Mastering After Bounce

Snowman999

Active member
If you've ever read any of my posts or listened to anyone of my mixes, I ain't normal. It's not a good or bad thing, it just is.

Listening to the album I just mixed, 7 songs are right in line, 1 is a bit loud (easy fix), 2 have low parts that are just too low (which might be a harder fix). Even with these minor differences, listening from song from 1 to 10, there's a definite coherent vibe from the entire piece. For better or worse, they all work together.

If I can get the other 3 songs to blend perfectly with the 7 good ones, and I just want to raise the volume up on all a few notches, is there an easy way to do that with only the effects that came with Pro Tools 6?

If I recorded this in 1992 I wouldn't have to raise the volume at all. But, that's almost 30 years ago.
 
If you've ever read any of my posts or listened to anyone of my mixes, I ain't normal. It's not a good or bad thing, it just is.

Listening to the album I just mixed, 7 songs are right in line, 1 is a bit loud (easy fix), 2 have low parts that are just too low (which might be a harder fix). Even with these minor differences, listening from song from 1 to 10, there's a definite coherent vibe from the entire piece. For better or worse, they all work together.

If I can get the other 3 songs to blend perfectly with the 7 good ones, and I just want to raise the volume up on all a few notches, is there an easy way to do that with only the effects that came with Pro Tools 6?

If I recorded this in 1992 I wouldn't have to raise the volume at all. But, that's almost 30 years ago.

Yes. You can use Maxim if you have it or put one of the "correct" volume tracks along with those that need to be adjusted in a new session. Then you can use audiosuite "normalize" or "gain" to match the out of range with the "right" one.
 
I'm going to have to retry the second "normalize" again. I tried that, and it did nothing. I don't have Maxim. I have nothing.
 
I'm going to have to retry the second "normalize" again. I tried that, and it did nothing. I don't have Maxim. I have nothing.

Try "rms" instead of peak starting at a level of about 85 pct and compare to "good" level track.
 
Try "rms" instead of peak starting at a level of about 85 pct and compare to "good" level track.

I had to look up what RMS was.

I'm an idiot when it comes to most things "musical". But, I recorded with an expert engineer back in the 90s on an analog 24 track (Elvis recorded on it in Nashville, before the console made it's way to Long Island), and while I never asked "why" he was doing things, or what it was called, I remembered a lot. Which I why I'm able to record in my basement and not sound like complete crap (depending on who you ask).


Unfortunately, my version of Pro Tools does not have an RMS reader. I'm very limited. My Mac PowerPc G5/10.4 and Pro Tools 6 are too old to find plugins for. I downloaded an old version of RoughRider 2 that supposedly works with my system. I went through the entire process of installing it, and it's not there. The only thing I really have to work with are my ears.

Thank you for the tips. They are appreciated.
 
I had to look up what RMS was.

I'm an idiot when it comes to most things "musical". But, I recorded with an expert engineer back in the 90s on an analog 24 track (Elvis recorded on it in Nashville, before the console made it's way to Long Island), and while I never asked "why" he was doing things, or what it was called, I remembered a lot. Which I why I'm able to record in my basement and not sound like complete crap (depending on who you ask).


Unfortunately, my version of Pro Tools does not have an RMS reader. I'm very limited. My Mac PowerPc G5/10.4 and Pro Tools 6 are too old to find plugins for. I downloaded an old version of RoughRider 2 that supposedly works with my system. I went through the entire process of installing it, and it's not there. The only thing I really have to work with are my ears.

Thank you for the tips. They are appreciated.

In the new Normalize audiosuite plugin they are two buttons, one for rms the other for peak and they provide differing results during processing. I will double check the old RTAS version to see if it's the same. The PT meters can be set to show RMS since at least as far back as PT 5 IIRC
 
In the new Normalize audiosuite plugin they are two buttons, one for rms the other for peak and they provide differing results during processing. I will double check the old RTAS version to see if it's the same. The PT meters can be set to show RMS since at least as far back as PT 5 IIRC

I have to figure out how to get the RMS to show. I didn't know you could change the look of the meters. THANK YOU!
 
I have to figure out how to get the RMS to show. I didn't know you could change the look of the meters. THANK YOU!

OK, i looked at my old manual and now i remember how to do this: the songs that are quieter and the song that is at the correct level should be on the same stereo track, one after the other with a small gap between. Then using the selector make a selection that encompasses both/all songs.Choose normalize to 100 pct and the quiet song/s will be brought up so that it's peaks are the same as the song at the correct level. The loud song will probably be easier to use the Gain audiosuite plugin and level match by ear.
 
OK, i looked at my old manual and now i remember how to do this: the songs that are quieter and the song that is at the correct level should be on the same stereo track, one after the other with a small gap between. Then using the selector make a selection that encompasses both/all songs.Choose normalize to 100 pct and the quiet song/s will be brought up so that it's peaks are the same as the song at the correct level. The loud song will probably be easier to use the Gain audiosuite plugin and level match by ear.

THANK YOU! That sounds simple. I will try it on the second low song. Tonight I went back to the first and just remixed the low parts to be louder and it sounds great. Not even an hour, and I even tweaked a few things. Now I have to listen on a bunch of speakers tomorrow and see if I did it right or I'm just fooling myself. Because I know I've done that quite a few times.
 
You know what? Don't normalise. Set your songs out on different tracks in the order you want them on the record. Then simply change the fader volume for the tracks to get them to sit well next to each other by ear. Use EQ to 1. fix an issues on a track, then 2. another EQ to even out the tone track to track. Use a tiny amount to super low ratio compression if need be. Push that into a limiter on your master, and you're pretty much there!
 
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