Final Mix is too quiet :(

mastahnke

mastahnke

Linux Man...
I finally finished mixing a song...my first one in a few years, but the mix is too quiet. I am not sure how to fix it.

I mixed the song in Cubase SX 1, and then master in it too (to the best of my abillity). Basically, I took the song and ran it through Waves L1 Ultra-maximizer on "Master" preset.

The song sounds good to me (as good as could with what I tracked) but when I go to play it back it too quiet. It is quiet on my computer vs other files and WAY quiet compared to CDs, like from one CD to the next.

What can I do?
 
mastahnke said:
I finally finished mixing a song...my first one in a few years, but the mix is too quiet. I am not sure how to fix it.

I mixed the song in Cubase SX 1, and then master in it too (to the best of my abillity). Basically, I took the song and ran it through Waves L1 Ultra-maximizer on "Master" preset.

The song sounds good to me (as good as could with what I tracked) but when I go to play it back it too quiet. It is quiet on my computer vs other files and WAY quiet compared to CDs, like from one CD to the next.

What can I do?
Click to expand...

I was just working on a song today that needed that. What I usually do if I can't get anything to work is normalize or use the incrase audio + 3 dB. Im not sure if cubase has that. Then you can use compression to keep it from clipping. That way the signal is pretty much up to the top. I am a newb so be careful. Save the original mix beofre you try this just in case. Hope this helps

Rudy
 
Thanks for the suggestion (I am not great at Cubase Yet, either...so I don't know about normallzation in it).

Anyway, I ended up limiting it a little harder. I was worried it would sound awful, but so far so good. I listened to it on 3 sets of speakers and like it quite a bit.

I will keep trying though...

please keep the suggestions flowing.
 
mastahnke said:
Thanks for the suggestion (I am not great at Cubase Yet, either...so I don't know about normallzation in it).

Anyway, I ended up limiting it a little harder. I was worried it would sound awful, but so far so good. I listened to it on 3 sets of speakers and like it quite a bit.

I will keep trying though...

please keep the suggestions flowing.
Click to expand...

Check the sub frequency content of your mix with a good analyzer. If you have alot of power in the area below 30Hz you are limiting the overall volume of the mix based on frequencies that you are most likely not going to hear on most consumer speaker systems. Hence the overall volume will sound lower even with aggressive compression and limiting.
 
Is there a way to check the frequencies in Cubase? I don't really have a budget for any new HW at this time. That is an interesting point though.
 
mastahnke said:
Is there a way to check the frequencies in Cubase? I don't really have a budget for any new HW at this time. That is an interesting point though.
Click to expand...

Try searching for "vst spectrum analyzer" on google, there are quite a few choices, I don't own Cubase so I don't know the details, but the following article mentions that Cubase has this feature:

http://www.bradsucks.net/archives/000181.php
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top