|
LUFS
Dec 14, 2015 16:22:22 GMT -6
Post by Johnkenn on Dec 14, 2015 16:22:22 GMT -6
So - loudness-wise on the LUFS scale... Should I be around -11.5 LUFS?
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 14, 2015 17:00:04 GMT -6
Post by joseph on Dec 14, 2015 17:00:04 GMT -6
Bob should have a more informed answer to this question. But I think that is too high for master level. Since iTunes limits to ~-16LUFS now, and YouTube to ~-13LUFS, there's not much point for a master to go higher these days. Ideally you'd have separate mixes/masters for music files and video. But practically speaking, -16 max integrated over a track seems a good target for music/streaming, ~20-24 for classical, for sufficient loudness but preserving dynamics, and -1db of additional headroom on the master limiter to avoid codec and normalization distortion, since iTunes will limit the files anyway, and if your file is normalized to a louder standard, you want some headroom to avoid too much clipping. Whereas 24/23 is the standard for broadcast. www.digido.com/forum/welcome-mat/142-lufs-for-cd-what-to-use.html
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 14, 2015 18:52:19 GMT -6
Post by Guitar on Dec 14, 2015 18:52:19 GMT -6
I am curious about this as well. What are you using as a meter? Is there a plugin for this? I am trying to get more consistent with my loudness.
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 14, 2015 19:19:23 GMT -6
Guitar likes this
Post by joseph on Dec 14, 2015 19:19:23 GMT -6
Nugen VisLM 2, iZotope Insight, Avid Pro Limiter, Waves WLM, Toneboosters EBULoudness, Klangfreund LUFS Meter, MLoudnessAnalyzer, HOFA 4U Meter are some options.
But this is a loudness standard, not a replacement for a mastering engineer on a serious record.
That said, for SoundCloud, master level demos, YouTube demos, whatever, it's an easy standard to follow.
And to know your mixes are not already squashed pre-master.
If your mixes don't break the -24 broadcast standard, for example, then you know you have a good dynamic range starting point, and you leave plenty of headroom for mastering to cd, streaming, or itunes.
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 15, 2015 5:15:00 GMT -6
Post by henge on Dec 15, 2015 5:15:00 GMT -6
Ahh I didn't now that Soundcloud was embracing LUFS!
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 15, 2015 8:10:12 GMT -6
via mobile
Post by joseph on Dec 15, 2015 8:10:12 GMT -6
Ha, they're not yet.
I just used it as an example of when you want demos to be reasonably loud.
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 16, 2015 14:44:58 GMT -6
Post by Johnkenn on Dec 16, 2015 14:44:58 GMT -6
So - even at -11.5 LUFS, my masters still aren't as loud as pop masters...what gives?
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 16, 2015 15:11:21 GMT -6
Post by EmRR on Dec 16, 2015 15:11:21 GMT -6
I don't know that Spectrafoo supports LUFS yet, they need to get on that.
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 16, 2015 15:17:46 GMT -6
Post by Johnkenn on Dec 16, 2015 15:17:46 GMT -6
I'm using The Cubase LUFS meter...Seems -10.5 gets me there. Still doesn't sound like I'm crushing anything.
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 16, 2015 18:05:27 GMT -6
Post by joseph on Dec 16, 2015 18:05:27 GMT -6
Are you looking at integrated, or momentary max or short term? What I'm talking about is integrated or sustained energy of -16 to -13 but with limiter to prevent overshoots. Compression will lower the crest factor (ratio of peak to average RMS), or in this system the loudness range (softest to loudest in LRA/in LU), so that may be a factor in what you're hearing/not hearing. Your loudness range may be too large. I would think -13 LUFS would be plenty sustained loudness for pop. itunes is normalized to -16, YouTube to -13, and Spotify I think is around -12 max. Of course a track may sound more distorted if it was limited to a louder level, just not really louder when streamed after normalization. If you go higher, you're killing your dynamic range beyond the playback level of most streaming/mobile. Mixing at 24bit under classical music/broadcast target of around -24-20 would be to preserve all dynamics and then you'd trust a mastering engineer to raise it to the appropriate higher loudness target. That way you know you haven't squashed really anything beforehand, and you leave as much headroom as needed for any delivery format. At least, that's how I understand it. www.tcelectronic.com/media/3363942/lra-design.pdf
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 16, 2015 19:01:29 GMT -6
Post by Johnkenn on Dec 16, 2015 19:01:29 GMT -6
Integrated...
|
|
|
LUFS
Dec 16, 2015 21:14:26 GMT -6
Post by joseph on Dec 16, 2015 21:14:26 GMT -6
My suggestion before you simply go higher is to try shooting for an integrated of -12 LUFS, since that will support Spotify replay gain (louder standard than YouTube or iTunes) without normalization, and leave -1-2 db on the limiter, for codec headroom, for the momentary parts above the integrated loudness (say -7-9 LUFS). Using bus compression, see how it sounds with an LRA range of around 10 LUs (loudness units equal to dBs). That should sound pretty squashed, but not ridiculously so (that would be like 5 LUs).
If you do it right, you should be able to find a compromise to your taste where you have a little more impact and less distortion with lossy conversion and streaming, plus a more optimal dynamic range, than if you just went to a higher integrated loudness off the bat.
Then later depending on the mandated loudness standard of your delivery medium (like an iTunes master at -16 LUFS), you can shoot for a lower LUFS on your master to avoid normalization artifacts, but similar LRA to what you think sounds good in the experiment above.
|
|