well Im still doing poor clients so IM still having to master my own things. Ive found that since I mixed it I got the eq the way I wanted so I never use any eq, same with multiband compression. If I do use the slightest bit of eq it is the UAD precession or the pultec. So my process has boiled down to the sony inflator and the sony limiter. My mixes peak at -12 so IM actually just making them hotter.. Now my real question is this. I had a song last night where the input peaked at two places. THe out put was no where near peaking and to my ear I didnt hear anything. SHould I back the input down. Also would I just be better off using the waves L3 which I already have if all Im doing is raising the volume.
Honestly I think you should snap your L3 & Sony & bypass one then the other & see which one works better for your mix. It should be easy to judge when you have them side by side.
Ive tried using inflator on the whole mix then adding the sony limiter. It sound fine, I just get a little clipping on the input but not the output. WHen I burn a cd it doest show any over on cd archtect. Since Im basically just raising the volume I thought about just using the L3. I just want some opioins. Do you think using the inflator is a bad on the whole mix. I actually shouldnt be doing this and it is really making me nervous. So Im starting to think maybe the best thing to do is keep it simple and just use the L3
I believe you are talking about sony oxford plugin pack. I personally would 'never' put the inflator on the whole mix for many reasons, but mainly because I find it takes away some punch from the track. IMO if you find that inflator improves your mix, then you skipped some work on the mix. I really like transmod & limiter in this plugin set, I think those are some of the best plugs ever made, however I didn't like the limiter as a limiter, but it's one hell of an enhancer, which again I wouldn't use on the mix, but I find it extremely useful on inserts like verb or delay. As a limiter I prefer L2 (L3), but again it depends on the material you are processing it with.
Originally posted by Jeff4h: Ive tried using inflator on the whole mix then adding the sony limiter. It sound fine, I just get a little clipping on the input but not the output.
quote:
For clarity of operation the plug-in gain structure is arranged with the threshold permanently set to 0dB ref input normal level. Dynamic gain reduction is achieved by increasing the input gain sufficiently for the internal signal to surpass the 0dBr reference level. A total of 18dB gain boost is available for this purpose and the orange section of the input meter illustrates the level range within which gain reduction occurs when the plug-in is active. The final output modulation level is set by the output level control, which can be adjusted to compensate for dynamic conditions produced by the programme and limiter settings or produce a lower level mastered output if required.
For whatever reason you use it limiter does what limiter does, whether it's made by waves or sony. Those are 2 plugs that practically do the same thing with different algorithms.
I have found that the inflator seems to fatten my mixes some. I did a search of grearslutz and it seem a lot of people are using it on the mix to. I can understand what you are saying about missing something in the mix and Im going to work on that. Like I said Im basically just trying to raise the volume so I may just use the L2 or 3 and forget it, Im going to experiment with it tonight, thans for the tips
"Basically just trying to raise the volume" doesn't exactly sound like mastering to me. But, if you're generally happy with your mixes to begin with, I'm wondering why you aren't just generating a louder mix.
because my mixes are peaking out at -12 which is where I want them. You can do some reacher on levels on here. That is where a lot of mastering engineers like them inclusing John Shipp on here. Ive just found I dont need any multiband compression or eq so bacically all I really want to do is bring up the level. It didnt seem that the inflator kind of fattened the sound. One post said it took some punch out. I think it doesnt add any puch it doesnt seen to take any out. So my conclusion is your going to get a less comressed sound with the combination of the inflator and a limiter either the oxford of a L2. IM sure if I sent my mix to a major mastering lab they would hear other things but since these are my own mixes I dont
I understand the concept of providing the ME with mixes that have headroom, both in peaks and crest factor. My comment was based specifically to your point of being the mixer and filling the role of the ME and only wanting to produce a louder version of your mix.
I can only speak to how I prefer to work and realize it may have no relevance to others. Assuming there will be no outside mastering involved, how I approach my mixes (relative to volume) depends on whether I'm dealing with a single tune or collection (EP, album, etc.).
That aside, it's difficult to say which chain of plugs is best. It's so dependent on the mix itself. Whether you're using a maximizer, a compressor or a limiter (or all of the above), you're still going to end up with a pretty compressed track if you're anywhere close to current commercial levels.
All these tools leave their own signature on the sound, especially if pushed. Sometimes I prefer the L2, for example, and sometimes I don't. When I was learning to use my tools, I spent a lot of time A/B'ing multiple alternative mixes. Now, I have a general idea of which tool(s) to grab based on how I hear the mix, what I think it's asking for and what I have at hand to address it.
Since you have different tools that provide similar functionality, perhaps you'll find that one combination works best for one tune and another combination works best for another. In fact, I'd be surprised if that wasn't true.
