volumn issues / loudness in reason

Dubsta

Dubsta

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Apr 4, 2011
Can anyone suggest how to get my tracks as loud as other tracks in reason.....What i mean is when i compare my tracks with a mates tracks (both un mastered) from another daw....mines always lower in volumn.......

Ive used all the limiters, maximisers, compresion etc.....is there anyone on here witha similar problem or remedy...ideally it would be briliant to post a reason template with a mastering combination already to go to maximise the volumn.

Ive serched the net but nothing really helpfull there.
 
Why do you put maximiser, limiters and compressors if you do a mixdown?
If you kill the dynamics of a track before the mastering, it will have the result to have a pitta bread overcooked. Flat as hell.
Keep reasonable headroom and rich dynamic range before the mastering. It doesn't matter if is not loud.
Loudness you'll get with the mastering.
Important is a good balanced mix.
 
all depends on what is in the track surely?
if you have spikes you wont be able to push the volume without clipping. so your track will seem quieter.
or do i have that all wrong?
 
If on the other hand you can't afford to pay out for masters of every track you throw together, mix it well, lose the limiters and bounce it out. Chuck it into audacity or something and crank up the amplify.
 
jimjimjim said:
all depends on what is in the track surely?
if you have spikes you wont be able to push the volume without clipping. so your track will seem quieter.
or do i have that all wrong?
Click to expand...

This is true.
If you find spikes when you look at the track in a wave editor, identify the problem sounds and go back to your eq or whatever in the daw.
 
I've been few times in a studio with one my friend, mastering engeneer.
One of the trick I've stolen by watching him, was exactly regarding those bloody peaks/spikes.

Basically, what he was doing, when the peaks were only few, and was pointless or impossible to go back to the mix, is to arm the mixer with a precise peak meter, play the track since the beginning. As soon as your meter detect a peak, stop and apply a fast automation of the volume/gain of the audio file, only on the specific peak.
In a way to avoid that the transient get decapitate from the overload, with consequent digital distorcion.

With that trick is possible to gain between 1 and 3db with no peaks. Which is quite a lot, if you think in terms of headroom before mastering.
 
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I may have got my point across wrong here.........ok so let me explain it this way

if i made a track in reason.....with no mastering devices whatsoever on the output and the levels are at a peak where if its pushed anymore itll clip ....once ive exported it to a audio file and burnt it to cd its still a lot queiter tha my friends tracks that have been made also with no mastering in say logic or cubase.

so what im asking is what do i use to louden the track.....is at least 2-3dbs below a decent level....audacity would surely just make it distort wouldnt it
 
A good quality limiter will get your track loud but you need a good quality mix down going into it otherwise you'll lose dynamics and it'll sound aids.
 
i think i see what youre saying m8.
the only way to proove that would be if you both used the same sample.
chucked it into your DAWs - boosted it until it almost clips.
then compare.
if reason is still really quiet then its clip level is set too low.
must admit sometimes my reason tracks are quiet - but thats because they are spiky and shit. mainly shit tbh
 
Yeah its really important to get the mixdown correct. I notice my tracks are usually quieter than others on here who use DAWs. I managed to push one of my tracks higher because I actually took the time to get everything spaced out in the mix with proper EQ, leveling and stereo imaging. That being said, I think Reason is at a disadvantage with not having VST plugins (at least not in v5 or older). Im thinking of buying oZone izotope 5 as a plugin for audacity as I've heard thats great for getting a track louder, but I'm not actually sure how that works. Apparently the most important part is to get rid of peaks and make sure the track is sittin' pretty.
 
By and large it is best to mix down without a limiter on the master output. Some people use one just to catch the odd peak or 2 which is fine but if you are driving into the limiter you will be affecting your mixing decisions. Limiters tend to rob tracks of transients and punch in the drums and can can end up causing distortion on the low end when pushed hard.

I appreciate it is very tempting to mix and try and match up the level with another track. A better plan if you need to check a reference is to drag a track in and lower it's volume to meet your mix level. If you are going to self finalize instead of professionally master then do this as a separate process.

Crafting a "loud" mix is an art unto itself and is is done with regularity by professional mix engineers, ultimately that is about choosing sources correctly, eq and well judged dynamic control.

When you consider how long it take to get good at mixing, it is no wonder people are also having problems mastering which should not be confused with popping
a limiter on to make the track louder.

cheers

SafeandSound Mastering
Mastering dance music
 
I'll post one up that I made with Jayline later, no mastering tools at the top, just individual compressors etc on the 4 seperate mixers. Standardly it 100% exports things quieter, as on my honey bunny track, I exported the vocals to reason as I wanted a certain sound, bounced it back, and volume was a lot lower (it wasn't down to the fx, as that was only on final part of sample)
 
I do think reason makes a pretty soft mix or master tho..
But honestly that's okay, since you wouldn't want to master in Reason anyway. Better export a soft mix that is properly balanced, as said above and then master it in for instance ozone.

So I guess I agree with the topic, but also with most of the statements above. Don't mind the soft outcome ;)
 
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