Master track problems !!

[Gaspard]

When I record songs i mix everything and i get a good sound but my master track is clipping like hell and i hate compressing it because then many things dont sound as good (kick drum and snare), how do I obtain a high lvel on like itunes but without my master track clipping like hell ?

BTW, MY ears can't ear the clipping, i am using pro tools le 7 BTW

 

[-Noodles-]

Are all the faders around -9 or higher?

You're just pushing the output, so if you lower all the track volumes - that'll decrease the overall level that's being sent to the output; therefore no clipping.

Either that, or a limiter. but that's not a good idea yet.

You're only at a mixdown stage, and to get it up to the industry level of around -9db (which is pretty hot) you'll need to master it, which is where the limiting and multi-band compression come in.

 

[Tommy Gun]

Well, if it's just a copy for your own listening purposes, to have until you get it back from Mastering, then a little Comp/Limit won't hurt. But yeah, you'll want to take all your individual tracks down in volume quite a bit. You shouldn't be anywhere near clipping. I recommend getting the levels down so that your Master Fader reads around -9 db RMS and -5 db Peak. That leaves plenty of room for the Mastering engineer, and leaves you room to put limiting on your own personal copy.

 

[Gaspard]

great !! thanks.

I just got T-racks so ill try the limiter.

Is it bad/useless to compress the master track and then limit ?

 

[Metaltastic]

great !! thanks.

I just got T-racks so ill try the limiter.

Is it bad/useless to compress the master track and then limit ?

No, it can often help actually

 

[Tommy Gun]

It CAN help, but you may want to read up on 'Mix Bus Compression' first. SOS did a piece on it last month actually.

 

[-Noodles-]

slow release compressor with around about 2db compression. iirc!

 

[alexrookie]

slow release compressor with around about 2db compression. iirc!

hmmmm... are you serious?
normally medium slow attack, fast release for me on the 2-bus!!!
around 2dB compression here as well.

 

[-Noodles-]

hmmmm... are you serious?
normally medium slow attack, fast release for me on the 2-bus!!!
around 2dB compression here as well.

I was referring to the post about the Sound on Sound article.

I seem to remember that it was acting as a "smoothing" compressor,.. just taking a little dynamic range off the top.

Just reciting what I seem to remember the article stating dude, not my opinions.

[http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/may08/articles/mixcompression.htm - edit; added link]

 

[Melodeath]

I've done a test in Sonar 7, and the master bus doesn't sound clipped if it's a little bit in the red. If the master is in the red all the time, you'll get some audible distortion/clipping, but it can be fixed by lowering the Master fader.

I know this seems weird (as if turning down the volume in your DAW for a preamp that is clipping would help) - that's why I did the test. I thought to avoid clipping, I had to lower all of the individual tracks before the master bus. However, after my test, it seems lowering the master bus fader has the same effect.

I'm not sure how it works in Protools, but Sonar uses more than 24 bits in the summing/master bus I believe, so that's why there is more headroom.

 

[colonel kurtz]

^it really just depends on where the clip indicator is in the "signal chain"...if the indicator comes post-fader, then pulling the master fader down a couple db's will work fine

if it's post-summing but pre-fader, you'll have to pull down every fader to get rid of the clipping