How to balance loudness?

[killmaster]

Thanks! I will try this. Sounds reasonable! At times I don't have any standout instruments or tracks. More ambient evolving tones. The video above using a combination of Limiter and Loudness meter so far is working pretty well for me. Keeping the true peak at -1 db and not letting the loudness go above -14 on the LUFS meter. O, and also turning up my speakers has made a huge difference in me being able to judge loudness.

I'm glad things are working for you now. They seem like sensible boundaries to consider - especially for streaming platforms, YouTube, etc.

Ambient music leaves plenty of room for experimentation - which might sometimes feel like new ground, without much to consider as reference. However, you might benefit from approaching the mix in a manner similar to some orchestral music; especially sound textures and drones. Depends the structure of your compositions and the kinds of sounds you are using, of course.

Stay true to the program material.

Thanks for the great input. I tried using Tonal Balance Control and I couldn't get any of my ranges in the recommended boundaries. Do you use such a tool? I'm not sure I'd need to. My music is very experimental and abstract so I'm not trying to get it to conform to anything but loudness considerations at this point. Maybe a little EQ for enhancement. But I never use a compressor. I might try it someday.

[ON BEATS]

I've gotten so confused about how to balance my track's loudnesses. I find that I'm continually turning down tracks so my master output won't peak and then getting in a state where the mix sounds low volume overall and to really hear the master well, I have to turn my speakers up really high. So my question is, how do you go about dealing with this in your mixes?

Help is greatly appreciated. I'm just now starting to realize the need of having a straight forward way of dealing with this.

I haven't read the entire post but I need to hear your music to better advise you.

[No_Use]

I've gotten so confused about how to balance my track's loudnesses. I find that I'm continually turning down tracks so my master output won't peak and then getting in a state where the mix sounds low volume overall and to really hear the master well, I have to turn my speakers up really high. So my question is, how do you go about dealing with this in your mixes?

How you're doing it is totally fine imo.
Mix with enough headroom, so you don't have to watch the master for clipping constantly.
Turn up your monitors if needed.
The final loudness comes in the mastering stage, where the mix is pushed up with a limiter etc.

[Unaspected]

Thanks! I will try this. Sounds reasonable! At times I don't have any standout instruments or tracks. More ambient evolving tones. The video above using a combination of Limiter and Loudness meter so far is working pretty well for me. Keeping the true peak at -1 db and not letting the loudness go above -14 on the LUFS meter. O, and also turning up my speakers has made a huge difference in me being able to judge loudness.

I'm glad things are working for you now. They seem like sensible boundaries to consider - especially for streaming platforms, YouTube, etc.

Ambient music leaves plenty of room for experimentation - which might sometimes feel like new ground, without much to consider as reference. However, you might benefit from approaching the mix in a manner similar to some orchestral music; especially sound textures and drones. Depends the structure of your compositions and the kinds of sounds you are using, of course.

Stay true to the program material.

Thanks for the great input. I tried using Tonal Balance Control and I couldn't get any of my ranges in the recommended boundaries. Do you use such a tool? I'm not sure I'd need to. My music is very experimental and abstract so I'm not trying to get it to conform to anything but loudness considerations at this point. Maybe a little EQ for enhancement. But I never use a compressor. I might try it someday.

You're welcome.

I've never used tools like that. I simply pay casual attention to track clipping and the level meters of the mixer. I mix purely by ear. Mixing is all about problem solving and can be approached quite methodically so that you only need to focus on one thing at a time. You'll get there through experience (and good enough monitors/room) - so the more you do, the better you'll get. It's probably boring advice but it's true.

Best advice I can give for working with audio processors is to learn how they work in general - what they are doing to the audio in a physical manner - how the waveform is changed and why; how this relates to the frequency spectrum. That should best inform you as to when and why you need to apply them, so that you are always doing something for a clear reason and you know roughly what to expect before processing.

Oh. And simply listening. I think I learned most about audio production just by listening attentively - and to a wide range of musical genres.