Wave Burner new bee question on normalizing/mastering.

[JCcares]

I read somewhere that using normalizing function in WB during the mastering process is bad or even uneccesary.Please give me your thoughts on that.

 

When I master a song there are portions in the song,f(or example during an instrumental section of a song with vocals) where the overall volume dips down.In WB I see a feature where we could normalize a selected section of a song.Will it be appropriate to normalize those sections?

 

If i like the mix of a certain song & all I need is to pump up the volume for a CD production,what are the plug-ins that I would need to use to get just the volume up for commercial production? Is this the job of the Limiter alone or do I need to use more plugins in play?

I understand the vastness of the subject of Mastering.But your tips on this would sure help.

 

Thanks.

[thedivisionbell]

You're broaching a very wide topic here. The answer to these questions is basically the work of a mastering engineer.

 

Anyway, I'll answer what questions I can:

 

When I master a song there are portions in the song,f(or example during an instrumental section of a song with vocals) where the overall volume dips down.In WB I see a feature where we could normalize a selected section of a song.Will it be appropriate to normalize those sections?

 

No, because the volume level will artificially and suddenly rise in those sections. Normalizing anything while mastering is usually a bad idea. Try using a compressor in the mastering chain, or even automating the volume to have a gradual volume rise.

 

If i like the mix of a certain song & all I need is to pump up the volume for a CD production,what are the plug-ins that I would need to use to get just the volume up for commercial production? Is this the job of the Limiter alone or do I need to use more plugins in play?

This, again, is exactly what mastering is all about. You can use compression to bring up the 'meat' of the sound and reducing the transient 'spikes', but this will impact the sound of the mix. You'll have to suitably adjust the compression until you're happy with the balance between transient clarity and volume. Often multiband compression is used too.

[jmastawoods]

Simply put, music has loud parts and quieter parts. The more compression/limiting is applied to a track the closer the loud/quiets get to each other in volume. I personally prefer more dynamic mixes, but others like a smashed "loud" sound. But you should never/rarely need to normalize your tracks.