Recommended dB levels for each instrument in the mixer before mastering?

[kratos]

sorry if this post has been done before but i couldnt find it!
So basically is there a recommended dB level for each instrument like drums, bass, strings, guitar etc before mastering to commercial dB?
any links or advice would be helpful!

Thanks

 

[bouldersoundguy]

I can't see why there would be a "right" dB level for individual instruments once the song is mixed, just so the mix peaks below 0dBFS. I tend to mix around -12dBFS.

 

[noisewreck]

sorry if this post has been done before but i couldnt find it!
So basically is there a recommended dB level for each instrument like drums, bass, strings, guitar etc before mastering to commercial dB?
any links or advice would be helpful!

Thanks

Not for individual tracks. That would be specific to a given mix. But you want to leave some headroom in the overall mix for the mastering process.

 

[Dogbreath]

The way I started doing it awhile ago began with tracking each instrument with all faders (including the master) at unity and adjusting the input trim to get my levels between -18 to -12 all across the board. I might have got this from Massive. Not sure so if it's wrong, don't blame him.

From there the mixing got a little easier. I just shoot for an average level of around -18 to -12 for the mix itself with the individual tracks being what they need to be. I try and get it so there are no peaks above -6.

 

[kcearl]

I can't see why there would be a "right" dB level for individual instruments once the song is mixed, just so the mix peaks below 0dBFS. I tend to mix around -12dBFS.

same .

 

[Armistice]

^^^ what they're sayin' ....

I used to track too hot thinking I had to get as much signal as possible... made mixing a bit of a nightmare and somehow didn't seem to sound as good either...

 

[philbagg]

Mix to your ears, not to the meters dude.

Anybody could chime in and give you a formula on dB levels for guitars, bass, drums, vocals etc., but what's it worth if it sounds like a pile of poo?

Use reference tracks (just make sure to turn them down to match your mixing levels), and try to follow the sound of the reference. If you manage to get the sound you're looking for, but the kick and snare are still peaking a few dB above everything else, it's perfectly fine. In fact, I'd say that a lot of mixes go for mastering like that.

The drums are nearly always the loudest things in my mix, sometimes the vocals - judging by the meters. But it always sounds fairly even to me.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Mix to your ears, not to the meters

Absolutely.

I'd even take it a step further and say mix to your mind. That is, take the tracks you have and think and imagine what you would like them to sound like when you get them together. What role does the guitar play? The drums? etc. Is it a power anthem, a quiet ballad, or something in-between? And what role does each track play in that arrangement? Where are the hooks you want to stand out vs. the minor accompaniment roles? Is it about the lyrics or the riffs, or both at different times?

The mix is in many respects nothing but an extension of the arrangement and composition, and the relative levels of each track should support that function.

The only worry you should have regarding absolute numerical levels is to keep them conservative enough to avoid clipping the mix. Within that sole limit, mix to the demands of the arrangement and the music.

G.

 

[kcearl]

well you and phil killed this thread

 

[nzausrec]

I just shoot for an average level of around -18 to -12 for the mix itself

How do you hear it? I mean, you must have to turn your speakers up to full to hear it.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

How do you hear it? I mean, you must have to turn your speakers up to full to hear it.

You normally have to turn up the monitors quite a bit during mixing compared to listening to finished ("mastered") recordings. Don't mix hot just for monitoring volume.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

How do you hear it? I mean, you must have to turn your speakers up to full to hear it.

Not at all. Most of my mixes come in typically RMSing anywhere in the -19 to -16 dBFS range (give or take) and very little boost is necessary on the monitor end to hear what's going on.

It's not like -18dBFS is quiet; it's typically somewhere around 0VU on the analog side, and typically what most vinyl recordings will convert to without undue signal gain.

G.

 

[bouldersoundguy]

Not at all. Most of my mixes come in typically RMSing anywhere in the -19 to -16 dBFS range (give or take) and very little boost is necessary on the monitor end to hear what's going on.

It's not like -18dBFS is quiet; it's typically somewhere around 0VU on the analog side, and typically what most vinyl recordings will convert to without undue signal gain.

G.

Where do your peaks land when your RMS is in that range? I am probably tracking and mixing at a more conservative level.

 

[Massive Master]

How do you hear it? I mean, you must have to turn your speakers up to full to hear it.

I'm seeing a rather severe disconnect over the last several years on what "normal" volume means...

Off-the-shelf CD's are NOT "normal" --

You don't have to turn your monitoring chain "up" to listen to normal volume recordings. You have to turn it DOWN to listen to most CD's put out over the last decade though...

 

[Bob Ross]

The mix is in many respects nothing but an extension of the arrangement and composition, and the relative levels of each track should support that function.

Him speak truth. Make that a sticky. Tatoo it on the back of your hand so you never forget it.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Where do your peaks land when your RMS is in that range? I am probably tracking and mixing at a more conservative level.

Honestly as long as my clip indicators are quiet, I'm not paying a whole lot of attention to the peak values until it's time to premaster, and also the peak values are going to depend greatly on the crest factor of the music type itself, but I'd say that in general my raw mix peaks are probably typically somewhere in the -9 to -3 dBFS range.

It also depends upon the actual RMS. While I say that I'm typically somewhere in the high teens, there can be times when the RMS can be as low as the low -20s - especially if I'm on a desk with newer converters with quieter calibration levels. OTOH, the RMS can be as high as -15 or so, especially on older converters or with a particularly dense mix, but that's pretty rare for most of the stuff that comes my way.

If you're quieter and more conservative than that, more power to ya. I have no problem with quieter than where my desk style takes me, there's certainly plenty of room down there. I know folks who typically get their rough mixes coming in at -24, and that's perfectly OK by me. I just don't typically recommend working any hotter than I do because it can be too limiting (poor pun intended ).

G.

 

[philbagg]

well you and phil killed this thread

Hey... you!

...you fucking guy you



Anyway, if you're levels are around -15dBFS and you still can't hear it after turning up you're speakers, you're either deaf, or have a terrible monitoring setup.

 

[dastrick]

Recommended dB levels for each instrument in the mixer before mastering?


Thanks

197.3






Yep. That should do it.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

197.3:

Point three !??!!? What are you, insane?? Everybody knows that anything over point two seven seven is [the rest of this post censored by the RIAA Professional Secrets Police].

G.

 

[dastrick]

Point three !??!!? What are you, insane?? Everybody knows that anything over point two seven seven is [the rest of this post censored by the RIAA Professional Secrets Police].

G.

What can I say?

I'm a rebel.