Proper mastering loudness ???

[Unaspected]

Note that mixing (addition) can also be negative (subtraction).

The result of A - B = depends upon the inverse of correlation, but for a correlation of zero = 1.

A great example of this is when you subtract two pulse (square) waves. In-phase with matching frequency they'll be 100% correlated and the result will be zero of course.

Where they're not fully correlated however such as when slightly out-of-phase the result can be of equal peak amplitude and only differing amplitude of individual harmonic partials.

Due to this fact you can get some very interesting results using subtraction and phase shifts.

Here is a great example of something like this:



The second waveform has the same audible effect as two detuned "up saw" ramp waveforms even though it has a peak amplitude of exactly 1.

I've never seen that detuning trick before but I can imagine it working. Thank you so much for sharing! I'll have to experiment with this.

[Armadillo]

I'm no expert but I think we focus way too much on compression.
Once I started using things like side chaining, saturation and soft clipping, my mixes not only got louder but also sounded less squashed.

[aciddose]

I've never seen that detuning trick before but I can imagine it working. Thank you so much for sharing! I'll have to experiment with this.

The most obvious example is subtraction of two ramps where the result is a pulse wave.

When subtracting two pulses the peak amplitude is 2, but by reducing the amplitude by 1/2 you end up with an interestingly shaped waveform that maintains the same amplitude.

The same is possible with any low order waveform.

[2NDMOUSE]

There is absolutely no point in mastering to these levels anymore.
Every streaming site from spotify to apple music to tidal to youtube, now auto-limit every track that is uploaded to their servers, so that tracks that have been brickwalled have no advantage in loudness levels over a quieter piece of classical music.
Its not about loudness anymore. Its about dynamics and a genuinely interesting mix rather than every waveform looking like a sausage.

[Hermetech Mastering]

Auto attenuate, not auto limit. And not every track. If your track is very low some streaming services will auto limit it, not good!

[Samplecraze]

This is one method we use to maximise headroom and therefore loudness:
https://www.samplecraze.com/tutorials/s ... -loudness/