Ableton Forum

guys,
its weird when i export a track out of ableton live, even though its nearly clipping on the master channel its much much lower than other proffessional tracks
how do i make it louder when i export it?
i dont want to click on the normalize button cuz that just sounds like shit
i want it to sound exactly the same but actually be loud like other tracks...how do i do that?

pay to have it mastered or learn to master - usually with additional software or hardware.

the key words...

bashboosh wrote:other proffessional tracks

making them at your pad doesn't usually count as professional.

Remember 'professional' tracks are often mastered using professional equipment.

I think the quick answer you might be looking for would be to look into compression and limiting.

Yes, what I do to make my tracks a bit more loud and in your face is as follows...

I put a utility in the master and turn the volume down about 7.5 db.... this allows me to judge other parts more easily because I can see them go all the way up to zero db in the mixer channels... I also put a limiter on the master track after the utility in case there are some sudden spikes and to drop down those occasional spikes. This doesn't really affect sound quality but it prevents clipping.

What I usually do is have the drums a bit over zero db, then I do a saturator with about 5 db of drive (not to make it distorted but to make it clipped and louder)... then I have my bassline LIMITED at zero db with just a little bit of limiting.... all other parts should be a bit more quiet....

This really depends on what kind of music you make but in general for what I do this method allows me to produce equal tracks in volume, they are loud and not at all distorted and with the saturation on the drums and limiting on other stubborn parts the track becomes more in your face....

ok i dont get wat you mean by put a utility and drop the sound by 7db. i did it and it just dropped the sound
can u elaborate why im doing this

So that you can make the regular tracks go right up to red line.... it's just better for visual reference.

do u mean turn the utility UP or down?
cuz if its down, the master track volume just goes down
if you mean UP which is what i think u mean then it would make sense but some elements get distorted!
please help

I turn it down 7 db so I can have the other tracks turned up and limited a little bit above 0db....

I only do this because it makes it easier to visually set the levels of other tracks and also to make all my tracks even.

^ dude I don't mean to knock what you're saying and as a rough example (especially if you were working on the same track) I think its fine, but be careful because the OP could walk away thinking there is some hard fast formula.

There is not.

There are so many variables. For example if you have a lot going on around 80Hz or not enough going on around 5 KHz etc you can have different outcomes. Mixing is about balance.

@ booshbash - Its hard to say where to set a compressor or a limiter if you don't know where the peaks are. Compression can make your track sound squashed especially if you're applying it based on some numerical setting like 7.5 or 6 or whatever... its ALWAYS different unless you use the exact same instruments track by track in every set.

You can give/follow rough guidelines, but you have to use your ears. A setting of 7.5 anything may work fine on AudioRuso's track but that doesn't say much about what your mixer, your setup, your instruments, your frequencies, your mix is doing. Be careful of formulas. Rather than depending too much on what peoples settings are instead focus on WHY they set them that way. By doing that you can learn to fish...

Just a thought but the way the pro's do it is the don't export the file - get your self a cd recorder and send your audio to that and record it - i think this is better than rendering/exporting you can set the levels that way.

They won't ever sound as loud as professional albums unless you are effectively using the proper mastering plugins. The main one of note here is a brickwall limiter/volume maximizer. Commonly used ones are that included in Ozone4,or the stand alone Voxengo Elephant, Sonnox Oxford Limiter, Waves l2 or l3, t-racks limiters...the list goes on. Do some research online. Also, additional volume maximization can be acheived during the mastering stage, prior to the limiting, via use of multiband compression. Then there are various saturation effects.

hope this helps some
-M

josephjobling wrote:Just a thought but the way the pro's do it is the don't export the file - get your self a cd recorder and send your audio to that and record it - i think this is better than rendering/exporting you can set the levels that way.

what do you mean?

H20nly wrote:

josephjobling wrote:Just a thought but the way the pro's do it is the don't export the file - get your self a cd recorder and send your audio to that and record it - i think this is better than rendering/exporting you can set the levels that way.

what do you mean?

Connect your audio out to the input of a cd recorder and record it.

You don't need additional plugins for release-quality mastering, you have everything you need.

Try this - on the master, add a compressor, set the release to a low amount, the threshold down until the peaks are just bobbing above it.
Now, bring the attack up so that you get the gain releasing nicely, set the compressor to feedback mode Peak, and put a bit of knee on the curve, just enough.

Group this compressor, now duplcate the comp, put different settings ie short attack, long release opto FB1 mode, then add another blank (ie. original signal) to the chain - you will have to adjust the levels, bring them all down and a-b the different combinations.

Then place an eq8 before this chain, put a high and low shelf on it, bring the low up to around 50-70 hz depending on the sound you are after (and the style of music)

Take the ultra-high frequencies off, but you might have too much high frequency content so its down to your ears here as well.

A small cut of -1.5db at 250hz and 500hz works well on some music, sometimes i do a cut at 4khz as well

Add the mastering compressor setting on the multi-band compressors, now set the amount to around 20-30% on this, and solo the bass, so you hear only the very low frequencies, then do the same with the highs, now add another one and do the same only a bit higher on the lows and a bit lower on the highs, then same again (3 should do) you will have to continue to use your ears here.

Then the limiter comes, the default settings are usually fine, if it continuously reduces the gain, you have a mix that is too loud, reduce it at the first compressor group level.

Add a very very tiny reverb at a low percentage 1-3% should do - adds an almost inaudible sheen to the mix.

You may need a bit of tube saturation, just put this on at the beginning of the chain.

You want the output meter to bob around -8db-6db don't overdo it, you will destroy the mix. If you under-do it will still sound better than before but not loud enough.

I've been learning this and experimenting myself for years with mixing and mastering, and these are the settings i use on the master outs for releasing my music on my label (these are infact improved instructions from further experimentation).

josephjobling wrote:

H20nly wrote:

josephjobling wrote:Just a thought but the way the pro's do it is the don't export the file - get your self a cd recorder and send your audio to that and record it - i think this is better than rendering/exporting you can set the levels that way.

what do you mean?

Connect your audio out to the input of a cd recorder and record it.

hmmmm.

Do you mean like a component CD burner?

Does that give a boost.. or rather, let you amp up your volume to create a 'louder' recording?

@ daveashe, nice.