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
Thank you, Sean. I absolutely needed this. Starting out on this journey is intimidating, and can seem too much for an independent artist. People like you who are dedicated to giving us the information we need, is super valuable and greatly appreciated. Keep up your excellent work and I will be studying more content.
Makes total sense, I just put out a beat on Spotify as part of a community project. Mastered to -14 lufs. Now I understand I need to push a bit more as my beat wasn't as loud. Thx!
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
Super f*#@ing helpful! Period. I am musician first trying to get more and more knowledgeable about my mixing/mastering game. In just two of your videos, I have gone from staring blankly at these terms on my Cubase control room meter to having a solid grasp on what I am looking for. Thank you. I appreciate those willing to share their knowledge.
Good video, but funny enough i measured the lufs of very famous songs on spotify and they were around -9 lufs and -11 lufs so spotify didnt seem to put the track to -14 lufs. Then i released mine which was kinda same level of loudness as lets say Bruno Mars 24 k (-10 lufs), i notice spotify then put it at -15 lufs while on my master cd it was -10 lufs, so it seems they dont apply the same rule for everyone... The "set volume " option was off at all times so spotify did apply it autmatically on my song strangely enough without the option being turnt on ...
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.
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
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
Great video. May I ask: What are you setting your limiter ceiling output to be? I read a lot of people saying it should be -1db. Any truth in this? Thanks
Technically, yes. -1dB True Peak will allow some room for the conversion to lossy formats and prevent any undesired distortion that could happen there. In my experience, as long as it’s below 0 TP, the differences are negligible.
So for a track that is SUPPOSED to be more quiet what do i do? I have a fairly ambient piano track punctuated with a few sub thumps for added tension. The integrated is around 19LUFS, where as the peaks are hitting my limiter ceiling (set at 1.1dbs). Spotify would crank it to -14LUFS, which I assume would potentially make my peaks distort in ways I don't want. Do I simply need to turn down the sub in relation to the rest of the track, so it can be louder all together? I rather like how the sub feels against the rest of the track currently
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.
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?
This was my first thought when lufs came into play but I've heard people say both, make it Louder and let them turn it down, then I heard that if they turn it down they will turn it down more than-14... I wish they wld just use RMS I'm not a fan of lufs as of now!
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 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.
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 mastered my song at -9.8 Lufs yet on Spotify the song is significantly quieter than the rest. I know Spotify does this but in this video, you say that's a good area to be in.
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.
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, 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, 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
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.
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?
Very helpful instruction, thanks! I have a question: I have a 60-minute soundtrack with continuous music and very wide dynamic range (from whispers to sustained ff passages, both lasting for over 30 seconds each). I'm not clipping, but I wonder how to set overall LUFS values.
Depending on the delivery format, you can take integrated LUFS measurements and adjust the limiter / maximizer or individual track levels to hit your target. Ozone has a feature to set a target LUFS level also - ruclips.net/video/-JN3mH51Ur4/видео.html
Sean, thank you so much for this video even you are publish it for long a go. I'm new in mixing and mastering process and when I'm went trough the mixing process at the and now I have -14.5 LUFS of Momentary Max. -20.2 LUFS integrated and Short-term -76.4 / -16.3 LUFS. How can I get the loudness of my mix back according to measurement from your video? What to do in this situation?
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. :)
This is stupid Gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Sean! Man, man, man...
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?
Hey Sean, what's the best way to increase integrated lufs if my mix is running too quiet? Is it a simple fader issue, or does it have to do more with the compression/gain of the individual elements themselves. Thank you.
It depends on how dynamic your mix is and also the arrangement (i.e. is there a long intro without drums, quieter sections, etc.). In that case, adjusting the individual elements in the mix is the better option.
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, RUclips’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.
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.
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
My true peak is tagging -3. My rms is -7 to -8 but lufs is blasting the top off.. I seem to have something set wrong. Any suggestions would be appreciated
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"
I am Using cantini electric violin for upload my musics in social media platforms...I work in logic pro x....can you suggest me what's the best EQ level, compression 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
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
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 :) ruclips.net/video/1QY9NLpv8mU/видео.html
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 :)
Bruh, You got the best mixing channel on youtube. My opinion, Keep vibin'
appreciate it B!
Thank you, Sean. I absolutely needed this. Starting out on this journey is intimidating, and can seem too much for an independent artist. People like you who are dedicated to giving us the information we need, is super valuable and greatly appreciated. Keep up your excellent work and I will be studying more content.
Glad to help Quentin, you got this 🙏
Great video and you made it very easy to understand
Makes total sense, I just put out a beat on Spotify as part of a community project. Mastered to -14 lufs. Now I understand I need to push a bit more as my beat wasn't as loud. Thx!
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
After watching this video I now consider you a friend and a saviour. Thanx.
:)
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!
Informative! Cool Video 🎶🎥
Super f*#@ing helpful! Period. I am musician first trying to get more and more knowledgeable about my mixing/mastering game. In just two of your videos, I have gone from staring blankly at these terms on my Cubase control room meter to having a solid grasp on what I am looking for. Thank you. I appreciate those willing to share their knowledge.
glad to help, Michael! 🙌
The best video about mastering for Spotify that I have seen thus far! Thanks Sean!
glad it helped!
Thank you for such a clear explanation of the ‘why.’ Especially the tip about end user choice of switching the limiting on or off.
Mr Sean Divine,May God Bless You
🙏
Good video, but funny enough i measured the lufs of very famous songs on spotify and they were around -9 lufs and -11 lufs so spotify didnt seem to put the track to -14 lufs. Then i released mine which was kinda same level of loudness as lets say Bruno Mars 24 k (-10 lufs), i notice spotify then put it at -15 lufs while on my master cd it was -10 lufs, so it seems they dont apply the same rule for everyone... The "set volume " option was off at all times so spotify did apply it autmatically on my song strangely enough without the option being turnt on ...
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.
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
Great one .. i also prefer to keep it around -10 LUFS
Doing a album to be released. You just don't know how much this video just simplified things for me Thanks
glad to hear Stephen!
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! 🤜
Excellent video. Thank you
this clears up lot of confusion i had..thank u so much for the video..big hug buddy ♥️
Glad to hear it :)
This video came from heaven to me..thanks Sean
Great video🙏 Thanku teacher ❤️ much love from india
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.
Wow, you're really informative and explain well. And know the questions we have! thanks bro
CLARITY! Thanks for answering my questions
sure thing :)
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!
Great video. May I ask: What are you setting your limiter ceiling output to be? I read a lot of people saying it should be -1db. Any truth in this? Thanks
Technically, yes. -1dB True Peak will allow some room for the conversion to lossy formats and prevent any undesired distortion that could happen there. In my experience, as long as it’s below 0 TP, the differences are negligible.
Who could not like this video. Thanks Sir!
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!
wow. thanks for this Sean. Much appreciated. Very simple easy to understand/follow explanation here
glad it helped :)
So for a track that is SUPPOSED to be more quiet what do i do? I have a fairly ambient piano track punctuated with a few sub thumps for added tension. The integrated is around 19LUFS, where as the peaks are hitting my limiter ceiling (set at 1.1dbs). Spotify would crank it to -14LUFS, which I assume would potentially make my peaks distort in ways I don't want. Do I simply need to turn down the sub in relation to the rest of the track, so it can be louder all together? I rather like how the sub feels against the rest of the track currently
Spotify says it takes headroom into account when increasing loudness for quieter tracks and leaves 1dB of headroom
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 🙏🏽
Thank you so much Sean!
My pleasure!
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.
very helpful videos. thank you!!
Thank you, from Brazil !
🙌
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!
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
Love you bro,thanks ,godbless you.
This videos and your other videos are so incredibly helpful! Thank you!
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
Man.... so much clarity on this subject. Thanks
This was my first thought when lufs came into play but I've heard people say both, make it Louder and let them turn it down, then I heard that if they turn it down they will turn it down more than-14...
I wish they wld just use RMS I'm not a fan of lufs as of now!
Ok now I see that u proved your theory so I'm going back to the way I was doing it before! Thank you!
This is a great video , Thnx again Sean!!
My pleasure!
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.
Omg thank you so much, you’re a savior. Best explanation I found
thank you for all you do! much love
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 :)
Thanks for sharing. Explained so well.
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.
Great guy
what is the best LUPS level of a track after mastering to upload on youtube?
plz reply..
Dope vid! Thanks Man, very helpful...
Glad it helped!
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.
thank you for this, it is so good to know it!
thanks man, super helpful
I mastered my song at -9.8 Lufs yet on Spotify the song is significantly quieter than the rest. I know Spotify does this but in this video, you say that's a good area to be in.
I master my songs with a true peak of 0 db. My song is noticeably quieter than others with a -9.8 LUFS master.
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.
Thank you! very easy to understand when put that way.
:)
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
I'm going to be frequenting these videos often over the next month or so..
Sean is the man ! Thanks
Thans a bunch.
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, 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
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 👍
Thanks man!! Helped a lot!!
Glad to hear it!
Hi , thanks for the vid! Quick question: which Level and LUFS meters are you using? Thanks.
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?
awesome! thanks bro
Very helpful instruction, thanks! I have a question: I have a 60-minute soundtrack with continuous music and very wide dynamic range (from whispers to sustained ff passages, both lasting for over 30 seconds each). I'm not clipping, but I wonder how to set overall LUFS values.
Depending on the delivery format, you can take integrated LUFS measurements and adjust the limiter / maximizer or individual track levels to hit your target. Ozone has a feature to set a target LUFS level also - ruclips.net/video/-JN3mH51Ur4/видео.html
Sean, thank you so much for this video even you are publish it for long a go. I'm new in mixing and mastering process and when I'm went trough the mixing process at the and now I have -14.5 LUFS of Momentary Max. -20.2 LUFS integrated and Short-term -76.4 / -16.3 LUFS. How can I get the loudness of my mix back according to measurement from your video? What to do in this situation?
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.
:)
This is stupid Gold!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks Sean! Man, man, man...
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?
I’m learning so much!!
glad to hear it Mac!
Nice
Hey Sean, what's the best way to increase integrated lufs if my mix is running too quiet? Is it a simple fader issue, or does it have to do more with the compression/gain of the individual elements themselves. Thank you.
It depends on how dynamic your mix is and also the arrangement (i.e. is there a long intro without drums, quieter sections, etc.). In that case, adjusting the individual elements in the mix is the better option.
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 ?
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, RUclips’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 ✌🏼
My Go to guy..
Thank you sir!
welcome :)
Thanks, very very clear!
🙌🙏
I see what I was doing wrong. Thank you!
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.
ruclips.net/video/yLBr9x2UahQ/видео.html
@@SeanDivine thank you.
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, 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
My true peak is tagging -3. My rms is -7 to -8 but lufs is blasting the top off.. I seem to have something set wrong. Any suggestions would be appreciated
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"
I am Using cantini electric violin for upload my musics in social media platforms...I work in logic pro x....can you suggest me what's the best EQ level, compression 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
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
this helped a lot, thanks dude :)
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"
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 :) ruclips.net/video/1QY9NLpv8mU/видео.html
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.