Sony Pixel Power calrec Sony

Friday Tips: Easy Song Level Matching

16/11/2018

As you've probably figured out, these tips document something I needed, and the solution. If you've ever put together an album or collection of songs, you know how difficult it can be to match levels-which I was reminded of all too clearly while preparing the album Joie de Vivre for upload to my YouTube channel. It's rock-meets-EDM, and is done as a continuous mix that includes not just songs, but transitions. So, all the levels had to be matched very carefully. Fortunately, Studio One's Project Page made it easy.

The key was using the Project Page's LUFS meter readings; for a complete explanation of LUFS, please check out the article I wrote for inSync magazine. In a nutshell, it's a way to measure audio's perceived level that's more sophisticated than the usual average, VU, or peak readings. If two songs have the same LUFS reading, they'll be perceived as having a similar (if not the same) level.

This measurement standard was created in response to issues involved in broadcasting and streaming services, and also in part as a backlash against the loudness wars. For example, YouTube doesn't want you to have to change the level every time a video changes, so they've standardized on making all audio -13 LUFS. It doesn't matter if you squash your master recording until it looks like a sausage, YouTube will adjust the perceived level so that it can slip into a playlist with something like a live acoustic jazz recording.

In Studio One's Project Page, the Loudness Information section for each song (Fig. 1) shows a song's LUFS as well as readings for the RMS average level (somewhat like a VU meter) and True Peak, which indicates not just peaks, but whether any peaks are exceeding the maximum headroom on playback, and by how much. The Loudness Information can come from before or after the track's effects, so to see how editing these alters the LUFS reading, choose the Post FX tab.

Fig. 1: The Tricomp/Limiter combination makes it easy to fine-tune the perceived loudness of your songs in the Project Page, as shown by the Loudness Information section (outlined in red).

Leveling the Levels Now that we know how to measure levels, here's one way to tweak them for consistency. We'll assume you want something fairly compressed/limited, but not enough to become collateral damage in the loudness wars.

For each track (likely all of them) that needs to be set to a certain LUFS measurement, insert the Tricomp compressor followed by the Limiter. The screen shot shows my preferred Tricomp settings, but note that the optimum Compress knob setting depends on the material. You don't want to compress too much, because the limiter will do most of the leveling anyway. If the gain reduction peaks reach the last s in Compress on the Limiter's Reduction meter, you probably won't hear too many artifacts, but you might not want to go any higher.

Next, decide what your target LUFS reading should be. As a very general rule of thumb, most rock songs are around -8 to -10 LUFS. -11 to -14 LUFS is considered as having a decent amount of dynamics, while classical music hangs out around -23 LUFS. Of course, this is all subjective-you can choose whatever level sounds right.

Now turn up the Limiter's input control. The Loudness Information label will change to Update Loudness. Click on this; Studio One will analyze the track, and show the LUFS reading. (Note: You can force a reading by right-clicking on the song in the track column, and choosing Detect Loudness. )

Adjust the limiter Input level, then update the loudness. If the LUFS is below your target, turn up the Input. If the result is higher than the desired LUFS, turn down the Input. It takes a little trial and error, but eventually you'll hit the target.

With the Tricomp and Limiter, once you get much above -13 LUFS you can hear the limiter because it's stereo. With a phase-linear multiband maximizer like the Waves L3 Multimaximizer, you can push for higher LUFS readings while still sounding reasonably free of artifacts. Still, I wouldn't want to go much above -10 LUFS-but as always, that's a subjective call and there are no rules. If you like the way it sounds, that's what matters.

However, be aware that even slight tweaks can make a difference, especially with the Tricomp. The Tricomp and the Limiter work together, and you can fine-tune the sound by fine-tuning each processor. For example, having Knee up all the way on the Tricomp gives more perceived loudness, and a narrower dynamic range which may or may not be what you want. Turning on Autospeed also makes a difference.

When you listen to Joie de Vivre, I think you'll hear that it benefited considerably by being adjusted in Studio One to a consistent LUFS reading. There's a decent amount of dynamics, but the average perceived level of all the cuts is very consistent and that's what this tip all about.
LINK: http://blog.presonus.com/index.php/2018/11/16/friday-tips-easy-song-le...
See more stories from presonus

Most recent headlines

03/06/2024

Dalet and Veritone Reach Agreement to Distribute, Transact and Monetize Media Archives

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, a...

28/04/2024

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with URSA Broadcast G2

Mediahaus delivers the first SRT live-streaming sports production over 5G with U...

29/03/2024

XenData Announces Media Portal for its LTO and Cloud Archive Solutions

XenData Announces Media Portal for its LTO and Cloud Archive Solutions Brie Clayton March 29, 2024 0 Comments XenData, the provider of cutting-edge da...

29/03/2024

Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max 2025 Released With Time-Saving New Toolsets

Autodesk Maya and 3ds Max 2025 Released With Time-Saving New Toolsets Brie Clayton March 29, 2024 0 Comments Autodesk Flow Production Tracking and Flo...

29/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB Show

PARIS Dalet has announced that during the 2024 NAB Show (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows that ...

29/03/2024

DirecTV Inks Deal to Carry 2024 Colorado Rockies Games

DENVER AND EL SEGUNDO, Calif. DirecTV has announced a new agreement with Major League Baseball that will allow Colorado Rockies fans to see this season's ga...

29/03/2024

S&P: Media, Telecom M&A Plunges to 13-Month Low

S&P Global Market Intelligence has released new data showing that dealmaking in the North America for media and telecom companies remains in the doldrums....

29/03/2024

NAB Show: Pebble Launches PRIMA Software Platform

EPSOM, Surrey, UK The automation, content management, and integrated channel specialist Pebble, has announced that it will be launching a new software platform ...

29/03/2024

Gray Television to Air Arena Football League Local Games

ATLANTA Gray Television Inc. has inked a multi-year agreement with the Arena Football League to bring Saturday arena football games over-the-air to local audien...

29/03/2024

Scandal!: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Scandal!: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...

29/03/2024

Generations: The Legacy - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Generations: The Legacy - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The So...

29/03/2024

Uzalo: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [video]

Uzalo: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [video]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African website...

29/03/2024

Meet the busker aiming to play at every London tube station

Meet the busker aiming to play at every London tube stationAustralian singer-songwriter Dan Tredget is aiming to become the first person to busk at every London...

29/03/2024

Streaming today: The Wages of Fear' on Netflix - 29 March 2024

Streaming today: The Wages of Fear' on Netflix - 29 March 2024Looking for something to watch tonight? Check out all the new streaming releases from all you...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Uzalo: Minenhle makes a huge mistake, because of nerves

Tonight on Uzalo: Minenhle makes a huge mistake, because of nervesDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Uzalo on SABC 1...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Umkhokha: Nokubonga learns the devastating news about her womb

Tonight on Umkhokha: Nokubonga learns the devastating news about her wombDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Umkhokha...

29/03/2024

Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka shares a job opening with Nkosi

Tonight on House of Zwide: Soka shares a job opening with NkosiDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on ...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Scandal: A mother is torn between history and truth

Tonight on Scandal: A mother is torn between history and truthDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Scandal! on e.tv on...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Muvhango: Reneilwe discovers some damning evidence proving her suspicion

Tonight on Muvhango: Reneilwe discovers some damning evidence proving her suspic...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa turns on the one guy he should be leaning on

Tonight on Skeem Saam: Lehasa turns on the one guy he should be leaning onDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Skeem S...

29/03/2024

Tonight on Generations: Palesa proves she still has some heart

Tonight on Generations: Palesa proves she still has some heartDon't miss Friday, 29 March's riveting episode of South African soapie Generations: The Le...

29/03/2024

Thales Announces Partnership with Saporo in Belgium to Empower Organizations with Enhanced Cybersecurity Resilience

Facebook Twitter LinkedIn This collaboration brings together Thales' e...

29/03/2024

Avoid Collaboration Concerns

By Craig Anderton As the universe of Studio One users grows, so do opportunities for collaboration. But your collaborator may not be using the same version of ...

29/03/2024

Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Muvhango: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South African webs...

29/03/2024

Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Gqeberha: The Empire - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South...

29/03/2024

My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

My Brother's Keeper: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The Sou...

29/03/2024

Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Umkhokha: The Curse - Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episodes of your favourite South African soapie on The South ...

29/03/2024

Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

Skeem Saam: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Missed an episode of Skeem Saam? No problem! Watch the latest episode of your favourite South African s...

29/03/2024

House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]

House of Zwide: Thursday's episode, 28 March 2024 [VIDEO]Stay up to date with the latest episode of South African soapie House of Zwide on The South African...

28/03/2024

No votes for all

Out of an estimated 20,000 journalists in Pakistan, less than one thousand are women according to a recent Gender Disparity Report published by the Internationa...

28/03/2024

Give Me the Backstory: Get to Know 8 Women Filmmakers With Shorts at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival

A still from Jasmin Baumgartner's Bye Bye, Bowser, which screened as part ...

28/03/2024

The Best Shared Storage For Video Production

alt= class=wp-image-12214 data-lazy-src=/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Best-Shared-Storage-EVO-logo-960x540-1.jpg/> Embarking on a cinematic journey or crafting a ...

28/03/2024

Future-Proofing the B-52

L3Harris is upgrading critical electronic warfare systems to ensure the iconic aircrafts spectrum superiority for decades to come....

28/03/2024

Supporting the RCAF for more than 25 Years with L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series

L3Harris' WESCAM MX-Series EO/IR systems have supported the RCAF for more than 25 years....

28/03/2024

ENCO to Add AI News Anchor to Qimera Virtual Production Set

NOVI, Mich. During the 2024 NAB Show, ENCO will be showcasing an AI-driven virtual anchor delivering live news from a realistic 3D virtual news set....

28/03/2024

Johan de Nysschen Named President and CEO of ARRI Americas

MUNICH ARRI has announced that Johan de Nysschen has been put in charge of the ARRI Americas team as president and CEO ARRI Americas Inc....

28/03/2024

Fubo Inks Carriage Deal with YES Network

NEW YORK The YES Network and FuboTV have reached a multi-year carriage agreement that will allow Fubo to launch YES in its Pro base channel plan in time for YES...

28/03/2024

Dalet to Demo AI-Enabled Production, Automation and Monetization at NAB 2024

PARIS Dalet has announced that during its 2024 NAB showcase (booth #W1713), attendees can experience firsthand Dalet's collaborative, AI-enabled workflows t...

28/03/2024

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films

Blackmagic Design Used on 2024 Oscar Nominated Films Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Blackmagic Design congratulates the many film professional...

28/03/2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024

Arkona to Introduce BLADE//master Control and Orchestration Service at NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments New option for BLADE//runner ke...

28/03/2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024

Join Maxon for NAB 2024 Brie Clayton March 28, 2024 0 Comments Maxon returns to NAB with presentations by artists from around the world and demos of t...

28/03/2024

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night's Dream at The Huntington

Boston Conservatory to Present Center Stage Production of A Midsummer Night'...

28/03/2024

The 4K cameras giving audiences an astronaut's view of Earth

TVBEurope meets Charles Black, founder and CEO of Sen, which has sent a payload of 4K cameras to the ISS to livestream images of Earth to audiences around the w...

28/03/2024

2024 Big Night In Raises $145k to Support Triangle Arts Councils

Capitol Broadcasting and WRAL-TV once again proudly supported our local arts community with the broadcast of Big Night in for the Arts Thursday, March 7, 2024. ...

28/03/2024

JIC, MRC Announce Accord On Roles In Judging Measurement Companies

With more companies offering different approaches to measuring television viewing and campaign effectiveness, two of the groups that evaluate potential media bu...

28/03/2024

Hulu Added to Disney Plus App for Bundle Subscribers

The Walt Disney Co. said that it launched Hulu on Disney Plus, which makes Hulu programming available via the Disney Plus app....

28/03/2024

GroupM To Double Ad Spending On Women's Sports Programming

Giant media buyer GroupM said it plans to double its media spending on women's sports....

28/03/2024

Scripps Renews State Farm As Sponsor of Friday Night WNBA on Ion

Scripps Sports said that State Farm has signed a new multi-year agreement to continue as the title sponsor of Ion's Friday night WNBA telecasts....

28/03/2024

Elisabeth Moss, Kerry Washington Sign On for Imperfect Women' on Apple TV Plus

Elisabeth Moss and Kerry Washington will star in, and executive produce, Imperfe...

28/03/2024

Telemundo Station Group Addresses Climate Change With Month-Long Initiative

Telemundo Station Group launches the month-long climate change initiative Our Planet Thursday, March 28. The multiplatform campaign ends on Earth Day, April 22,...