max db?

arosemond

Member
what do you guys suggest for maximum db so that all the songs are the same volume? my songs are lofi if that matters
 
what do you guys suggest for maximum db so that all the songs are the same volume? my songs are lofi if that matters

Such a simple question that has a very complex answer. First of all, what does lofi mean? Is is like soft music? What you are referring to is called "Loudness Range or LRA". The Audio Engineering Society, (AES) recommends a 4db max for streaming audio. So if you take their advice, now you need to determine how loud you want your audio to play, then you need to determine what platform you are going to distribute your audio on. I think YouTube is around a -13LUFS. They are all different. Ian Shephard has a chart here that will show you what you need to know.

I thought you could so the listener doesn't have to adjust volume between songs?

So, to sum it up, if you have 5 songs you want to place on a CD or website, if you render one song at a -13LUFS, your LRA would be between a -13 and a -9dbs or a -13 and a -17dbs OR a -11 and a -15dbs. As long as you keep all your songs within a 4db range for the same CD or EP, your listeners will never have to adjust their volume.

Please keep in mind that as you mix and master your songs, you will want to know BEFORE HAND what LRA you want to achieve so you have a well blended EP or CD. If you have 4 head banger songs and one love ballad, it would be hard to meet this 4db LRA. Hope this helps.
 
Hey Arosemond,
As the guys are saying, there's more to it than that.
If you set two completely different mixes so that they both peak at X, they may not sound the same level to your listener.

Our ears aren't equally sensitive to all frequencies.
A bass note and flute note peaking and sustaining at the same levels will not sound the same volume to us.

If one song has an attacking shaker with stray peaks the whole way through it, the rest of the song is going to sound quiet to us because those peaks prevent you from turning the whole thing up any further.
Then say you use a super fast compressor or limiter on that shaker to tame those peaks, all of a sudden you have room to turn the whole song up some amount with any huge tradeoff. See?

For perceived volume you're better finding a way to monitor average volume and for adjustments you're better thinking in dynamic range, which compressors and limiters reduce.

All of that said, if you have multiple tracks from the same band in the same room with, give or take, the same instrumental arrangements, things *should* work or, at least, they shouldn't be a million miles out.
 
The problem with your question lies in the fact that your meter will not tell you how loud somethinv sounds. You always have to volume match by ear.

For example, if you have one song that is a solo acoustic guitar and another song that is a distorted Hammond organ, if you set them so they peak at the same 12db, the organ song will sound a lot louder.

A song with more transient peaks will always seem quieter than one without, when they are both peaking at the same level.
 
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