You’ve taught me so much these past 2 years. I’ll be releasing my album soon I doubt it would sound even half as good had I not watched so many of your videos you always inspire me to step my mixing and mastering up. Now my music is finally at a quality that I’m happy with
this has been so incredibly helpful. i feel like I've shot myself in the foot so many times with past releases because I don't want it to be too loud. also overthinking the mix/master has been another killer. thanks so much for the info and I'm happy to hear Im able to push my music a little harder than -14 to -12 LUFS
Great info. I've been fighting with my limiters to keep everything at -14 LUFS and not liking it on test speakers and cars etc. -11 / -10 seems to be a sweet spot that matches commercial records.
Yea, I was doing the same thing. For over a year and getting horrible results at -14 LUFS. My music was lifeless and the volume was very low on streaming services. Once I went up to -9 LUFS and even to -6 LUFS to sometimes -4 LUFS with a True Peak of -2.0 to 0 I got hugely better results with the volume levels competing with major label tracks. It just really is "song oriented." Some songs sound great at -14 LUFS, most do not. We still have to "compete" with Loud Major Label releases. EQ is also very important. Past 16K I usually cut. Spotify and other online "streaming algorithms" perceive sounds we "can't hear" as "loudness." I found when I cut the EQ of a mix, Just like most all professional mastering engineers do, above 16K, I get louder mixes and better results on streaming services. :)
Nicolas Poggi yes, I have seen the video and was simply asking for an explanation because i felt the video didn’t quite answer my question. Since it was so clear to you maybe you could help me out instead of suggesting that I just comment on videos without watching them.
I want to thank you. Your explanations where very clear. For years I was 'walking through the dark' at which levels I should mix at. But this helped enormously.
Sean the last two videos I've watched of yours on LUFS and volume standards have been a very big help. I understand things much better now though I have a lot to learn. Thanks so much. Jeff
You're right. When your target is below -14 db LUFS, a limiter is applied, set to engage at -1 dB (sample values), with a 5 ms attack time and a 100 ms decay time.
Hey man, I'm really enjoying the videos and appreciate all the knowledge you're spreading. You are helping a lot of us out immensely! I wanted to share however that in my opinion the background music you play while you talk is a little loud and can be distracting, I understand wanting to have some of your music play so the video is YOUR fully produced product (if that's the case), but in my opinion I would appreciate it being lowered or even going without it completely so I can fully tune into what you're saying. I hope that didn't sound too harsh or opinionated. I really TRULY thank you for all you're doing with these videos. Bless!
No problem man, this video in particular is something I feel like I should've known a long time ago haha, but you made the info easy to understand and clear. Thanks again man 🙏🏽
Great video, good info about true peak especially. I started using the -11db as my standard for mastering from this year and It has made my tracks sound better and not too loud.
What happens is that they will compress your mix more. That's what happens when you hear a live band music mix on tv. It sounds good at the venue, then the system that transports your signal to the tv station will compress your mix..then the tv station will compress it on the way out to space. So as a broadcast audio dude I mix out my master bus at -24 lufs.
that would work for tv, but what about for an audio delivery service that's not using loudness consistency? Your master would be very quiet in comparison. In my experience, this is the reason why some projects call for a separate tv mix
@@SeanDivine the whole tv mix conversation is a totally different thing. I've been doing sound for 25+ years and tv for 18... And have heard the best tv and the worst. The loudness thing became more serious within the last 3-4 years. When your working with fiber or sat transmission it better to be safe than sorry.
Great explanatory video.... Good point to re-iterate the fact the we dont all now have to adjust levels to -14 LUFS as a rule. Its a bit too quiet for most mixes I believe.
Problem is that it's likely that platforms use compression, rather than level, controls to standardise your mix to their ideal. As this may affect the dynamic range of your material it probably would be better to comply with platform LUFS requirements.
Man, thank you so much for these videos! Tons of valuable knowledge in there! :) I have one question that I couldn't really answer after watching this: When I watch mastering tutorials, they always master via limiters and maximizers in the end to push everything to 0db (LUFS I guess). Does that mean that considering your video, I should master my music towards 0db and once I am done, I reduce the master fader to -14db and I am good for Spotify? How do the 2 relate to each other in this particular case? I am also sometimes pretty confused as I have 2 different tracks that are both mastered towards 0db and one of them sounds a looooot louder T_T So the only thing to really make a decision from a listeners perspective is RMS, right?
0dB is referring to true peak, not LUFS :) you'll want to keep things below 0dB. The LUFS integrated is measuring the long term (average) loudness and it's more useful in judging the overall dynamics / perceived loudness of a track
Hey great vid. First time Ive seen someone covering this. So I have a couple diff questions that Ill try to break up. 1.So is it imperative that you measure both true peak/rms and lufs, or just lufs? 2. hows does true peak/rms and lufs transalte with dbs on the master fader? Is there a way to gauge it just by viewing the master fader? 3. How to increase or decrease the tp/rms/lufs? Is it just by adjusting the master fader up or down solely?
yes, you want to keep an eye on both true peak and LUFS. True peak is more important imo since you don't want to be clipping or distorting the stereo bus on your master. As far as changing the readings, true peak and RMS are volume based so adjusting your tracks / stereo bus will do it. LUFS is more "perceived loudness" so this can be quite different and so you'll have to consider the dynamics of your tracks, frequencies, etc.
@@SeanDivine So is the RMS aimed value purely a personal choice regarding the dynamic range you wish to have, where -8 dB is a value most people'd consider optimal? also does the RMS value that show after you stop the song regards the average of all the signal since you press play until your press stop? thanks
Game Changing Info every video! Random question...When bouncing tracks to a WAV should you normalize everything? Or when is a good time to normalize something?
Good info, thanks man. Little confused on the levels I should be shooting for. I downloaded some popular songs that you can find on the Billboard hot 100 and imported them into Protools and started analyzing them. Every single one of them was going above 0 in TP metering. I'd say the average was about 1.0 TP. The LUFS typically was around 8. Seems to me that I should be competing with those #'s if that is the average, even if most people listen with spotify and normalization on. Thoughts on this? Appreciate your time.
as I mentioned in the video, all of these loudness "standards" are simply adjustments that the streaming platforms are making to keep listening experiences consistent. If you want to compete with the commercial releases, you're doing the right thing by listening to the ACTUAL delivery levels and loudness.
Very informative. I have been checking out quite a few videos on this topic lately because I have been doing more recording. I'm recording my little cousin and putting the songs up on you tube and soundcloud for him. the tracks he's using are pretty much pre-mastered so I turn them down for him to rap over. where my concern is making sure that I get everything back up to commercial volume. that being said, do you have any tips to using the LUFS metering properly. I just downloaded free plugin "Youlean" so I'm trying to figure it out and I've been looking into others as well. Thanks in advance if you do provide any tips.
I know this video is about LUSF, but I have a question about RMS. I know u had said once u like u tracks at -9 to -7. I use MvMeter2 (Great plugin!) and it has 3 RMS settings; K-12, K-14 & K-20. Example: After I master my track my Peak will be 0 or -0.1 (or so😄) and my RMS K-12 will say 5.1db, K-14 will read 7.1db & K-20 will say 13.1db. Which one do I go by?
Hey Sean, thanks a lot for the info. As i scrolled through the comments couldn't find my answer hope you can help me. The question is, when the song you where playing the RMS was about -8.5 and the LUFS I at -11. My problem is that my RMS is almost at -12 and the LUFS I is at -1, so am I doing something wrong and how do you get to that loud RMS then? is there any specific connection between these two? P.S. Basically on the same setup you are demonstrating it. Would be perfect if you can reply and guide me a little. Cheers.
Hi there, Sean. Hope you're doing well! 👋🏻☺ Could you tell us, what distribution service you going through and what distribution platforms you recommend to deal with? And it would be great if make a comparison in your next video! Thnx in advance.
Hey Sean, This video was really helpful because I'm looking to start distributing my music soon. I am an EDM producer and a lot of my music is around -5 LUFS (some even -4). I know you said it won't hurt you to be too loud but is this too extreme? There are some artists such as Skrillex who even push it to -3 LUFS so I'm really curious how this works.
I've got a problem where even though my integrated LUFS can get above -14 easily (currently at -11), my RMS is about -12 and I can't get it any higher without it clipping. Is there a reason for this and if so how can I increase the RMS to around -8? (without affecting the LUFS or it clipping). OR is this even a problem with streaming services looking at LUFS for their guide levels. Hope someone sees this! Great video too btw man x
Hi Sean, great videos and thank you for teaching me so much as there is so much to learn. I have been looking all over for an answer to one simple question, but cant find it anywhere. I've been reading books and searching all over the forums but cant get a clear answer. If you bounce a mix with true peaks and master that as it is with true peaks, do the true peaks still translate to the final mixing process even though you cant see them, and will they still have a bad effect on your results on the streaming platforms? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for the great videos.
if you're not mastering with a true peak limiter (ceiling below 0dB) then yes. Each platform is different in terms of how they deal with clipping / peaks but lower quality encoding will fundamentally have less headroom and therefore potentially cause unwanted distortion
Is it not better to master your tunes according to whatever numbers are relevant to each platform? An engineer friend of mine told me that when you submit a song to say Spotify or YT, they actually compress your audio if it's perceived as too loud. This can and will affect the final master of your song due to it being additionally limited. I don't think it works like a "master fader", I think the way the algorithm works is like a compressor/limiter, at least that's what I've heard. Your track would end up sounding more squashed. I may be wrong. Hence why you see songs labelled on iTunes as "mixed/mastered for iTunes". Some mastering engineers will do multiple masters according to whichever platform it's going on.
@@yjxoxo I'm not sure that makes sense as compression is used to squash the transients and reduce the overall perceived loudness. Thanks for the link, I will check it out. It's best to aim for as close to the LUFs requirements as possible I thought. I'm not sure what Sean said about not to worry if it's too loud, "it'll turn it down just like a master fader" is correct.
You can turn off Spotify’s Normalization, CZcams’s music always sounds less louder than any streamed version and if you have Sound Check off in your iTunes or iPhone settings it won’t Normalize your volume.
in that case, you would then have to pull the threshold down much further (pushing the maximizer harder) to achieve commercial loudness. That will affect the transients / dynamics in different ways so you'll want to experiment before relying heavily on a limiter for level.
Sean Divine but isn’t that what mastering engineers do when you send them a mix at -6db. Are you essentially saying that we don’t need any headroom for mastering? Appreciate the response!
I thought Spotify just compresses your music now if it goes in too hot? Is this not true?seems a lot of misinformation about this (not saying that's what's going on here) but Bob Katz talks about mastering at -14 for Spotify and just having different masters now for different platforms .
Spotify (and just about every other platform) doesn't apply any compression or other effects... it's simply negative gain to reach the target loudness - artists.spotify.com/faq/mastering-and-loudness#what-is-loudness-normalization-and-why-is-it-used
Would you say this is the last thing done before mixdown? And secondly, say that my rms and lufs levels aren’t at the right level, would it be best to just adjust the master fader or would it be best to use a limiter?
Great channel btw! Quick question, my rms is showing that my track is at -11 but my LUFS is at -10/-9 how do I reverse them? Or did I not bounce my mix high enough?
I would say from experience, just go by your LUFS and TRUE PEAK Meters. This is what really works. The important point is use a True Peak Meter. It makes all the difference. Remember, "Master To The Song" with the "Streaming Service In Mind." The song sound of the song should come first. If you go to -9 LUFS, even up to -6 LUFS with a True Peak at -2 db or 0 you will be fine. Your mixes will stand out and be just as loud as the majors. That is if you EQ your mixes properly for TONAL BALANCE. Also, I found cutting the EQ at 16k to 20k really helps out. It is what Pro Mastering Engineers do. Why? Because the "Algorithms" that streaming music sites use perceives what WE can't hear in our mixes and LOUDNESS. Spotify is actually very honest about this. If you do this, you will get louder mixes and less harsh mixes. :)
From what I have found, all use a different technique. Some just turn it down, Spotify, Others may Limit it. If you read my above post it explains a lot. I have been through this for over a year and have done much research into this nagging situation. The key is LUFS meters and the most important one is A TRUE PEAK Meter. Honestly the advise Sean gave is excellent. Even-though it may seem simple. Most people have not figured it out. The streaming services should be much more open about what they want. Spotify For Artist has taken this step. Apple seems to only tell professional mastering engineers and keeps it kind of a secret. I found that most people worldwide stream from Spotify at the moment, so I take their advise and it seems to translate well onto other streaming services. :)
On CZcams, I have observed that they reduce audio of louder tracks but I realized it doesn't make any difference,even badly reduced songs sound awesome and songs with no reduction are still the way they are , so sometimes i really wonder if we really need to worry where our song has fallen ultimately in terms of loudness, unless their algorithm affects the quality of sound , or our master is too quiet I don't think there is any issue till you work officially in quality check department of a radio service .... but have you experienced the change in quality on any of the platforms if they do reduction ?
Hey Sean ... appreciate the tutorial you put forth and the easy of explanation of LPX. I'm debating if I should take the leap and buy the software. I'm not sure if my needs stipulate it. I primarily create video content for contracts. Small commercials, interviews, and documentaries. I have FCPX and Motion. I want to complete the suite and get LPX, but I would only use it to normalize vocals, compress, and set target LUFS range. Is it worth dropping $199 or should I stick with using FCPX for this purpose? Your advise would deeply appreciated!!
Hey Adrian, it sounds like FCPX has most of what you need at this point. I would use that until you find yourself needing more of what LPX has to offer... there’s a ton of value packed into the price though!
Sean Divine agreed. The only thing i run into is FCPX inability to normalize audio. For the audio i record i have to find away to normalize vocals. Aware of any plugins that can achieve that?
Hi Sean, Question;when trying to attain the LUFS target so that my song has the most impact/loudest perceived volume on streaming services like Spotify etc., should I base this off of the integrated LUFS of the entire song from start to finish, or the integrated LUFS of the loudest section in the song? for example right now with how im trying to master one of my songs, the chorus/loudest sections of my song is hitting between -6.5 and -6.0 LUFS (around -3 RMS, loud as hell but still only 4db of gain reduction going on), but the LUFS of the entire song is -8.5. I don't know if Spotify is going to turn down the song based on what the integrated LUFS of the entire song from start to finish was, or what the LUFS of the loudest section of the song is.Cause if it's the former, well, then I guess i'd rather have a quieter but more dynamic mix so that the chorus seems even more grand and epic than a big sausage that sounds epic on it's own and sounds as loud/good as the raw mp3s of other songs, but would sound weak when turned down cause those dynamcs are quashed.Would love the advice on this.
the streaming services will turn down the LUFS integrated (the average loudness) to match other songs for listeners... however, not all services (and even Spotify allow you to turn this off) do this so you're better off delivering a mix at optimal loudness that when unadjusted, will still be able to compete
When I master in 14 Lufs, my mixes are drastically low compared to when I just focused on RMS. I've noticed that dynamically it does sound better. Will itunes, adjust and bring up the volume so the song is loud when it's uploaded?
no, and I wouldn't suggest delivering at -14 LUFS across the board. It's simply a consideration but not all release platforms will be using "loudness normalization"
spotify says truek peak should be -1 or -2 if song too loud. when i checked loud songs on spotify. analyser says true peak is -0.1 or -0.2 for most of songs. so is that converting thing or they does not care about -1 true peak rule?
How do you get your metering level to stay so consistent? My RMS levels jump between -14 and -6 on a current song I’m preparing for online streaming. My question is if I delivered the song at that level would it be accepted without any “turning down” the volume of the song? Or is this ok to deliver at the RMS level I mentioned above?
it could be that you just have a more dynamic arrangement / mix. There's nothing necessarily wrong with having that much of a difference in the RMS readings, as long as the loudest point is consistent and the other elements are balanced properly. That said, I still would suggest delivering with your RMS peak at -9 to -6. Just about all the music delivered will be "turned down" but it's to create consistency and on other platforms you would have a substantially less loud mix compared to everything else
Thanks for the great video. One question. If I have a song with big dynamics such that half the song is at -20 LUFS and the other half at -10, so the integrated is -15 LUFS, what would Spotify do? Would they allow my -10 sections to play at full volume, because the integrated is quieter than their limit? Thanks.
My EP got hit with the normalization badly, the mix is much quiter and seems not as full. I tried changing the normalization option on spotify but I don't hear a difference, perhaps it is because I sent it to them via Distrokid, wouldn't surprise me if they did some tweaking to it.
Distrokid doesn't change the sound of the files you deliver. The streaming services will turn down your tracks, if the listener is using "level matching" options
why does your master go into the red on universal audio monitor reading? while most commercial stuff does not? and movie sound tracks can be just as loud and never go out of the green.. how do they do that and why?
there's a conversion happening on CZcams videos that causes overs for true peak in most cases... otherwise, my delivered masters are below 0dB true peak which will keep you from seeing "red"
LUFS is included in 10.4.1, but it's broken into two further indices... LU-S being a running level, LU-I being the overall average level. LU-I will eventually become a fixed figure once you run through the entire piece. Thanks for all of your vids and insights... you're a great teacher!
Hello, mostly I get mastering for my songs I left nice dynamic ranges and I try to keept this range with don't lose LFUS hardly.I try soundcloud streaming but for learning I do mostly -16.5, -17 -15.5 LFUS to get but When I streaming in there sound same as my bounced wav --loudness.So-- you made your -10 LFUS song to stream and get -14.5 and a loudness lost but when I look itunes mastering recommended -16.5 --mostly.My-- example is there reversed station; what If I'm streaming my -18 LFUS song still nice ranged the my song is heard more loudness in spotify with can not losing rms- dynamic range? Or is still be -18 LFUS because some song are hearing week and week hearing is not good mastered I think
So when I put my music on major platforms, I don't really have to align audio level at -14LUFS. You can submit your music at -8RMS as Sean says because platforms automatically set their level at -14LUFS? Is it all about the playback system? I'm so confused lol
essentially, yes. This video speaks a bit more about the overall goal and it's not necessarily going for exactly -14 LUFS :) czcams.com/video/1QY9NLpv8mU/video.html
Question.. when you mix into the limiter where do you want your peaks to max out at once you have your rms ar 9. Because my peaks are hitting from 4 to 6 over 0db but it still sounds good & rms looks good
Hey i produced a rock song, the instrumental is mastered and is around -14 lufs. But when the vocals come in the chorus the lufs becomes around -11. I uploaded it to spotify like 3 times to try different techniques but the song is always played back a little bit toooooo quiet... why how
are you listening with the "normalize volume" option on? If so, how does it compare with other commercial records? What is the integrated reading for your entire song?
Would you make a video on building the best affordable studios? It’s gonna be helpful for a lot of people Clean industry sound level though Not just the regular really cheap way that they have on CZcams I know a lot of people who didn’t spend a lot of money on their studios but they put it together the right way, which is the key 🔑 Thank you
because not all platforms do this and none do it in the same way - you'd rather it be loud / competitive in the case it's not turned down, and if it is it will be simply be consistent with the rest
Hombre si de entrada ya estás pasando de cero db en la entrada de señal vamos bien entonces 🤔🤔 . Jamás una señal tiene que picar a cero antes del proceso de mastering veo un Grave error que nadie menciona . Por lo visto lo importante es el volumen a costa de que ???
Every album mix that I've delivered to an ME (mastering engineer), I have been careful to leave "room" for them to master. I aim for RMS -11 and TP -0.1. I have never checked LUFS (until now). The masters always come back great, but I have never been offered separate masters for iTunes or Spotify until this year. Do I need to change what I am delivering to the ME ?
Sean Divine ok, so in that same mix, the only limiting occurring is only up to 2 dB in 2 or 3 spots. Would an ME be able to do a better job if I lowered the overall output by 3 dB and took the limiter off?
does this mean we don't have to think about making our master as loud as possible like hitting 0db ? or do you mean that after the song is mastered and assuming that it's hitting 0db then we have to bring down the volume of the track to the specific streaming service requirements, before uploading it ?
I would suggest getting it as close as possible to 0db (true peak) but as far as LUFS, it will just adjust it accordingly to the standard - czcams.com/video/myTcnK1lRUA/video.html
Sometimes i swear my rms meters and regular level meters in logic dont read accurate cuz my masters will sound loud as a commercially relased track but the rms level reads super low still. Why can this happen?
Hey Sean, love the videos! Why have an integrated LUFS of more than -13 (CZcams’s standard) if it’s going to be getting turned down? Where instead you could have more dynamic range. Or does the dynamic range not really much in Hip Hop music? I’m not sure if I’ve heard you talk about dynamic range in our songs. Please let know what u think. Peace and love ❤️
Hey Andre, unless you plan to make a different version of your master for each release channel (there are hundreds of distribution platforms these days), it's safe to have a loud and competitive master that may be turned down by specific services but will still compete for those that don't. Typically in Hip Hop and modern beat driven music, dynamic range isn't as much of a concern - the beats stay consistent mostly throughout the song and we're seeking impact and fullness. Don't confuse dynamic range with dynamics in general though - we still want the master to sound punchy and crisp, not flattened by a limiter for the sake of simply louder levels
Sean Divine Thank you so much dude!!! This clears up things a ton. You’re a mentor to me and so many others. You’re the best, Sean! Keep going strong 💪😎🧠👍
You’ve taught me so much these past 2 years. I’ll be releasing my album soon I doubt it would sound even half as good had I not watched so many of your videos you always inspire me to step my mixing and mastering up. Now my music is finally at a quality that I’m happy with
Mitchell T. Glad to hear it bro! Made my day :)
Great video and you made it very easy to understand
Bruh, You got the best mixing channel on youtube. My opinion, Keep vibin'
appreciate it B!
Thanks for the LUFS explanation. I have only been doing this for 25 years but wanted to educate myself now on the new measurements,
sure thing, glad it helped!
this has been so incredibly helpful. i feel like I've shot myself in the foot so many times with past releases because I don't want it to be too loud. also overthinking the mix/master has been another killer. thanks so much for the info and I'm happy to hear Im able to push my music a little harder than -14 to -12 LUFS
Mr Sean Divine,May God Bless You
🙏
After watching this video I now consider you a friend and a saviour. Thanx.
:)
Thank you for such a clear explanation of the ‘why.’ Especially the tip about end user choice of switching the limiting on or off.
This is the first video that I came across about lufs that clearly explains what it is a how to use it. Thanks.
:)
Great info. I've been fighting with my limiters to keep everything at -14 LUFS and not liking it on test speakers and cars etc. -11 / -10 seems to be a sweet spot that matches commercial records.
Yea, I was doing the same thing. For over a year and getting horrible results at -14 LUFS. My music was lifeless and the volume was very low on streaming services. Once I went up to -9 LUFS and even to -6 LUFS to sometimes -4 LUFS with a True Peak of -2.0 to 0 I got hugely better results with the volume levels competing with major label tracks. It just really is "song oriented." Some songs sound great at -14 LUFS, most do not. We still have to "compete" with Loud Major Label releases.
EQ is also very important. Past 16K I usually cut. Spotify and other online "streaming algorithms" perceive sounds we "can't hear" as "loudness." I found when I cut the EQ of a mix, Just like most all professional mastering engineers do, above 16K, I get louder mixes and better results on streaming services. :)
evbxyz you’ve successfully uploaded songs to spotify at -9 lufs? Won’t they just turn your songs volume back down to -14 lufs?
@@atomicflounder3685 Man, have you seen this video? or you just ask before playing it? I mean, Sean was really clear about that topic.
Nicolas Poggi yes, I have seen the video and was simply asking for an explanation because i felt the video didn’t quite answer my question. Since it was so clear to you maybe you could help me out instead of suggesting that I just comment on videos without watching them.
Great one .. i also prefer to keep it around -10 LUFS
CLARITY! Thanks for answering my questions
sure thing :)
Thank you for clearing that all up for me I am not ashamed to say it was confusing for me. 🙏🙏🙌🙌🎶🎶
It is for most. Glad to hear it helped! 🤜
I want to thank you. Your explanations where very clear. For years I was 'walking through the dark' at which levels I should mix at. But this helped enormously.
This video came from heaven to me..thanks Sean
Sean the last two videos I've watched of yours on LUFS and volume standards have been a very big help. I understand things much better now though I have a lot to learn. Thanks so much. Jeff
glad to hear it Jeff!
Thank you, from Brazil !
🙌
You're right. When your target is below -14 db LUFS, a limiter is applied, set to engage at -1 dB (sample values), with a 5 ms attack time and a 100 ms decay time.
Another awesome video man. Keep 'em coming!
more on the way!
Hey man, I'm really enjoying the videos and appreciate all the knowledge you're spreading. You are helping a lot of us out immensely! I wanted to share however that in my opinion the background music you play while you talk is a little loud and can be distracting, I understand wanting to have some of your music play so the video is YOUR fully produced product (if that's the case), but in my opinion I would appreciate it being lowered or even going without it completely so I can fully tune into what you're saying. I hope that didn't sound too harsh or opinionated. I really TRULY thank you for all you're doing with these videos. Bless!
glad to hear the videos have been helpful Luke and appreciate the feedback!
No problem man, this video in particular is something I feel like I should've known a long time ago haha, but you made the info easy to understand and clear. Thanks again man 🙏🏽
Excellent information - and you explain it very well. Love your channel. Thank you for sharing your experience with us. Cheers from Texas.
sure thing Tim, so glad it's helpful!
Great video, good info about true peak especially. I started using the -11db as my standard for mastering from this year and It has made my tracks sound better and not too loud.
What happens is that they will compress your mix more. That's what happens when you hear a live band music mix on tv. It sounds good at the venue, then the system that transports your signal to the tv station will compress your mix..then the tv station will compress it on the way out to space. So as a broadcast audio dude I mix out my master bus at -24 lufs.
that would work for tv, but what about for an audio delivery service that's not using loudness consistency? Your master would be very quiet in comparison. In my experience, this is the reason why some projects call for a separate tv mix
@@SeanDivine the whole tv mix conversation is a totally different thing. I've been doing sound for 25+ years and tv for 18... And have heard the best tv and the worst. The loudness thing became more serious within the last 3-4 years. When your working with fiber or sat transmission it better to be safe than sorry.
@@knottme 👍
Sean I really appreciate your training you provide. Thank you very much. I'm sharing your videos to my friends and co- producers. Grace and peace.
thank you Blair!
this clears up lot of confusion i had..thank u so much for the video..big hug buddy ♥️
Glad to hear it :)
Man.... so much clarity on this subject. Thanks
Omg thank you so much, you’re a savior. Best explanation I found
thank you for all you do! much love
Great explanatory video.... Good point to re-iterate the fact the we dont all now have to adjust levels to -14 LUFS as a rule. Its a bit too quiet for most mixes I believe.
agreed!
Problem is that it's likely that platforms use compression, rather than level, controls to standardise your mix to their ideal. As this may affect the dynamic range of your material it probably would be better to comply with platform LUFS requirements.
This videos and your other videos are so incredibly helpful! Thank you!
Got so much useful information from you.You create a good loudness which is professional as well as sweet .Thanx a million !
glad to hear it :)
I'm going to be frequenting these videos often over the next month or so..
My Go to guy..
I’m learning so much!!
glad to hear it Mac!
Thanks for sharing. Explained so well.
Man, thank you so much for these videos! Tons of valuable knowledge in there! :) I have one question that I couldn't really answer after watching this: When I watch mastering tutorials, they always master via limiters and maximizers in the end to push everything to 0db (LUFS I guess). Does that mean that considering your video, I should master my music towards 0db and once I am done, I reduce the master fader to -14db and I am good for Spotify? How do the 2 relate to each other in this particular case? I am also sometimes pretty confused as I have 2 different tracks that are both mastered towards 0db and one of them sounds a looooot louder T_T So the only thing to really make a decision from a listeners perspective is RMS, right?
0dB is referring to true peak, not LUFS :) you'll want to keep things below 0dB. The LUFS integrated is measuring the long term (average) loudness and it's more useful in judging the overall dynamics / perceived loudness of a track
Thank you! very easy to understand when put that way.
:)
thanks man, super helpful
awesome! thanks bro
Thanks, very very clear!
🙌🙏
this helped a lot, thanks dude :)
Hey great vid. First time Ive seen someone covering this. So I have a couple diff questions that Ill try to break up. 1.So is it imperative that you measure both true peak/rms and lufs, or just lufs? 2. hows does true peak/rms and lufs transalte with dbs on the master fader? Is there a way to gauge it just by viewing the master fader? 3. How to increase or decrease the tp/rms/lufs? Is it just by adjusting the master fader up or down solely?
yes, you want to keep an eye on both true peak and LUFS. True peak is more important imo since you don't want to be clipping or distorting the stereo bus on your master. As far as changing the readings, true peak and RMS are volume based so adjusting your tracks / stereo bus will do it. LUFS is more "perceived loudness" so this can be quite different and so you'll have to consider the dynamics of your tracks, frequencies, etc.
@@SeanDivine So is the RMS aimed value purely a personal choice regarding the dynamic range you wish to have, where -8 dB is a value most people'd consider optimal? also does the RMS value that show after you stop the song regards the average of all the signal since you press play until your press stop? thanks
Els eels I know Sean has a video where he talks more about RMS. I can’t remember what he aims for. Just check it out
Game Changing Info every video! Random question...When bouncing tracks to a WAV should you normalize everything? Or when is a good time to normalize something?
I can't remember the last time I used normalize :) usually, it would be more for sound design and using one shot WAVs, not in mixing
Thank you sir!
welcome :)
Good info, thanks man. Little confused on the levels I should be shooting for. I downloaded some popular songs that you can find on the Billboard hot 100 and imported them into Protools and started analyzing them. Every single one of them was going above 0 in TP metering. I'd say the average was about 1.0 TP. The LUFS typically was around 8. Seems to me that I should be competing with those #'s if that is the average, even if most people listen with spotify and normalization on. Thoughts on this? Appreciate your time.
as I mentioned in the video, all of these loudness "standards" are simply adjustments that the streaming platforms are making to keep listening experiences consistent. If you want to compete with the commercial releases, you're doing the right thing by listening to the ACTUAL delivery levels and loudness.
man 10/10 Thanks
Please make a video on using the right reverb on rap vocals
Ray Mays I say keep the dry on 100% for logic native plug in, and the wet on 9-12%.
Very informative. I have been checking out quite a few videos on this topic lately because I have been doing more recording. I'm recording my little cousin and putting the songs up on you tube and soundcloud for him. the tracks he's using are pretty much pre-mastered so I turn them down for him to rap over. where my concern is making sure that I get everything back up to commercial volume. that being said, do you have any tips to using the LUFS metering properly. I just downloaded free plugin "Youlean" so I'm trying to figure it out and I've been looking into others as well. Thanks in advance if you do provide any tips.
I know this video is about LUSF, but I have a question about RMS. I know u had said once u like u tracks at -9 to -7. I use MvMeter2 (Great plugin!) and it has 3 RMS settings; K-12, K-14 & K-20. Example: After I master my track my Peak will be 0 or -0.1 (or so😄) and my RMS K-12 will say 5.1db, K-14 will read 7.1db & K-20 will say 13.1db. Which one do I go by?
Austin Douglas i think it is K-14 not 100% sure
You awesome
what is the best LUPS level of a track after mastering to upload on youtube?
plz reply..
Hey Sean, thanks a lot for the info. As i scrolled through the comments couldn't find my answer hope you can help me.
The question is, when the song you where playing the RMS was about -8.5 and the LUFS I at -11.
My problem is that my RMS is almost at -12 and the LUFS I is at -1, so am I doing something wrong and how do you get to that loud RMS then? is there any specific connection between these two? P.S. Basically on the same setup you are demonstrating it.
Would be perfect if you can reply and guide me a little. Cheers.
Hi there, Sean. Hope you're doing well! 👋🏻☺
Could you tell us, what distribution service you going through and what distribution platforms you recommend to deal with? And it would be great if make a comparison in your next video! Thnx in advance.
czcams.com/video/yLBr9x2UahQ/video.html
@@SeanDivine thank you.
Hey Sean,
This video was really helpful because I'm looking to start distributing my music soon. I am an EDM producer and a lot of my music is around -5 LUFS (some even -4). I know you said it won't hurt you to be too loud but is this too extreme? There are some artists such as Skrillex who even push it to -3 LUFS so I'm really curious how this works.
Hi Sean,
Loving your videos!!
Is there any such RMS value or Integrated LUFS range so that we could ensure that our mix is the correct level ?
I've got a problem where even though my integrated LUFS can get above -14 easily (currently at -11), my RMS is about -12 and I can't get it any higher without it clipping. Is there a reason for this and if so how can I increase the RMS to around -8? (without affecting the LUFS or it clipping). OR is this even a problem with streaming services looking at LUFS for their guide levels.
Hope someone sees this!
Great video too btw man x
a transparent brickwall limiter / maximizer will get you there :)
Sean Divine thank you I’ll check it out
Oh I saw the info at 3:05..lol
Hi Sean, great videos and thank you for teaching me so much as there is so much to learn. I have been looking all over for an answer to one simple question, but cant find it anywhere. I've been reading books and searching all over the forums but cant get a clear answer.
If you bounce a mix with true peaks and master that as it is with true peaks, do the true peaks still translate to the final mixing process even though you cant see them, and will they still have a bad effect on your results on the streaming platforms? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you again for the great videos.
if you're not mastering with a true peak limiter (ceiling below 0dB) then yes. Each platform is different in terms of how they deal with clipping / peaks but lower quality encoding will fundamentally have less headroom and therefore potentially cause unwanted distortion
Is it not better to master your tunes according to whatever numbers are relevant to each platform? An engineer friend of mine told me that when you submit a song to say Spotify or YT, they actually compress your audio if it's perceived as too loud. This can and will affect the final master of your song due to it being additionally limited. I don't think it works like a "master fader", I think the way the algorithm works is like a compressor/limiter, at least that's what I've heard. Your track would end up sounding more squashed. I may be wrong. Hence why you see songs labelled on iTunes as "mixed/mastered for iTunes". Some mastering engineers will do multiple masters according to whichever platform it's going on.
I think I heard someone say that if it’s under -14 LUFS it’s gonna compress it more
www.masteringthemix.com/blogs/learn/producing-music-for-apple-music
@@yjxoxo I'm not sure that makes sense as compression is used to squash the transients and reduce the overall perceived loudness. Thanks for the link, I will check it out. It's best to aim for as close to the LUFs requirements as possible I thought. I'm not sure what Sean said about not to worry if it's too loud, "it'll turn it down just like a master fader" is correct.
You can turn off Spotify’s Normalization, CZcams’s music always sounds less louder than any streamed version and if you have Sound Check off in your iTunes or iPhone settings it won’t Normalize your volume.
@@yjxoxo Yeah, just read the article. Thanks for that, was interesting ✌🏼
Thanks for the video! How come you have the input level peaking in ozone? Shouldn't be brought down to around -6db before mastering? Cheers
in that case, you would then have to pull the threshold down much further (pushing the maximizer harder) to achieve commercial loudness. That will affect the transients / dynamics in different ways so you'll want to experiment before relying heavily on a limiter for level.
Sean Divine but isn’t that what mastering engineers do when you send them a mix at -6db. Are you essentially saying that we don’t need any headroom for mastering? Appreciate the response!
my reply is in the case that you're mastering your own sessions - otherwise, you're best suited to provide the mastering engineer with some headroom
Sean Divine cool, thanks!
I thought Spotify just compresses your music now if it goes in too hot? Is this not true?seems a lot of misinformation about this (not saying that's what's going on here) but Bob Katz talks about mastering at -14 for Spotify and just having different masters now for different platforms .
Spotify (and just about every other platform) doesn't apply any compression or other effects... it's simply negative gain to reach the target loudness - artists.spotify.com/faq/mastering-and-loudness#what-is-loudness-normalization-and-why-is-it-used
Would you say this is the last thing done before mixdown? And secondly, say that my rms and lufs levels aren’t at the right level, would it be best to just adjust the master fader or would it be best to use a limiter?
Great channel btw! Quick question, my rms is showing that my track is at -11 but my LUFS is at -10/-9 how do I reverse them? Or did I not bounce my mix high enough?
I would say from experience, just go by your LUFS and TRUE PEAK Meters. This is what really works. The important point is use a True Peak Meter. It makes all the difference. Remember, "Master To The Song" with the "Streaming Service In Mind." The song sound of the song should come first. If you go to -9 LUFS, even up to -6 LUFS with a True Peak at -2 db or 0 you will be fine. Your mixes will stand out and be just as loud as the majors. That is if you EQ your mixes properly for TONAL BALANCE.
Also, I found cutting the EQ at 16k to 20k really helps out. It is what Pro Mastering Engineers do. Why? Because the "Algorithms" that streaming music sites use perceives what WE can't hear in our mixes and LOUDNESS. Spotify is actually very honest about this. If you do this, you will get louder mixes and less harsh mixes.
:)
Spotify is not available in India, but wanted to know if iTunes also has this option of playing songs as they are delivered?
go into preferences: playback and uncheck "sound check"
The concern is, if the song is louder , do the music platforms , just turn the volume down or do they compress it further ?
From what I have found, all use a different technique. Some just turn it down, Spotify, Others may Limit it. If you read my above post it explains a lot. I have been through this for over a year and have done much research into this nagging situation. The key is LUFS meters and the most important one is A TRUE PEAK Meter. Honestly the advise Sean gave is excellent. Even-though it may seem simple. Most people have not figured it out.
The streaming services should be much more open about what they want. Spotify For Artist has taken this step. Apple seems to only tell professional mastering engineers and keeps it kind of a secret. I found that most people worldwide stream from Spotify at the moment, so I take their advise and it seems to translate well onto other streaming services. :)
On CZcams, I have observed that they reduce audio of louder tracks but I realized it doesn't make any difference,even badly reduced songs sound awesome and songs with no reduction are still the way they are , so sometimes i really wonder if we really need to worry where our song has fallen ultimately in terms of loudness, unless their algorithm affects the quality of sound , or our master is too quiet I don't think there is any issue till you work officially in quality check department of a radio service .... but have you experienced the change in quality on any of the platforms if they do reduction ?
Hey Sean ... appreciate the tutorial you put forth and the easy of explanation of LPX. I'm debating if I should take the leap and buy the software. I'm not sure if my needs stipulate it. I primarily create video content for contracts. Small commercials, interviews, and documentaries. I have FCPX and Motion. I want to complete the suite and get LPX, but I would only use it to normalize vocals, compress, and set target LUFS range. Is it worth dropping $199 or should I stick with using FCPX for this purpose?
Your advise would deeply appreciated!!
Hey Adrian, it sounds like FCPX has most of what you need at this point. I would use that until you find yourself needing more of what LPX has to offer... there’s a ton of value packed into the price though!
Sean Divine agreed. The only thing i run into is FCPX inability to normalize audio. For the audio i record i have to find away to normalize vocals. Aware of any plugins that can achieve that?
That beat at 1:28 is thru the ceiling!!!! Is it one of yours and is it for sale?
it's by AP - divinetracks.com/downloads/tag/ap/
What's it called? Can't seem to find it
Hey Sean, great stuff! Question: Are those meters integrated in Ozone? Or do they com from a third party?
thanks! these are the stock metering plugins in Logic Pro X
Hi Sean, Question;when trying to attain the LUFS target so that my song has the most impact/loudest perceived volume on streaming services like Spotify etc., should I base this off of the integrated LUFS of the entire song from start to finish, or the integrated LUFS of the loudest section in the song? for example right now with how im trying to master one of my songs, the chorus/loudest sections of my song is hitting between -6.5 and -6.0 LUFS (around -3 RMS, loud as hell but still only 4db of gain reduction going on), but the LUFS of the entire song is -8.5. I don't know if Spotify is going to turn down the song based on what the integrated LUFS of the entire song from start to finish was, or what the LUFS of the loudest section of the song is.Cause if it's the former, well, then I guess i'd rather have a quieter but more dynamic mix so that the chorus seems even more grand and epic than a big sausage that sounds epic on it's own and sounds as loud/good as the raw mp3s of other songs, but would sound weak when turned down cause those dynamcs are quashed.Would love the advice on this.
the streaming services will turn down the LUFS integrated (the average loudness) to match other songs for listeners... however, not all services (and even Spotify allow you to turn this off) do this so you're better off delivering a mix at optimal loudness that when unadjusted, will still be able to compete
I can't find that song that you played on Spotify. is it still up? btw very good video. Thanks brother !
I took it off streaming, it may show up on a future project :)
but the EVU regulation says that you LUFS levels have to be -23 ? why spotify would put the standard on -13?
When I master in 14 Lufs, my mixes are drastically low compared to when I just focused on RMS. I've noticed that dynamically it does sound better. Will itunes, adjust and bring up the volume so the song is loud when it's uploaded?
no, and I wouldn't suggest delivering at -14 LUFS across the board. It's simply a consideration but not all release platforms will be using "loudness normalization"
spotify says truek peak should be -1 or -2 if song too loud. when i checked loud songs on spotify. analyser says true peak is -0.1 or -0.2 for most of songs. so is that converting thing or they does not care about -1 true peak rule?
if the listener doesn't have "normalization / auto levels" settings activated, it doesn't take it into effect
How do you get your metering level to stay so consistent? My RMS levels jump between -14 and -6 on a current song I’m preparing for online streaming. My question is if I delivered the song at that level would it be accepted without any “turning down” the volume of the song? Or is this ok to deliver at the RMS level I mentioned above?
it could be that you just have a more dynamic arrangement / mix. There's nothing necessarily wrong with having that much of a difference in the RMS readings, as long as the loudest point is consistent and the other elements are balanced properly. That said, I still would suggest delivering with your RMS peak at -9 to -6. Just about all the music delivered will be "turned down" but it's to create consistency and on other platforms you would have a substantially less loud mix compared to everything else
Thanks for the great video. One question. If I have a song with big dynamics such that half the song is at -20 LUFS and the other half at -10, so the integrated is -15 LUFS, what would Spotify do? Would they allow my -10 sections to play at full volume, because the integrated is quieter than their limit? Thanks.
essentially it will just adjust the integrated to be -14 LUFS so the momentary loudness could be above this
i'm from the future. loudness won.
My EP got hit with the normalization badly, the mix is much quiter and seems not as full. I tried changing the normalization option on spotify but I don't hear a difference, perhaps it is because I sent it to them via Distrokid, wouldn't surprise me if they did some tweaking to it.
Distrokid doesn't change the sound of the files you deliver. The streaming services will turn down your tracks, if the listener is using "level matching" options
@@SeanDivine But I hear next to no difference when I switch between on and off??
so they are only turning down the overall volume of the mix and not compressing the signal for it to reach the -14 LUFS goal?
correct!
why does your master go into the red on universal audio monitor reading? while most commercial stuff does not? and movie sound tracks can be just as loud and never go out of the green.. how do they do that and why?
there's a conversion happening on CZcams videos that causes overs for true peak in most cases... otherwise, my delivered masters are below 0dB true peak which will keep you from seeing "red"
Can you do an i depth gain staging tutorial for 2 track mixing
czcams.com/video/nLnsPPde_Eg/video.html
So LUFS is the digital equivalent of the analogue PPM standard?
do you have an updated standart list for every platform?
Hi! how much ohm is better to buy beyerdynamic dt 770 pro? 80 Ohm or 250? The sound card is not the best: m-audio fast track.
Sean, have you tried the Multimeter in Logic?
yes, it's great just hope they add LUFS!
LUFS is included in 10.4.1, but it's broken into two further indices... LU-S being a running level, LU-I being the overall average level. LU-I will eventually become a fixed figure once you run through the entire piece. Thanks for all of your vids and insights... you're a great teacher!
hello a translation with the subtitles please
Achuré LUFS -14 to -9
@@DreErdna Thank you
Hello, mostly I get mastering for my songs I left nice dynamic ranges and I try to keept this range with don't lose LFUS hardly.I try soundcloud streaming but for learning I do mostly -16.5, -17 -15.5 LFUS to get but When I streaming in there sound same as my bounced wav --loudness.So-- you made your -10 LFUS song to stream and get -14.5 and a loudness lost but when I look itunes mastering recommended -16.5 --mostly.My-- example is there reversed station; what If I'm streaming my -18 LFUS song still nice ranged the my song is heard more loudness in spotify with can not losing rms- dynamic range? Or is still be -18 LFUS because some song are hearing week and week hearing is not good mastered I think
So when I put my music on major platforms, I don't really have to align audio level at -14LUFS. You can submit your music at -8RMS as Sean says because platforms automatically set their level at -14LUFS? Is it all about the playback system? I'm so confused lol
essentially, yes. This video speaks a bit more about the overall goal and it's not necessarily going for exactly -14 LUFS :) czcams.com/video/1QY9NLpv8mU/video.html
Question.. when you mix into the limiter where do you want your peaks to max out at once you have your rms ar 9. Because my peaks are hitting from 4 to 6 over 0db but it still sounds good & rms looks good
it's best not to go above 0db (true peak). I usually set the ceiling to -.1
Hey i produced a rock song, the instrumental is mastered and is around -14 lufs. But when the vocals come in the chorus the lufs becomes around -11. I uploaded it to spotify like 3 times to try different techniques but the song is always played back a little bit toooooo quiet... why how
are you listening with the "normalize volume" option on? If so, how does it compare with other commercial records? What is the integrated reading for your entire song?
Would you make a video on building the best affordable studios?
It’s gonna be helpful for a lot of people
Clean industry sound level though
Not just the regular really cheap way that they have on CZcams
I know a lot of people who didn’t spend a lot of money on their studios but they put it together the right way, which is the key 🔑
Thank you
I'll see what I can do 🤜
If the platform just turns it down? Why does delivering it at a certain level even matter?
because not all platforms do this and none do it in the same way - you'd rather it be loud / competitive in the case it's not turned down, and if it is it will be simply be consistent with the rest
HEY MAN! SHOULD I MEASURE INTEGRATED FROM THE BEGINNING OF MY SONG TILL THE END OF IT? OR JUST STARTING FROM THE LOUDEST PART? HELP
if you want a true integrated measurement, yes it should be through the entire song. Otherwise, it would be a short term or momentary measurement
Thank’s you are the man!
Hombre si de entrada ya estás pasando de cero db en la entrada de señal vamos bien entonces 🤔🤔 . Jamás una señal tiene que picar a cero antes del proceso de mastering veo un Grave error que nadie menciona . Por lo visto lo importante es el volumen a costa de que ???
Every album mix that I've delivered to an ME (mastering engineer), I have been careful to leave "room" for them to master. I aim for RMS -11 and TP -0.1. I have never checked LUFS (until now). The masters always come back great, but I have never been offered separate masters for iTunes or Spotify until this year. Do I need to change what I am delivering to the ME ?
I would suggest leaving more headroom in terms of peak levels (at least 3-4 dB)
Sean Divine ok, so in that same mix, the only limiting occurring is only up to 2 dB in 2 or 3 spots. Would an ME be able to do a better job if I lowered the overall output by 3 dB and took the limiter off?
how do I make adjust my Lufs level?
can you recommend a VST meter That Has these
youlean loudness meter
Most daws have them built in, but WAVE also has a LUFS meter in its range of plugins..
does this mean we don't have to think about making our master as loud as possible like hitting 0db ? or do you mean that after the song is mastered and assuming that it's hitting 0db then we have to bring down the volume of the track to the specific streaming service requirements, before uploading it ?
I would suggest getting it as close as possible to 0db (true peak) but as far as LUFS, it will just adjust it accordingly to the standard - czcams.com/video/myTcnK1lRUA/video.html
Sean Divine Got it, thanks for the quick reply!
I tried to Meter a commercial released CD and it reaches around -5 RMS on the chorus part , is that a standard for commercially released CD? Thanks!
nothing is necessarily "standard", although they're definitely getting louder RMS levels these days :)
Sometimes i swear my rms meters and regular level meters in logic dont read accurate cuz my masters will sound loud as a commercially relased track but the rms level reads super low still. Why can this happen?
the stock RMS meter in logic (and many other meters) is 3dB lower than some others
@@SeanDivine Thank you so much
Hey Sean, love the videos! Why have an integrated LUFS of more than -13 (CZcams’s standard) if it’s going to be getting turned down?
Where instead you could have more dynamic range. Or does the dynamic range not really much in Hip Hop music?
I’m not sure if I’ve heard you talk about dynamic range in our songs. Please let know what u think. Peace and love ❤️
Hey Andre, unless you plan to make a different version of your master for each release channel (there are hundreds of distribution platforms these days), it's safe to have a loud and competitive master that may be turned down by specific services but will still compete for those that don't. Typically in Hip Hop and modern beat driven music, dynamic range isn't as much of a concern - the beats stay consistent mostly throughout the song and we're seeking impact and fullness. Don't confuse dynamic range with dynamics in general though - we still want the master to sound punchy and crisp, not flattened by a limiter for the sake of simply louder levels
Sean Divine Thank you so much dude!!! This clears up things a ton. You’re a mentor to me and so many others. You’re the best, Sean! Keep going strong 💪😎🧠👍