How to increase volume of master

Hi all,

 

I have a wav files that has -15 db integrated LUFS.

 

I want to push this up, to integrate it to a video and make it sound louder by default.

 

How can I increase the loudness, while keeping the sound good?

I guess I could just slide up the volume of the fader on the master track, but is that the right way to do it, or will that just screw up the sound quality?

 

(I know nothing about mastering, so please speak slowly).

 

Thanks!

Add a Gain plugin on the Stereo Out.

Then put an Adaptive Limiter to avoid peaks.

Done.

Thanks for that!

What do I need to watch out for, to avoid messing this up?

The file was mastered by a pro. My fear is that I will mess it up in a way that I don't really hear, or maybe that is ok for my audio equipment, but not all.

Thanks for that!

What do I need to watch out for, to avoid messing this up?

The file was mastered by a pro. My fear is that I will mess it up in a way that I don't really hear, or maybe that is ok for my audio equipment, but not all.

 

if the file was already mastered, why do you need to change anything?....

Indeed if the file was mastered by a pro, and you don't want to mess anything up, then don't change anything to the file. If you need a louder master, then ask the pro for a louder master.

 

If raise the gain and then add a limiter, you risk completely changing the balance of the mix, the transients, the dynamic, you may end up adding distortion, etc.

What do I need to watch out for, to avoid messing this up?

The file was mastered by a pro. My fear is that I will mess it up in a way that I don't really hear, or maybe that is ok for my audio equipment, but not all.

 

Decide what loudness target you want.

Adaptive Limiter should be last. Don't add any gain there if you want little change in the dynamics of the file.

Increase the gain on the Gain plugin until you reach the loudness level you want.

Thanks for that!

What do I need to watch out for, to avoid messing this up?

The file was mastered by a pro. My fear is that I will mess it up in a way that I don't really hear, or maybe that is ok for my audio equipment, but not all.

 

if the file was already mastered, why do you need to change anything?....

 

Because I want the file to be louder.

Indeed if the file was mastered by a pro, and you don't want to mess anything up, then don't change anything to the file. If you need a louder master, then ask the pro for a louder master.

 

If raise the gain and then add a limiter, you risk completely changing the balance of the mix, the transients, the dynamic, you may end up adding distortion, etc.

 

Ok, that's what I feared. Asking the pro is not an option unfortunately.

 

 

Decide what loudness target you want.

Adaptive Limiter should be last. Don't add any gain there if you want little change in the dynamics of the file.

Increase the gain on the Gain plugin until you reach the loudness level you want.

 

Sorry, I am a little confused between "Don't add any gain" and "Increase the gain on the Gain plugin".

Sorry, I am a little confused between "Don't add any gain" and "Increase the gain on the Gain plugin".

 

The Adaptive Limiter has a gain knob as well, so don't add gain there. Make sense?

Sorry, I am a little confused between "Don't add any gain" and "Increase the gain on the Gain plugin".

 

The Adaptive Limiter has a gain knob as well, so don't add gain there. Make sense?

 

Ah yes, got it, thanks!

If I do it that way, do you think it will stay very close to the original dynamics of the song?

If I do it that way, do you think it will stay very close to the original dynamics of the song?

It all depends how much gain reduction you're creating with the limiter. The more reduction, the more you affect the original. Use your eyes (watch the REUDCTION meter in the Adaptive Limiter) and your ears (listen for frequency content change, distortion, transients, punch, dynamic, how the volume changes between song sections, etc...) to determine how much reduction is acceptable to you.

if you open the mastered file in logic, with it's track and the mix out at 0db.... what level shows? if it peaks at 0db, or something close (ie -0.2), you should leave it alone, it's already 'loud'.

 

if it's significantly lower (ie -6db), then... 2 things: make it louder, and... your 'pro' mastering person did not do their job correctly.

if you open the mastered file in logic, with it's track and the mix out at 0db.... what level shows? if it peaks at 0db, or something close (ie -0.2), you should leave it alone, it's already 'loud'.

 

if it's significantly lower (ie -6db), then... 2 things: make it louder, and... your 'pro' mastering person did not do their job correctly.

Thanks for your help.

When I play the song, the peak level written is -1 dB

 

When I play the song, the peak level written is -1 dB

Then you can safely add at least 1 dB of gain without affecting the mix at all.

as david says, above. and you should not need any limiting, etc. just push the level up slightly, until the peaks reach 0 (or close); never OVER 0....

Ok, excellent. Thank you. I will push the fader up slightly, and export after that. Thank you

if you open the mastered file in logic, with it's track and the mix out at 0db.... what level shows? if it peaks at 0db, or something close (ie -0.2), you should leave it alone, it's already 'loud'.

 

if it's significantly lower (ie -6db), then... 2 things: make it louder, and... your 'pro' mastering person did not do their job correctly.

 

Yes but perceived volume could still be low. It also depends on what kind of file is this? Music? Spoken words? You can have the file peek at 0.1 but still the perceived volume will be low because you have lots of low end energy and nothing in mid range etc. Some files can be mastered much much louder to have very loud perceived loudness. It is very complicated. Also depends on your needs. You might sacrifice dynamics for loudness some people just don’t care. Not saying it’s wrong it’s really up to your taste.

If I do it that way, do you think it will stay very close to the original dynamics of the song?

 

Correct. The idea is you push the volume with the Gain plugin, and use the Adaptive Limiter to stop the peaks above zero.

The adaptive limiter behaves the same whether you raise the gain before the input of the adaptive limiter, or using the input gain knob inside the adaptive limiter. In both cases you're raising the input gain. What affects how much you're affecting the input signal is the amount of gain reduction applied by the adaptive limiter.

Thanks for the explanation David!

try these things, see what works for you. if you can push the perceived level with the adaptive limiter, and it sounds good (and not overloaded in any way)... you're golden. at the end of the day, trust your ears (but don't let the meters go over zero...)

If it’s mastered you can also just leave it as is and turn up the volume on your playback device when playing back the video. not being a smart ass... that’s really a good option unless you find it to be much lower than other videos.

OP... let us know what you wind up doing, and how the new master turns out (am curious about what finally works for you). thanx!

Great, thank you both for your help!