please help

elicantu

New member
it seems that all the songs i record come out too soft and i've been reading on how to make it louder (using a comp and then using make up gain) but the song its still not loud enough
could someone listen to it and tell me why?
or if anyone could download it and make it louder and then explain me how they did it it would be awsome. i really need this please
thanks
 
No link. You've gotta make it easy. We're lazy. Myspace sound quality is bad anyway.:p

Maybe post a high resolution sample on lightningmp3.com?
 
If you want your record to be as loud as possible you have to work it like that since the begginning (yes, in songwriting). You have to distribute well instruments. Example: If you have waaay too much bass compared to your treble, then it won't be as loud as possible.
Apart from that, I know really loud albums (like audioslave and stuff) are compressed like hell in every step of the process they can. Example: You connect your guitar to a pedal compressor, then to an amp to get distortion (distortion compresses a lot). Then pass the mike through a compressor before recording it on tape, which also gives some compression.
Then while mixing it, compress it again and maybe use a limiter.
And then mastering of course.

The part of the process in which the volume is raised more is in the mastering.
Mastering is VERY COMPLEX!!! and I wouldn't recommend someone with not much experience to try to master it. Most likely it will end up sounding worse (I have been there...)
But for now you could try the Waves L2. It's a limiter plug-in that works very nice and easy. You have two parameters: Threshold and........ crap, don't remember how the other one is called.
In threshold you select where you are cutting your mix. If you mix had peaks at -6 dB and you set the threshold at -10dB then NOTHING will go beyond -10 dB, and the peaks will be compressed the hell out of it.
And the other control is your max output peak.
It's a good idea to leave it at -0.1 or -0.2 dB (and not 0 db). Since most audio programs consider two consecutive samples of 0dB as a peak saturation (which is'nt true).
However, don't smash it!!! Try to get it to limit no more than 3 dBs on hard peaks, and on VERY hard peaks, 6 dB.
Of course this is just a base. Experiment.

And yes, direct links always works best :)

Edit: Also you could use a more illustrating title like "volume and compression" or "getting the max volume out of a mix"
 
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You will never be as loud as a commerical CD. Live with it. That's been a complaint on these and any other home recording board since home recording started. You can't compete with commerical CD's because they throw more money than you can into it: high end AD/DA converters, $1000 compressors, just to start out with. High quality stuff we can't afford is the bottom line.
You can get your mixes a little louder using compression and the like, but be warned: you will lose a lot of sound QUALITY by artificially boosting the volume.
 
Plenty looud for acoustic folk.
Track louder, ride faders use careful compression when you must & CRANK it up when you play it.
 
don't know howto helpya with making it louder, just one thing i noticed is: at some snare hits you can hear clips or something, and its annoying as hell.
 
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