Using Youlean when mastering?
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- KVRist
- 479 posts since 9 Jan, 2023
Trying to figure out how to use this plugin, since you can't put it after the master volume. I had success bringing the exported master track back in and analyzing the LUFs on an individual track, but I was hoping to find a way to avoid having to do that.
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- KVRist
- 374 posts since 18 Nov, 2023
Keep the master vol itself at 0 dB, which means not decreasing the signal (like i.e. -3 dB would do), and not increasing the signal (like + 3 dB would do), but just keep it neutral, which is what "0" means. Then place your plugin before it. That's it. Later on, when rendering, do not normalize, if you want to stay with what you adjusted with the guidance of that Youlean plugin. If you want a Vol adjustment before the Youlean plugin, then just add another Vol plugin there.
Classical guitar --> Line Audio CM4 @ SSL12 --> KDE-Plasma @ Debian-Linux --> Waveform PRO 13.5
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- KVRAF
- 1597 posts since 9 Jan, 2018
Absolutely correct. Be advised that Waveform's default setting is -3dB on the master bus fader, so you'll want to bring this up to 0dB first and on every project. Or save it that way on a template, which is what I do.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 479 posts since 9 Jan, 2023
Ah! Didn't even consider that. Thanks, guys!
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 479 posts since 9 Jan, 2023
Alright, so another question, if I may...
I can't seem to get the Youlean integrated LUFS above -20 or so without going over 0 db on the volume meter (into the red). Any advice?
I can't seem to get the Youlean integrated LUFS above -20 or so without going over 0 db on the volume meter (into the red). Any advice?
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- KVRist
- 374 posts since 18 Nov, 2023
Do I understand you correctly, that your loudest peaks reach up to 0 dbFS, and at the same time you measure -20 LUFS?
Then your dynamic range is big. This can be wanted, because it sounds good. For the recording of a classical symphony orchestra, which shall be replayed as original as possible, these values appear just right!
But if you find some parts of your composition to just sound too quite, than you can use a compressor, with makeup gain, for smashing the loud peaks down, and afterwards rising up all what remained. The compressor compresses the dynamic range, the dynamic range will be lower after the compression. As said, for classical music, listened to on good HiFi equipment, this is not really wanted. However, for most Rock and Pop music, a lowered dynamic range, so that allover everything can be lifted up in loudness and listened to louder, often is exactly what is wanted. If the music shall be listened to on low quality speakers, like on a cell phone, like on a TV without having special speakers connected to them, or as background music like in a shopping mall, restaurant or bar, then a low dynamic range is also wanted.
You might want to find some good read and learn about dbFS (peak), dBFS (RMS), LUFS (momentary, short, integrated) and LRA, and also on how a compressor works.
Then your dynamic range is big. This can be wanted, because it sounds good. For the recording of a classical symphony orchestra, which shall be replayed as original as possible, these values appear just right!
But if you find some parts of your composition to just sound too quite, than you can use a compressor, with makeup gain, for smashing the loud peaks down, and afterwards rising up all what remained. The compressor compresses the dynamic range, the dynamic range will be lower after the compression. As said, for classical music, listened to on good HiFi equipment, this is not really wanted. However, for most Rock and Pop music, a lowered dynamic range, so that allover everything can be lifted up in loudness and listened to louder, often is exactly what is wanted. If the music shall be listened to on low quality speakers, like on a cell phone, like on a TV without having special speakers connected to them, or as background music like in a shopping mall, restaurant or bar, then a low dynamic range is also wanted.
You might want to find some good read and learn about dbFS (peak), dBFS (RMS), LUFS (momentary, short, integrated) and LRA, and also on how a compressor works.
Classical guitar --> Line Audio CM4 @ SSL12 --> KDE-Plasma @ Debian-Linux --> Waveform PRO 13.5
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 479 posts since 9 Jan, 2023
Yeah...talby wrote: Tue Aug 19, 2025 6:38 pm Do I understand you correctly, that your loudest peaks reach up to 0 dbFS, and at the same time you measure -20 LUFS?
Then your dynamic range is big. This can be wanted, because it sounds good. For the recording of a classical symphony orchestra, which shall be replayed as original as possible, these values appear just right!
But if you find some parts of your composition to just sound too quite, than you can use a compressor, with makeup gain, for smashing the loud peaks down, and afterwards rising up all what remained. The compressor compresses the dynamic range, the dynamic range will be lower after the compression. As said, for classical music, listened to on good HiFi equipment, this is not really wanted. However, for most Rock and Pop music, a lowered dynamic range, so that allover everything can be lifted up in loudness and listened to louder, often is exactly what is wanted. If the music shall be listened to on low quality speakers, like on a cell phone, like on a TV without having special speakers connected to them, or as background music like in a shopping mall, restaurant or bar, then a low dynamic range is also wanted.
You might want to find some good read and learn about dbFS (peak), dBFS (RMS), LUFS (momentary, short, integrated) and LRA, and also on how a compressor works.
The acoustic guitars are kinda the base of my projects, but the songs are kinda pop/rock for the most part -- drums, bass, etc. in there. I moderately compress just about everything, including the individual instrument buses. And then, here lately anyway, will do some creative compressing using BusterSE to bring everything together, and then Kotelnikov, compressing the diff and sum differently, perhaps with different release times set to the bpm equation.
That being said, I do try to maintain a fairly good amount of dynamics. But nothing drastic. And I use the mono switch to help keep levels where I perceive them to be sitting well together.