters" to sit between -10 to -7 db rms max depending on the material.

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

That sounds reasonable, but when I master my mixes around there they still sound super quiet compared to professional recordings.

 

[Trevoire520]

Either your frequency balance must be off or the metering you're using might not be right. Pull a commercial song into your DAW and see what it shows up as on your meters. -5dB rms is LOUD AS FUCKING FUCK to the point that your mix will be absolutely wrecked once it's that loud.

 

[Arsonstudios]

are you sure your metering RMS and not peak? shouldn't be super quiet compared professional recordings i think.
i'm always making my stuff as loud as i think is good and feels good and as long as the bands don't complain i keep it that way. so maybe thats not as loud as the average modern production but probably very close

 

[He's Dead, Jim]

That could very well be! Thanks for the heads-up.

 

[ArthurD]

-5db RMS is too much.
I just aim for -9db LUFS

 

[Loki Laufeyiarson]

Put a frequency analyzer and a DR meter on your masterbuss while mixing so you can keep check of your balance and overall loudness. As long as your frequnecy balance is good (having a commercial track to compare it too helps), you should be able to get stuff really loud easily. Also, trying out staged compression is a good idea.

 

[Daybreak]

I always try to get rid of all the frequency spikes, or whatever they're called, by sweeping through the master with a narrow EQ, with the Q-setting at like 10 (my EQ can't have higher Q-worth than that) and just getting rid of all the junk. Get rid of EVERYTHING you don't need and/or that doesn't sound good, and then just maximize it. Also, it's very good to see to it in the mixing stage that instruments doesn't collide, frequency-wise. Let all the instruments "sit" in the mix, so that the bass and kickdrum doesn't fight over the same frequency, as an example. This will give you a more even frequency curve on the master, and easier to get loud!

 

[blue_fAng]

Commercial masters sound loud because they have a balanced sound, there's content in every part of the frequency spectrum giving the impression of loudness. The instruments must have their own space in the mix so they won't clash. This helps with the perceived loudness. To achieve this loudness it's important to track, gain stage and mix at proper levels and a nice limiter in the master bus helps too. Also get used to cut unnecessary low end of instruments that don't need it, for example get rid of 100 hz and below for the vocals, 60 hz and below for guitars, etc. This will reduce the amount of useless lows that could build up at the end as a wall of muddiness when everything is mixed together and will take the headroom you want for everything else that sounds nice to sound louder.