Mastering Assistant. - LUFS and mp3Gain - new things have come to light.

[mrgeeze]

I create a lot of backing tracks for my performance as an instrumental guitarist. 

I started using the Mastering Assistant on 10.8 and its really improved the quality. Good stuff

It is important that all my tracks have reasonably close output levels. that way I don't adjust track volume once i set it at soundcheck. I normally use mp3gain as a final check of the mp3 bounce before going into my performance software.   I shoot for 89db on mp3gain. Before Mp3 gain it was pretty easy to dial in my mix with the Logic loudness plugin and LUFS meter.

With the mastering assistant i'm coming in about 5db hot on my "normal" mix. 92-92 db.  It forces me to dial back the Dynamics (Loudness) dial on the mastering assistant to about .5. with a LUFS reading of about -19.   I'm not clipping the master out on Logic.

The .5 setting  sounds fine in my player software (anytune pro) with no clipping nor under-saturation (my term) on the histogram on the player.

Is this just the new way of doing things or are there things I need to be aware of.

Thanks,

[David Nahmani]

12 hours ago, mrgeeze said:

92-92 db.

I'm not sure what the 92 dB is a measure of? 

If the peak level is too hot, you could always insert a Gain plug-in after the Mastering Assistant plug-in and turn down the gain there. 

If instead you dial down the Loudness in MA then you're changing the dynamic of the mix. 

It all depends what your desired outcome is. 

 

[mrgeeze]

David,

I understand you on the gain plug in after mastering.

My objective is to produce Backing Tracks (i currently play a book of about 100 tunes) that play at comparable volumes while performing. Consider a semi-nonstop setlist situation. Obiously some variance is expected (funk vs ballad) but there should be no loud jumps in volume (too loud OR too quiet) from song to song as I work through the setlist.

Mp3Gain has a "target" output it attempts to reach using its secret sauce (if necessary). It also advises whether you are clipping (pre and/or post processing). Its been a useful too for me

Before using mastering assistant my workflow had evolved so I could normally hit the target (89db) directly on the bounce from Logic. Mp3gain effectively did nothing,  serving as a final verification of output volume. Outside observer, piece of mind if. you will.

MA puts out a mix that's about 5db hotter than what I was targeting. There is no clipping in this hotter MA created bounce before I adjust loudness as i described.

Perhaps I should just get used to the new hotter level and learn to embrace it. That way I can remaster all 100 tracks. what fun. By completion I may be a MasteringAssistant Master.

Thanks,

 

[David Nahmani]

1 minute ago, mrgeeze said:

Perhaps I should just get used to the new hotter level and learn to embrace it. That way I can remaster all 100 tracks. what fun. By completion I may be a MasteringAssistant Master.

If you like the sound of the mix that Mastering Assistant is outputting then I would either leave it the way it is or use a Gain plug-in to turn it down but if my understanding is correct, mp3gain guesses some kind of dB SPL level in the room when the tracks are reproduced? In which case it really doesn't matter what your target is (89 or 92) as long as you compensate by turning the monitoring level up or down 3 dB upon playback. 

[mrgeeze]

Agreed. 

Now on to remixing all the stuff.

[David Nahmani]

Best of luck! 🙂