Loud Music Before Master

[Pitch Black]

Maybe I have misunderstood but if you are using volume automation raising the faders isn't so easy.

Tru dat, but inserting the same Gain-up/Utility plugin across all channels is easy enough.

[Tarekith]

Exactly. I always tell people if you want to automate volume, automate the gain on the Utility plug in instead, it makes it easier to change things later on.

[anybody human]

It's all dependent on program material.

I know some engineers who say never use a limiter, even to catch peaks. Others say only to catch the odd stray peak on tracks with fast transients, such as the drum buss as some percussion such as snare, stick and hand percussion can really have a wide dynamic range and have fast transient bursts which can get past a compressor unless it's set very aggressively (and this in turn can impact the sound).

Other engineers throw bass (especially) and sometimes a drum loop or drum buss into a limiter. Whatever works for you. Parallel compression can be a useful tool also.

The main thing is to make sure you don't slam EVERYTHING too HARD and leave a reasonable headroom and dynamic range but with no clipping. Easier said than done in many cases, especially for the less experienced ...

To be clear, what I'm using is the old Waves L1 Limiter/Ultramaximizer. I'm taking the 2nd approach that Leeds mentions here, just catching the rare peak from a fast transient, but mainly what the plug in is there for is loudness or I guess what they call volume maximizing. Not sure if all limiters work in the same general way as this plug or not. I don't really want to limit things, it's just there for volume and most of that work is being done with the makeup gain of the compressor before it. The buss compressor is pushing up towards the limiter, so that the limiter's threshold doesn't have to reach down and pull up the quieter material in order to get things louder, thus keeping more of the dynamic range. That's how I understand it, someone showed me how to do this. For unreleased stuff, it seems to bring more life out of a mix while increasing the overall volume, but it's a sweet spot thing.

In addition to all the good stuff that's been said in this thread already, I'd emphasize EQ. If each track is eq'd so that each intrument group has it's own (relative) space it makes everything easier. Arrangement helps too, as well as headroom for further processing.