Any experts/experienced on Fabfilter Pro L2 here?

[Christian_R]

Hi!

I'm struggling a bit with Fabfilter Pro L2 here.

I have made a song that's sounds pretty okay regarding the mix. It's now around -6dB and I want to use Fabfilter Pro L2 for the mastering. I have seen some tutorials but I still have some problems with getting the mix right. English is not my main language, so it's a bit hard to understand everything too.

Can I put 2 different Fabfilter Pro L2 settings on my master bus? For example one that's on "safe mode" and one that's maybe "Punchy", but with a lower gain volume? I friend of mine gave me that tips, but I not sure.

I have bought some songs of iTunes now to compare (like Deadmau5 and Swedish House Mafia). They are around -7 LUFS but if push the gain to that volume, the song loses it's power.

If somebody has some good tips, I will be very happy

[Tarekith]

You can use two different versions of L2 on the master track, and just mute the one you’re not using. IE one punchy one, and one Safe one.

One of the keys to a loud master is a good mix down too I’m afraid. It’s much harder to get busy mixes with lots of things happening at once loud, versus songs with sparser arrangements and less instrumentation.

[Christian_R]

You can use two different versions of L2 on the master track, and just mute the one you’re not using. IE one punchy one, and one Safe one.

One of the keys to a loud master is a good mix down too I’m afraid. It’s much harder to get busy mixes with lots of things happening at once loud, versus songs with sparser arrangements and less instrumentation.

Thank you for the answer!

But can I have two L2 after each other on at the same time, to kind of "boost the boost"? Or maybe a Ableton stock Saturator and then one L2?

Sorry for the stupid questions, but I'm really fresh on mastering

[Tarekith]

Yes you CAN do that, but I would say if you're not able to get the loudness you need out of one L2 then adding another will likely not help. You can definitely achieve the loudness you want with only a single Pro-L2 with enough practice and a good enough mix. It was my go to limiter for my mastering business for many years, and I'd often had to go as high as -5LUFS for some of the EDM work I did.

Getting really loud and clean masters is not always easy to be honest, it's takes a lot of practicing and knowing how to use every step of the process BEFORE the limiter to help set you up for success. If you want to post a link to your mix down, I can take a listen if you want and maybe give you some tips. Feel free to send me a PM if you want.

[Christian_R]

Yes you CAN do that, but I would say if you're not able to get the loudness you need out of one L2 then adding another will likely not help. You can definitely achieve the loudness you want with only a single Pro-L2 with enough practice and a good enough mix. It was my go to limiter for my mastering business for many years, and I'd often had to go as high as -5LUFS for some of the EDM work I did.

Getting really loud and clean masters is not always easy to be honest, it's takes a lot of practicing and knowing how to use every step of the process BEFORE the limiter to help set you up for success. If you want to post a link to your mix down, I can take a listen if you want and maybe give you some tips. Feel free to send me a PM if you want.

Thank you for another answer. I just sent you a 30 second clip in the PM.

I'm still learning mixing too so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. But I like using Pro-L2 along the way even if my mix is not 100% finished. I find it easier to compare it to other songs if the volume/power is more similar

[fishmonkey]

I'm still learning mixing too so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. But I like using Pro-L2 along the way even if my mix is not 100% finished. I find it easier to compare it to other songs if the volume/power is more similar

the iZotope "Are You Listening?" series on YouTube is a great free resource — seasons 4 & 5 focus on mixing. in some parts they use iZotope plugins but they aren't necessary to follow what is going on...

[Tarekith]

Seconded, that series is excellent and should be required watching.

[Christian_R]

I'm still learning mixing too so I'm sure that has a lot to do with it. But I like using Pro-L2 along the way even if my mix is not 100% finished. I find it easier to compare it to other songs if the volume/power is more similar

the iZotope "Are You Listening?" series on YouTube is a great free resource — seasons 4 & 5 focus on mixing. in some parts they use iZotope plugins but they aren't necessary to follow what is going on...

Cool, I will check that out for sure