Louder, please
One of the most common requests from customers is more volume for their mixes.
It is usually possible to make a mix louder (up to 10 dB!), especially in the digital environment, in fact, it is something you can do by yourself any maximizer –almost any plugin brand has at least one.
The thing is, more volume does not mean better quality and a mix will not stand out on a Spotify or YouTube playlist because it has more volume; in fact it is the exact opposite.
Walk in your audience's shoes
When you listen to music in any of these services, ask yourself the question: Would I like to play a song, adjust the volume to my taste, just for the next song to play way louder (or quieter)?
This is why all digital platforms have volume standards, to make the user experience more pleasant (just as traditional radio does) and each one has its own standard, with Apple Music being the one that uses the least volume and therefore, allowing greater dynamic range.
Because of this, if your music is too loud, each platform will adjust it until it meets its guidelines thus making useless to go louder.
It's about your audience, not yourself
Remember that your audience is what makes you relevant, at the end of the day, they are the ones you want to attend your shows and listen to your music but ... What if it is not pleasant?
To achieve loudness, it is necessary to take it from the dynamic range or in other words 'crush it', no exceptions, and there is nothing more harmful to your music than a sound with little or no transition between the lowest and highest volume (dynamic range), it is too boring and not very enjoyable for the listener.
Another important thing is that crushing the sound to achieve volume generates a lot of distortion and although maximizers are specialized in minimizing it, and the listener may not know that the sound is distorted, they certainly won't have a pleasant experience.
Mastering is not about loudness
Lastly, keep in mind that mastering has more to do with 'polishing' your mix so that it delivers its best sound on any playback system and streaming service than just making it louder. In fact, what we do in terms of volume is to adjust it to meet the specifications of streaming services (approximately -13 LUFS).
Always remember that it is about standing out from other artists for the quality of the song through a clear, forceful and pleasant sound and not for being the one who 'yells' the loudest.
Always remember that it is about standing out from other artists for the quality of the song through a clear, forceful and pleasant sound and not for being the one who 'yells' the loudest.
DIY
If what you are looking for is to increase the volume of your mix without resorting to a mastering studio like us, you can always use these plugins in the master bus of your mix, keep in mind that they are only a few options since there are many brands and models with different characteristics and sound:
Analog Mastering Tools Nomad Factory – Single or multi-band maximizer at an affordable price
L3 Multimaximizer Waves – An excellent multi-band option with independent release, a moderately priced option but Waves has constant offers on their products.
Precision Maximizer Universal Audio – If you have a little more to spend, this maximizer is an excellent option, just remember that you must have an Apollo interface or a Satellite accelerator from UAD
bx_XL V2 Brainworx – This maximizer has the ability to process in M-S mode, it is not cheap but Plugin-Alliance has special sales very often.
ML8000 McDSP – One of the best plugins out there that can process multi band and single band at the same time. This tool is the one we use in Noise Mastering Studio® when we require software maximization.
