Weird producer insecurity of mine: the perceived loudness of my tracks. It's something I can never seem to get right. My tracks always seem way too quiet when compared to similar ones, even if mastered to the same level.
I genuinely don't know how to fix this... I research it constantly.
I genuinely don't know how to fix this... I research it constantly.
Comments
To fix this, Go to File, Settings, Audio and scroll to Meters and change the Peak Meter Type to True Peak.
This will change the ranges on your audio meters and help you get more accurate audio.
i think I'm getting better at it tho
https://youtu.be/P8dzgU5Q4NU
It may not be 100% the fix but it helps!
Else make sure to test on a variety of outputs and do the spl math to gauge what feels like the appropriate loudness for your environment.
Heck, if you do the math you could figure the difference between what's too quiet for you and what makes sense.
I focus on getting levels between different instruments or vocals to blend, so things aren't too high or lost in the mix, and the different dynamics between quiet & loud parts is balanced right.
Then if you want it to feel louder, you can just turn the whole thing up.
whenever i find music quiet I just turn up the volume while listening
I stopped caring when I realized everybody including myself is constantly adjusting volume on their devices anyway, actual A/B scenarios are extremely rare.
(you've probably tried this I'm just memeing)
but probably the only way to get perceived loudness higher is more compression and then more gain
personally, i tell myself that my track might be quieter but probably has more dynamic range
https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:q6gjnaw2blty4crticxkmujt/feed/my-pins
you can also probably replace fruity limiter with fruity soft clipper for volume if you havent done that yet? idk something ive realized is that fruity limiter does a lot of unwanted audio clipping/compressing
https://youtu.be/oY079oVS3Nc?t=273
i feel the same about my music but the consensus among the listeners is that its not something they notice/care about
a good tune is a good tune!
-E