getting a hotter mix. Which way is better?

[werewolf831]

I've had good results getting my mix hotter by adjusting the RMS. Recently, I tried using the Compressor/Expander (set to expand) function to raise my level as well, also getting good results. I'm wondering if one method more preferred than the other, or if it all yields the same results here. The editing program I'm using is Goldwave.
Thanks,
Werewolf

 

[littledog]

How are you adjusting the RMS?

It's odd you are getting hotter sounding mixes by using an expander, because most of the time the opposite result will occur. By expanding the transient peaks to higher levels, the average program level will actually have to be set lower in order to keep those new higher peaks from clipping, resulting in a "softer" sounding mix.

That's why almost every other engineer in the world uses compression (or limiting) to achieve a "hotter" mix. By driving the transient peaks down, you create headroom to raise the level of the mix as a whole, resulting in what can be a significantly louder mix. The trade-off, especially if carried to extreme, is a reduced overall dynamic range of the program material, and a raising of the noise floor.

 

[Gidge]

https://homerecording.com/bbs/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19596&highlight=finally

this can be an eye opening in letting you see how much each individual track plays a role in your mix...if one track is taking up all the room in the mix, you are in trouble.....take care of each track......

 

[zer0sig]

my process (and i confess to being a rank amateur) is this-

lay down tracks.

individually edit all tracks (usually only a couple at present, solo acoustic/voc stuff)-drop the noise floor (i use a graphic dynamics plugin for this), and slightly push up some of the signal above the noise floor, leaving most of the top 6db or so more or less alone.

lay down any effects/etc (usually very little, maybe a touch of eq or reverb)

compress the total track until there is a fairly uniform sound or i'm afraid of botching the dynamics if i press on.

match the tracks up in mixdown (sometimes i need to go back and re-eq or alter dynamics in certain sections of each track to make it all come out right-i'm not working faders here, just piping my music straight onto the hard drive)

create a wav of the mixdown

monkey with different types of compression/limiting/reverb/room simulation/sharpening/fourier transform/etc/etc/etc. hate all of the results. go back to the original. smile when i realize that it isn't so bad.

finish.