Seeing as this video brought up a deeper discussion around headroom & gain staging in 32 bit digital audio, I shot a follow up video. Watch part 2 here: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html Want to see someone else explain why gain staging is critical even with digital audio and 32-bit floating point? Watch this: th-cam.com/video/yKLWbpNmHgM/w-d-xo.html Also, see a recent video from the mastering engineer Streaky recommending a very similar process of the +6 dB gain boost on your master: th-cam.com/video/JCOuOIMc52Y/w-d-xo.html
@Music Media Productions hey hey. I've actually stopped using the Utility to do anything to the bass. Watch this video for why: th-cam.com/video/8hNtxXu0rOY/w-d-xo.html
Don't forget that a mastering engineer is only going to use the 6db headroom to either raise or lower the frequencies you supply, based on the gaps or requirements they identify. If you spend too much obsessing over getting it to peak exactly at -6b while simultaneously over compressing or forgetting about a good balance, transients and dynamics, then you're going to get sub par results. Balancing everything relative to the primary elements of the song, getting great dynamics and transients, and making sure all tracks are as clean as possible EQ-wise is way more important than getting a perfect -6db peak. If your mix is great, the mastering engineer may only need a few db headroom to tame peaks and apply limiter, without needing to correct or enhance your mixdown too much. Remember, -6b doesn't describe your mix quality at all, just the peaks.
My guess is the vocals are recorded separate and then edited post and those edited version is used when making the video it's how movies are done too I believe which just hurts my brain lol
I saw one of Internet Money’s producer did something similar to this in FL Studio. Essentially monitoring your project with your master boosted and then making sure you peak at 0db and attenuating the master. He just did it with the fader though. Cranked the master fader all the way up, mixed to 0db then set the master fader back to unity. Def works but only if you’re sending to a master engineer.
This is great advice, especially for beginners. It's very difficult to have low end translate across multiple sound systems for the inexperienced. Your comments on the kick gain-staging was the exact info I needed.
creo que esta solución no fue dada para solucionar ese problema... si quieres ayuda con eso te aconsejo mezclar con un band pass desde 200Hz a 4000Khz todo debe escucharse así cortes las frecuencias hacia arriba y hacia abajo, en caso de que así no sea depende de la situación deberás usar Eq, Distorción Harmonica, etc.. Saludos
Hell, it's difficult for the experienced! I've been producing for over a decade and getting the low end right is still luck/trial and error most of the time for me. 🤣
icame back to this tutorial to learn more about gain staging.maybe it it is not much important to others but i like gain staging ,because i wanna produce my song with safe levels and i saw these comments , especially from some mastering engineers "the noise floor" , guys why are you here? this is not a mastering tutorial. this tutorial is more for bedroom producers like us. this is helping us. why is it so bad to learn about gain staging ? i want to do as much as i could before i send my track out to the engineer just to improve and understand things better. And thank you Vesper for helping us..
Hey mate. Glad this tutorial has been useful for you. I respond to some of the comments, I actually did a follow up video that would be worth watching as well. Cheers! th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
This is the most overlooked yet most important process, and yet you’re the only one who put it so simple and honest to print, thought I had to replay your master gain theory @4:45 to let it sync in - max illusion , min voltage- you have the level your which you can balance and then take it back down (your words “remove”) think I had to tell my self he meant +6 at the master for monitoring your mixing decisions only - 100% to even the mindset it engineering before you even think of mixing ... phenom- you’re dope my friend ..
This was golden tip sir. Having a utility at start of the master with 6+db and gain staging samples around -16 (kick ) and -14 -12 rest of drum bus ( dont forget always set 0 db on sampler or midi ) gave me absolute control and headroom (better than just turning down fader) with abillity to actually hear good and loud even if you are doing low volume mixing. Just remember to put utility this time always at the start of the effect chain on master and every new tr ack. mixing to 0 db will be after straight -6db after turning off master utillity, with this master db boost i would say mix your kick and drums to be on -6db so without +6db on master u have perfect -12db drum bus.
Hi. just a question. If I set Simpler/Sampler at 0dB and them a utility after reducing to -16dB. Is that any different to setting the Simpler/Sampler at -16. And should I be concerned about sending a signal into EQ8 at 0dB?
Tips from 2011 don't really apply in 2019. We've had practically infinite headroom in the box, more than you'll EVER need. We've had that since at least 2011, if not before. Mastering engineers don't need headroom to work with, and no mastering engineer who understands how floating point audio works will send a master back because the mix is peaking at -1. It can even be peaking at -.1. It can even be peaking at -.01. As long as it's not clipping, we mastering engineers can clip gain it down if we need "headroom". That takes literally 5 seconds, while sending it back to the client takes hours or days. What we want is a mix that isn't compressed to hell. As a mastering engineer, I'm sorry but I feel compelled to call this out as inaccurate and outdated. In 2019, why are we still teaching outdated inaccurate mythology about gain staging? You want -6db of headroom? Read your master fader's meter. It'll tell you what the max peak is. Adjust it appropriately. But check with your mastering engineer first. If they tell you something like "if it's not -6db, I'll send it back", then they don't understand how floating point digital audio works and you should shop for another mastering engineer. If they tell you "don't worry, just don't clip." you have someone who understands floating point digital audio in 2019.
Thanks for the comments. A good portion of this tutorial is about training in gain staging, which is a good skill for any producer to understand. Although in Live, inter-device processing can handle overages, many 3rd party plugins can't handle a clipped input well. So headroom inside your project, between plugins and in bus summing is significant. This technique helps achieve this. Also, most producers we encounter are rendering to 24 bit fixed-point audio and not 32-bit float files. So carefully monitoring your levels is advised. A good add on to this, as you said, is to render files to 32-bit float so a mastering engineer can turn them down if needed.
@@warpacademy the mixer of any modern DAW uses a 32bit floating point engine, regardless of the bit rate of the audio going through the DAW channels. Watch the video on my channel about Gain Staging, please. Most plugins these days use 64 bit outputs. Gain Staging in digital is not really a concern in 2019.
@@warpacademy So why not teach that? Why not teach the difference and how it works in 2019? Workflow practices are fine. If it's an approach that makes sense to you as a user, that's cool. No quarrel there, so long as it's taught as a workflow preference and not a technical limitation. If it's taught as a technical limitation, when such limitations don't exist anymore for most users, then we get people writing me freaking out that they don't know how to get their mix from -6.7dbfs peak to -6dbfs peak, and don't know how to do it without touching the master fader or using more compression. It's confusing to people, because NO ONE is explaining how it works. They merely teach what benchmarks to reach for, rather than teaching people what's actually happening so they can make their own decisions based on their knowledge of their system limitations. We're educators. We can do better.
@@TheNoiseFloorav Way to speak truth. 90% of the tutorials on YT relating to mastering are wayyy outdated, and usually, I can see why: an older sort of fellow still tryna mix like its Aerosmith's 3rd album. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing, maybe u want ur shit mixed on analog desks (pricey!!!). But if the dudes just go the Protools route he BETTER not tell me to bring my shit in -6db. I've been telling people this for years, just turn down the gain. Simple. But there's a certain truth to tryna keep ur shit at -6. I find its easier to mix @ -12db and then bring my shit to -6 just in case I do take it a pro with a real analog desk which of course, never happens) But yeah 32 bit mastering simply throws the OLD rules out the window.
I almost get the methodology behind this and will TRY to implement this into my reference mixes, but this is why guys like you exist. And for that, we thank you 🙏🏽 😁
@@Kalamith It's actually not critical to have a specific number. Just make sure your whole song is not clipping. Best way is to leave a few dB at least. Cheers!
Yoooo! I used this the moment I got it and made a new beat, and my quality is cleanest it's ever been. I am instantly more confident to upload my beats to my beats store (I was reluctant coz of the quality issue).:) Thanks a million! Instantly saves me time and increases my workflow TIP: Download Voxengo SPAN and add it to the Ableton rack before saving it as a default Midi track a setup and you can monitor the levels easy!
So you don't mess with the faders of each track, basically you let them at 0db, and you control it with utility plugins, -16db on each track and +6db on the master, ok. Then you process your kick till it peaks at -10db (or get a sampled one). From there you mix your tracks all around that kick's peak/volume, and in the end, get out the +6db utility on master channel and do your mastering (or send it to a master engineer). Is that it?
Yep, that's my process. Now, if you're not using analog modelled plugins with required (lower) input levels, you may not need to peak as low as -6. I did this follow up video that goes a bit more in depth: www.warpacademy.com/headroom-gain-staging-clipping-in-32-bit-digital-audio-mixing-tutorial/
One thing worth mentioning about the audio effect rack being the default for audio or midi tracks is that if you have a lot of stuff on the rack, you will get a higher latency
I think you mean a higher latency, but I get your point. Utility devices and EQ Eights don't introduce any latency. They're zero latency effects. It depends on exactly which effects you have in the Rack and what settings they have. Each plugin is different. Some introduce latency, and others don't. For example, if you have FabFilter Pro-Q3 in zero latency mode, it will not create any lag. If you put it in linear phase mode, then you start to get latency.
I have a question - at 5:25 in the video it states "All you need to do is mix your projects so that the peak levels are just beginning to tickle the red..." How do I bring up the levels? I don't touch the gain that is set to -16db per channel nor do I touch the faders that are at 0 or increase the volume on the master fader. So how do I bring up the levels? Using what method?
Hi, you mix using the faders. That's what they're for. But let me just add this: mixing so that peaks tickle the red on peak meters has *no* bearing on how the mix sounds. Far better to use VUs set so 0VU= -18 and if it hits 0VU (ie: not peak) you're fine. Try not to mix with your eyes.
@@TWEAKER01 Hey man. Problem is, the faders are set to 0, all the way up. I can only turn them up slightly and then the faders max out at the top. I do not have enough room on the faders to push them up any further. Utility Gain has been set to -16db per channel/track. And the workaround I used is to increase clip gain on each clip, setting each clip to the level that I want. Is it ok to do this or is there another proper technique?
@@SIGMA7777 yeah... don't do that. Faders should always have room to move. Start with them at 0dB (about 3/4 of the way up) and you should have 12dB of gain in reserve.
@@TWEAKER01 Faders are already at 0 (3/4 of the way up) and when I max them they only give me an extra 6db. Did you read my other reply to you? I made the mistake of posting it in the main thread instead of the reply :( Here it is again: I forgot to add. I have multiple clips per track, so in a track labeled drums, I will have a few drum clips loaded, such as drums01, drums02, drums03, drums04. I am also using an AKAI MPK249 midi controller to play all of my stuff live by lunching clips from the controller. I cannot assign a fader to each clip - that would mean modifying my template each time for a new project. The faders however are mapped to each track. When I want one clip louder of softer than another, I have to go and do this in clip gain per clip. My question is, am I doing this correctly or is there a better way?
@@johnbacogiannis8870 I was replying to Sigma who stated "the faders are set to 0, all the way up". In your case yes clip gain adjust each for relative levels in the one track, then might be better to sub group or buss those to another stereo pair of mixer channels. And check your ProTools preferences, set the mixer for +12dB above zero. As long as not clipping any outputs or the master out you'll have plenty of headroom internally.
I personally mix a lot with analog emulated plugins. And even actual analog gear. I personally use a plugin called "front daw" for gain staging. I set the input until the light turns a little bit yellow. Which is the sweets pot for most plugins. This also gives me a little bit of console saturation straight from the beginning. But yes the issue is that I usually end up with either being very close to clipping or I have +1db or something with clipping depending on how many instruments I have. So I also use a VCA that controls all the tracks, and turn that down until everything sits at - 6
"perfect -6dB"? Here's a tip: add a software VU meter to your stereo monitor buss. Set it so 0VU = 18dBFS (digital). Mix (by *ear*). If peaks often hit around 0VU you're *fine*. Don't overthink it - peak headroom is built in to this method (just as with analogue VUs). Check mono. Keep it 24 bit/native rate, check the export, label it and send to mastering. There is *no* "perfect -6dB as it depends on the arrangement and density of your mix. How it *sounds*, believe it or not, is what counts. - M.E.
Thanks a lot for this game changing tip! I struggled for years to get a good, loud sounding mix and with this tip I nail it every time. One of the best and effective technique concerning mixing!
One tip from me is , let kick hit on -12 and then mixdown the track so it sounds good, then the entire track should be -6, or else your kick is to weak! now you know that to as a bonus!
@@yurianvise1672 when you're mixing in 32 bit floating point you can theoretically not experience digital clipping, using in th ebox plug-ins only. When using external which mimic oldskool equipment you do want to keep -6dB as peak threshold to consider headroom for an external mastering engineer. -6 db will leave you with plenty of dynamic range for a proper mix.
Hey this video is very interesting, thanks for uploading it! But I was wondering if I should add my own EQ/compression/saturation before or after the -16 gain on my channels?
In Ableton live it is fine you can go +60dB over the red on the individual channels and still bring it back completely unclipped in the master. I can't say it is any easier to gain stage, however you certainly can still avoid clipping the master with a utility.
You could do either, I just prefer to leave the master fader untouched. The Utility also provides a variety of other advantages, such as being able to sum your low end or your whole mix to mono for previewing how that sounds.
What about mixing with a limiter on with an output ceiling set between -0.1 to -0.3 and driving up the gain on the limiter until we start reaching the ceiling... We would then remove the limiter before sending it off for mastering. Is this a similar approach ?!
Nope. This won't work. Because you're overloading the mix into the limiter and letting the limiter crush it down. As soon as you remove the limiter, your mix will be clipping.
on fl you can highlight mixer channels all at once and bring them down if you want to create more headroom - i'm surprised you can't do something like that on ableton??
You certainly can, in any DAW. But there's a really good reason not to do that. Later, when you're doing a fine mixdown, your faders will be out of the range where they have the most resolution. Volume faders are logarithmic and they lose resolution the farther away from their neutral position you get. Do dropping them down by 16 dB takes then way out of their ideal range and impairs your ability to mix with them.
@@warpacademy Obviously not as a final mastering tool considering mixdown compression and volume ratios but generally for someone who is mixing as they go or has just made a big tune in one session
Hey, i have a question since a long time, Should i put the plugins i use after utility or before utility? Ex: eq, compression, saturation, etc, thank you very much!
It's the demo track of a Serum Preset pack called "Darkside Funk" released by Warp Academy :) Here's the origional song: th-cam.com/video/RLQSTdni_2Y/w-d-xo.html You can also get the project file of this song if you purchase the Preset Pack over at: www.warpacademy.com/store/darkside-funk/ Cheers Yadin!
I've had the hardest time with mixing and mastering mostly because I have so many songs that I don't want to send to get mastered because they are just not something I'd release or I don't have the money and for mastering I'd like to save me good songs that I plan on releasing ! but I was never sure of how to mix because I just brought my master fader to -10 and then I would just end up making things really loud and when I tried to use a limiter on the master it just destroys my tracks ahah but I'm learning , this video was really helpful I'll try it on my new songs ! thank you :)
Great template - thank you. One thing - when i add extra plugins into the device rack, i gather they should come after the utility that reduces the gain, so that any plugin modelled with low headroom / hot clipping would have the necessary headroom when the signal goes into it?
You're very welcome. Yes, typically you'd put emulated plugins after the gain stage down. Unless you want to intentionally drive their input and you like the color they add. Cheers!
I agree with the comments that this is an old concern - and there is a very simple solution if your mix is peaking over -6db. Pull back on the master fader, its fine, its what its there for. Pull back by the amount peaking past -6db for a perfect -6db. Floating point digital summing errors/distortions occur elsewhere, not with volume scaling at 64 bits. You cant comprehend how much resolution 9,223,372,036,854,775,807, gives you. There will be no audible harmonic distortion from this process. You should adjust your listening volume elsewhere, on your amp or a monitor volume knob. it is good practice to lower your levels if you're peaking though, till you've filtered out some highs and lows though, you're likely gonna peak above 6 in early stages even if you're doing it right. Its correct you can overload some 32 bit plug in algorythyms but i know some dance musicians who swear by doing it.
Hey Andrew. Nice to hear from ya. Thanks for watching and commenting. Quite a few folks have pointed this out as well and I'll mention one big reason that I don't recommend this. It's due to analog modelled plugins. If you just let everything run hot from the source sounds, then turn down the full sum on the master, then you have levels on your tracks and busses that will most certainly peak at beyond 0. Analog emulated plugins will misbehave when fed this level of signal. Check this out: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
Thanks to you I've been working like this for years. DnB tracks 30 parts deep, not an issue with this method of working. Currently I'm in the proces of building this template in BitWig. I know, but I've seen and heard things on the other side that can not be reversed.
Ah, this is an important point. It's because you never start with a perfect mix. You don't just put your tracks in and magically you're peaking at -6 dB. You mix by turning up what you want to hear more, not by turning everything else down - that's way too much work and a bad workflow. I start by turning everything WAY down at the beginning, in the template, and then leaving myself tons of room to push volumes up as I mix. When I see myself clipping the master, which eventually happens, I know I've reached -6 dBFS and I need to adjust the mix more delicately and strategically at that point. As I've said on my follow up video, -6 dB is not a required or magic number. It can be -1 dB. But I like -6 as it leaves a nice margin for error.
Yeah, kind of. That's honestly not even necessary because that's a peak level. You can have 2 kick with a sample peak of -10 dB but they can be wildly different in loudness, meaning they'd need to be mixed at different gains and processed differently.
Hey thank you for the tutorial! Will it make sense if I mix with even lower peak db levels during mixing, so that there is not even a chance that I'll be clipping, PLUS I'll have lower peak levels than -6db at the end? Does that work as well? or am I missing something?
Dang 2 years and no response! This is a great question! I'm no expert, but I think the issue is that you would then end up with a mix that (for electronic/club/bass-oriented music) could potentially have excessive dynamics. So when you squash it down for mastering, the peaks and valleys of the final mixdown would make the devices used for reducing dynamic range in mastering (compression/limiting etc) work much harder to bring the desired consistency of perceived "loudness" into focus. There IS a limit when mastering, a point where those peaks in the waveform just don't sound good being limited and squashed down to such an extreme. Because the real point when mastering dance music (which relies on a more consistent sense of "loudness" than most genres) is to enrich the mix by making sure everything is heard, even if it comes off as subtle comparatively to all the elements as a whole. So the more distance between those peaks vs the valleys in the waveform of the mixdown, the more they get squashed since the volume HAS to come up overall to achieve consistency. So imagine you're mixing that way, essentially making it impossible to peak, and as a result your loud parts have no "limit", therefore song's possible shortcomings in regards to dynamics are never really revealed. And so the eventual desired perceived loudness and quality upon mastering the final product is compromised greatly. The less they have to shave off the top, the better it will sound in the end. Because when they're mastering, they're essentially just trying to bring everything UP in volume. You don't want them to have to squash it down. But if the peaks are too far apart from the valleys, when they attempt to bring up the overall volume and hit that max they'll end up having to push it too hard to match any sort of industry-standard loudness. An overly simple way to demonstrate is when you put a compressor on any signal and make it work too hard, the result is mushy because of how much the loudest parts of the sound are being limited from going any further. Sorry this is an excessive explanation but hope you find it helpful. It's been two years though so who knows, you probably know more than me by now!
Ok great example, theoretically you could just keep bringing down the master volume while you mix any time it peaks right? The reason people don't do that is because you just keep widening the gap between those peaks and valleys, which restricts the ability to get it LOUD without sounding awful. I used to do that and I'm pretty sad I didn't know better because the songs were good but the mixes were horrible lol.
This is awesome! I have done all that gain structure workflow (at -10db)... almost exactly, using the same type of self created audio effects racks, Except i didn't do the -16db and the +6db on the master, instead i used to use a mastering plugin to listen to the mix at 0db... this had its obvious problems. Your technique fixes this workflow perfectly! I feel silly that i didn't figure it out on my own, i was so close. I have struggled with this.
The part that really matter is dynamics, not really where dbfs is. Lufs or rms is key, leave it dynamic, not squashed. Math on every track vs just your master fader in a 32bit world is better.
Kevin St Croix yep! LUFS are better way to watch for dynamics and to meet an overall volumen and punch. I like -12 or -11LFUS for my mastered instrumentals. -8 or -7 LUFS for my mastered songs.
Yeah lol, pulling down everything with one fader pre-master really is the same as pulling it down in the mix cause of 32bit. Not sure why such an emphasis is still placed on gain staging, besides for analog emulation
Why work in 32 bit vs 24bit? I mean you'll just have to dither it down for like platform right? As opposed to 24 bit, where you'll only have to dither down for platforms that need 16bit
Awesome idea, I was totally thrown off when you first mentioned boosting the master by 6db (or any db for that matter lol) but when you explained why, I was like 🤯 ohhhhhh wow! So thanks for that!
This is dead helpful, @warpadademy - cheers! I have a question about the template: there's a group for 'Submixes' - is there any info on how to use these and how they differ to buses?
Hey Gnarls glad you found this useful. And thanks for the question. I’ve updated the template a lot since this video and so that’s where the Submixes come in. They are one and the same as busses. That said I just shot a deep dive video into the new template and how I use the SubMixing structure. Please subscribe to the channel and check back next week to see that video go live.
Hey @warpacademy, loving this template. Put it to good use so far for generating ideas, and am now approaching my first mixdown. One thing I'm feeling unsure about specifically relating to this template is how to adjust individual track volumes? Given all my channel faders are at 0, if my actual instrument is too quiet, then which volume parameter should I be adjusting? Should it be instrument gain (i.e. wtv options built into your synth) > -16db pad > Channel fader? Any insight here would be super appreciated.
Hey Charles. Glad you're liking the template. My approach is to just turn up the gain on my monitoring. If you don't have enough gain on your monitoring to account for quiet levels, then add a limiter or additional Utility on the master and turn it up there. Just be sure to check the limiter and make sure it's not triggering more than a couple dB of GR in your process. Finally, I always do my rough mixing by adjusting the gain on each channels Utility. I leave my mix faders at 0 until I go back in to do the fine polishing to the mix, once it's roughed in.
This is really smart. I was already mixing with my levels down and adding a volume utility, but it was mostly so I could hear it louder. Using the 6 db bump to spot clipping will make spotting issues sooo much easier!
Are we supposed to hit -6db peak dbfs or should the average volume of the mix be at -6db before mastering? Im asking because it seems to be really hard to control the peaks of the kick drum to -6 without making it too quiet in the mix.... Would the option be turn down the kick to super low volumes and turn everything else down super low but bring up the volume on the interface to hear things better?!
You are extremely right! But the case is; when I upload my beat to beatstars like mastered minus 6 db, it sounds way quiter than other beats on website. Than I feel like people dont like my beat couse all others beats are so loud and banging.
The whole -6dbFs is nonsense. A mastering engineer doesn't need "headroom" to master. They can just peak normalize. If you're talking about AVOIDING clipping for sonics purposes, that's a different thing... Most mastering engineers know how to deal with headroom with literally one click on Sequoia. I don't think you actually understand what headroom means in mastering. Most important thing is that it sounds right. And btw... MOST MASTER FADERS ARE PRE FADER. Meaning that if you're clipping in the master, AND DROP THE MASTER, you're actually not clipping anymore (it's PRE FADER).
WRONG, I have worked with some of the top mastering engineers on top A list projects, they have required me to give them my tracks anywhere from -10 to -15, this is so they can have room to eq, compress and limit, without headroom they cannot do a great job. Peak Normalize is not mastering...see bernie grundman, infransonic sound mastering and many more
@@zonasound I'm not a mastering engineer by any means so I googled Bernie Grundman and found this video, here he states (somewhere in the 10-12 minute area I believe) that the mixer had left about -4 db and he agreed that this small wiggle room (but no more) is totally fine.
@@mrbones102 Well i've had 4 records that I mixed mastered by Bernie Grundman. They asked for my mixes to peak at -10db. All you have to do is look up mastering audio wikipedia or any mastering facility. Which state if the mastering engineer doesn't have headroom, he or she can't do their job bcz compression, eq, imaging, limiting add volume and effect. Infrasonic sound prefer -20 db bcz they use much analog gear. This is my experience.
so i am trying this out i see when i use the vu meter on each track and get it to 0 the track db is about -6 however i am gain staging a live snr and when i do before even touch anything the vu meter is at 0 but the track db is at 0 and sometimes goes over. if i gain control it to -6 then the vu meter will be way low so what should i do here?
oooo damnnn the track got me grooving and distracted. I forgot I was watching a tutorial loool :) Release dates PLEASE? if none let me buy or pay to collab on the beat please! I'm a Producer/DJ/Songwriter
Awesome video. I added a limiter ceiling on the master track at -6 just to make things loud. I guess my goal was to make sure the mix is balance in volume.
No no no, please don't do that. Don't use a limiter to control your peak level. Do the actual thing and gain stage properly without using a plugin that will create distortion. Never use a limiter on your master when you're sending the song to a mastering engineer.
It's not that easy when you're using analog modelled plugins, which most people are these days. Check out the follow up video here, which explains a lot more: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
It IS that easy, because dude was most likely talking about OUTPUT from those plugins, not input. He's talking about premaster. See BROSTEP for examples.
@@gulagwarlord Okay, let's walk through this. Take the example of using a kick from a sample pack. That kick is going to be at 0 dB, normalized (as are pretty much all audio samples in packs). If you're not gain staging that kick down, it's going to be peaking it's own track, as well as any AUX mix or sub-master also at 0 dB. If you're using all 32 bit, non-analog modelled plugins, then you're fine. However, if you're using analog modelled plugins (such as ones from Waves that I showed in the video I linked), then they could be distorting or producing unwanted artifacts due to the input level being so high. This is why using a sub-mix alone doesn't resolve the issue. The output of a plugin can be turned down, but you're clipping the input.
@@warpacademy I use UAD plugins, my favorite being my API and Neve 88rs channel strips. The best sounding out there, btw. I can drive the input as hard as I want to taste, like a real pre I even know the sweet spots for non-linearity. . As long as my output on the plug isn't clipping... it doesn't matter what the daw fader is doing because it is floating point data. More than enough headroom on good plugins as long as the input/output doesn't clip. As long as the little meter on the left and right of the plugin ( in ableton) isn't red, everything at the fader is just for control. The op was just stating this fact. You can mix hot, and then bring it down before the master clipper/limiter. Btw. I don't use waves plugins for modelling, they usually sound like shit.
@@warpacademy Also, I rarely use mastered samples... I try to start with intact waveforms and clip ONLY when I want to, at several points in the mixing/bussing.
Many have said this, and so I've created a follow up video to explain more in depth why this isn't always the case. There are some significant oversights in just assuming that digital always has infinite headroom: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
Why can't mastering engineers add a -6db gain to a normalized premaster? No reason at all. We don't live in the world of tapes and tubes anymore so needing 6 dB of headroom is obsolete, since it won't change the sound as you're approaching 0db. Just make sure your track isn't unintentionally clipping.
Hey mate. Great tunes, I enjoy your music. I did a deeper followup video to this that I'd recommend checking out: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html& You're right that we don't live in a world of analog tapes and tubes. That said, we do live in a world of digital tapes & tubes that are modelled after the same analog equipment. Not everyone uses these types of plugins, of course, but many do. So I recommend staging out your levels like this anyways. If you're not running anything modelled after analog, and all your plugins can handle signals of at or near 0 dB, then 32 bit float will take care of any overages. But there is a huge trend towards using analog modelled plugins and it's nice to be able to use them on your busses and test masters.
@@enhancdreality this is really just adjusting the metering rather than gain staging. There is no sonic difference in mixing to 0db and then turning the master down to -6 peak. It's good to have templates and structured workflow but there is no right way to go about it really. Actual gain staging is more important between plugins to make sure everything his working as intened, especially analog modled stuff.
Hello !One question 🙋🏻♂️, when you’re the same person who is going to master like most nubby producers like me do it now days. Is it ok to get the mix as loud to -0 db from the mix before mastering?
Good question. You could get it close to 0 dB, but I'd still leave some margin. Unless you're going to analyze the whole mix for clips. Just leave yourself a little room, then export for mastering. Don't master in the same project.
@@warpacademy thanks for responding, I used to export it to a different project but some engineers told me that I can do it in same project . Now you told me that I’m gonna consider do it as I did it before 🙏🏻
Love the way you convey information! But I was wandering - when you do all the gain staiging, even with these extra 6 dB on the master channel, the mix at it's first stages sounds very quiet and even hard to monitor properly, and for me it results in throwing plugins carelessly just to raise the volume up. So what do you think about mixing with a limiter on a master channel for these purposes or maybe bad idea?
Don't limit the master track, you need it for reference. But what you can do is put a clipper on every single track at the end of the effects chain. When you want it to sound "louder" you can bring up the input level on the clipper which acts as a more concise limiter. You'll know you brought the volume up too far as soon as it sounds like shit. This way you'll fuck around less with experimenting and know exactly how loud the sound can be. It reduces the dynamics (like a compressor) but doesn't reshape the transients in a way that is consistent and predictable while also allowing you to know exactly what the limit of loudness is. All the group of sounds should be sent to busses which should also have a clipper at the end of the chain. But on the bus, don't do anything with the clipper, as it's just there to shave a little of the top if need be. There's a great process this producer Baphometrix came up with called the clip to zero technique. The videos are long and hard to get through but it's free, fantastic info that you won't find anywhere else. It's also a reliable system that makes gain staging much more predictable and easy to understand.
Happy to help. This process applies to material that's already been recorded, so there's nothing different to do here with your song. Gain staging pre or during recording is another topic through.
@@warpacademy sorry so this template and approach is not appropriate to use if you are recording live drum machines and synths into the session? Only suitable if you are working exclusively with samples? Do you have any videos or can recommend any discussing gain staging for set ups like this?
@@warpacademy Can you clarify your answer a bit please ? Do you mean that if the song (= combination of track) is a combination of sample track and instruments tracks recorded with a midi keyboard that the recording shouldn't happen with this template or with the utility on each track disabled ? Otherwise put, should we gain stage while recording our song, or should gain staging only be done after the song (= combination of track)s has been recorded ?
What if u set your kick and samples to -16db then use a limiter to boost about 6db, wld that be about the same thing? I know some people are against mixing into a limiter, and alot of the time I have it off, especially in the begining of production stage, but I just like to be able to turn it on and off and see what it sounds like as I mix... Then when I'm done I turn the limiter off, export, and master in a seperate session...
Very interesting topic, I will see the following video and evenutali as soon as I have an extra moment, for the moment I have saved it in a playlist. But I want to ask immediately a question: today where the DAW and similar software are all believe in 32 bits floating point (apart from a few plug-ins) and then the real limit of digital clipping is much higher than that set by standard, Does gain staging always make sense? Does it also have a valid reference for mastering? Is it always to be done anyway when exporting out of your DAW for some reason? Thanks for the valuable answers!
Hey Luca. Thanks for stopping by. Short answer: watch the next video. That is EXACTLY what it's about. It will answer your question directly with many examples.
@@warpacademy Thanks for the prompt response! As soon as I can I will see the video, because I am curious to investigate the important issue. Congratulations and the next opportunity!
Honestly you don’t need the effect rack. I stopped using it myself so I removed it from the template. I work differently now and no longer think that rack is useful.
@@warpacademy Top man!! Iv been appreciating your great work for many years and as a producer from the UK whose had a UK No.1 With Dj Pied Piper iv had to re-learn the digital space again as a child these last few weeks. Thank you for your efforts and all the best in the future!! Keep rockin!!! We never stop learning!!! Blessings from the UK!!!
![Headroom, Gain Staging & Clipping in 32 Bit Digital Audio [Mixing Tutorial]](/img/n.gif)
Seeing as this video brought up a deeper discussion around headroom & gain staging in 32 bit digital audio, I shot a follow up video. Watch part 2 here: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html Want to see someone else explain why gain staging is critical even with digital audio and 32-bit floating point? Watch this: th-cam.com/video/yKLWbpNmHgM/w-d-xo.html Also, see a recent video from the mastering engineer Streaky recommending a very similar process of the +6 dB gain boost on your master: th-cam.com/video/JCOuOIMc52Y/w-d-xo.html
Can I send you a track for feedback?
Are you going to fix the template download?
@@Goldchunks4 you can hire me to mix and master your track, but I don't do "track feedback" per se.
@@izfax2215 it's working.
@Music Media Productions hey hey. I've actually stopped using the Utility to do anything to the bass. Watch this video for why: th-cam.com/video/8hNtxXu0rOY/w-d-xo.html
Him: “I’m a mixing engineer and a mastering engineer...”
Every bedroom/edm producer: “yes”
vespers has been in the game long enough to be called mixing mastering engineer though.
Ex Shenanigan Facts my homie!
Lol so true
Lodex how’s yo SoundCloud doin
boi you r8... but he is more professional, i see his trick is kinda unique imo
Don't forget that a mastering engineer is only going to use the 6db headroom to either raise or lower the frequencies you supply, based on the gaps or requirements they identify. If you spend too much obsessing over getting it to peak exactly at -6b while simultaneously over compressing or forgetting about a good balance, transients and dynamics, then you're going to get sub par results.
Balancing everything relative to the primary elements of the song, getting great dynamics and transients, and making sure all tracks are as clean as possible EQ-wise is way more important than getting a perfect -6db peak. If your mix is great, the mastering engineer may only need a few db headroom to tame peaks and apply limiter, without needing to correct or enhance your mixdown too much. Remember, -6b doesn't describe your mix quality at all, just the peaks.
why do your voice sound better than my entire EP ?
Glad the voice sounds good. It's well recorded and processed nicely. Takes some time to learn that.
@@warpacademy can you make a tutorial?
😹
My guess is the vocals are recorded separate and then edited post and those edited version is used when making the video it's how movies are done too I believe which just hurts my brain lol
lmao ñ
That +6db on the master is genius. I will never do it another way again. Thank you!
I watched this and redid everything based on the -6db staging. Saw an incredible jump in quality. Thanks!
I saw one of Internet Money’s producer did something similar to this in FL Studio. Essentially monitoring your project with your master boosted and then making sure you peak at 0db and attenuating the master. He just did it with the fader though. Cranked the master fader all the way up, mixed to 0db then set the master fader back to unity. Def works but only if you’re sending to a master engineer.
That's a neat approach too. Thanks for the comments!
I literally refuse to believe its this simple THANK YOU
This is great advice, especially for beginners. It's very difficult to have low end translate across multiple sound systems for the inexperienced. Your comments on the kick gain-staging was the exact info I needed.
Hello, I didn't understand your comment, how did his tip about putting the kick at -10 helped low end to be heard better accross devices ?
creo que esta solución no fue dada para solucionar ese problema... si quieres ayuda con eso te aconsejo mezclar con un band pass desde 200Hz a 4000Khz todo debe escucharse así cortes las frecuencias hacia arriba y hacia abajo, en caso de que así no sea depende de la situación deberás usar Eq, Distorción Harmonica, etc.. Saludos
Hell, it's difficult for the experienced! I've been producing for over a decade and getting the low end right is still luck/trial and error most of the time for me. 🤣
icame back to this tutorial to learn more about gain staging.maybe it it is not much important to others but i like gain staging ,because i wanna produce my song with safe levels and i saw these comments , especially from some mastering engineers "the noise floor" , guys why are you here? this is not a mastering tutorial. this tutorial is more for bedroom producers like us. this is helping us. why is it so bad to learn about gain staging ? i want to do as much as i could before i send my track out to the engineer just to improve and understand things better. And thank you Vesper for helping us..
Hey mate. Glad this tutorial has been useful for you. I respond to some of the comments, I actually did a follow up video that would be worth watching as well. Cheers! th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
This is the most overlooked yet most important process, and yet you’re the only one who put it so simple and honest to print, thought I had to replay your master gain theory @4:45 to let it sync in - max illusion , min voltage- you have the level your which you can balance and then take it back down (your words “remove”) think I had to tell my self he meant +6 at the master for monitoring your mixing decisions only - 100% to even the mindset it engineering before you even think of mixing ... phenom- you’re dope my friend ..
Cheers Ed. I'm glad you've found some value in this process and template. Happy music making!
8 mins..and I got to get rid of 90% of errors i've been doing for months!!
This man is an absolute Genius
This was golden tip sir. Having a utility at start of the master with 6+db and gain staging samples around -16 (kick ) and -14 -12 rest of drum bus ( dont forget always set 0 db on sampler or midi ) gave me absolute control and headroom (better than just turning down fader) with abillity to actually hear good and loud even if you are doing low volume mixing. Just remember to put utility this time always at the start of the effect chain on master and every new tr ack. mixing to 0 db will be after straight -6db after turning off master utillity, with this master db boost i would say mix your kick and drums to be on -6db so without +6db on master u have perfect -12db drum bus.
Cheers mate. Glad you liked the video. Happy music making!
Hi. just a question. If I set Simpler/Sampler at 0dB and them a utility after reducing to -16dB. Is that any different to setting the Simpler/Sampler at -16. And should I be concerned about sending a signal into EQ8 at 0dB?
Hey hey. If you're running a sample or simpler, then put a Utility after it, like you mentioned.
Wow…of all the content out there…this is GOLD
Tips from 2011 don't really apply in 2019. We've had practically infinite headroom in the box, more than you'll EVER need. We've had that since at least 2011, if not before.
Mastering engineers don't need headroom to work with, and no mastering engineer who understands how floating point audio works will send a master back because the mix is peaking at -1. It can even be peaking at -.1. It can even be peaking at -.01. As long as it's not clipping, we mastering engineers can clip gain it down if we need "headroom". That takes literally 5 seconds, while sending it back to the client takes hours or days.
What we want is a mix that isn't compressed to hell. As a mastering engineer, I'm sorry but I feel compelled to call this out as inaccurate and outdated.
In 2019, why are we still teaching outdated inaccurate mythology about gain staging?
You want -6db of headroom? Read your master fader's meter. It'll tell you what the max peak is. Adjust it appropriately. But check with your mastering engineer first. If they tell you something like "if it's not -6db, I'll send it back", then they don't understand how floating point digital audio works and you should shop for another mastering engineer. If they tell you "don't worry, just don't clip." you have someone who understands floating point digital audio in 2019.
Thanks for the comments. A good portion of this tutorial is about training in gain staging, which is a good skill for any producer to understand. Although in Live, inter-device processing can handle overages, many 3rd party plugins can't handle a clipped input well. So headroom inside your project, between plugins and in bus summing is significant. This technique helps achieve this. Also, most producers we encounter are rendering to 24 bit fixed-point audio and not 32-bit float files. So carefully monitoring your levels is advised. A good add on to this, as you said, is to render files to 32-bit float so a mastering engineer can turn them down if needed.
@@warpacademy the mixer of any modern DAW uses a 32bit floating point engine, regardless of the bit rate of the audio going through the DAW channels.
Watch the video on my channel about Gain Staging, please. Most plugins these days use 64 bit outputs. Gain Staging in digital is not really a concern in 2019.
I suppose it's not a concern until you overload the input of a plugin that cannot handle the overage. Even if most can, some can't.
@@warpacademy So why not teach that? Why not teach the difference and how it works in 2019? Workflow practices are fine. If it's an approach that makes sense to you as a user, that's cool. No quarrel there, so long as it's taught as a workflow preference and not a technical limitation. If it's taught as a technical limitation, when such limitations don't exist anymore for most users, then we get people writing me freaking out that they don't know how to get their mix from -6.7dbfs peak to -6dbfs peak, and don't know how to do it without touching the master fader or using more compression. It's confusing to people, because NO ONE is explaining how it works. They merely teach what benchmarks to reach for, rather than teaching people what's actually happening so they can make their own decisions based on their knowledge of their system limitations.
We're educators. We can do better.
@@TheNoiseFloorav Way to speak truth. 90% of the tutorials on YT relating to mastering are wayyy outdated, and usually, I can see why: an older sort of fellow still tryna mix like its Aerosmith's 3rd album. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing, maybe u want ur shit mixed on analog desks (pricey!!!). But if the dudes just go the Protools route he BETTER not tell me to bring my shit in -6db. I've been telling people this for years, just turn down the gain. Simple. But there's a certain truth to tryna keep ur shit at -6. I find its easier to mix @ -12db and then bring my shit to -6 just in case I do take it a pro with a real analog desk which of course, never happens)
But yeah 32 bit mastering simply throws the OLD rules out the window.
I almost get the methodology behind this and will TRY to implement this into my reference mixes, but this is why guys like you exist. And for that, we thank you 🙏🏽 😁
Begginer here: why -6 dB and not -5dB or -7dB? I mean why that exact number? Cheers.
@@Kalamith It's actually not critical to have a specific number. Just make sure your whole song is not clipping. Best way is to leave a few dB at least. Cheers!
You are an absolute Angel for giving this template away for free!
can anyone send me that tamplate please? they removed it from webpage .
yeah right its not even there anymore.............way to bait us
Yoooo! I used this the moment I got it and made a new beat, and my quality is cleanest it's ever been. I am instantly more confident to upload my beats to my beats store (I was reluctant coz of the quality issue).:) Thanks a million! Instantly saves me time and increases my workflow
TIP: Download Voxengo SPAN and add it to the Ableton rack before saving it as a default Midi track a setup and you can monitor the levels easy!
You guys are amazing. Literally just had a conversation about this. Came at the perfect time. Thank you so much. Cheers from Las Vegas.
Cheers Jordan. Make sure you watch the follow up video too. It's pinned at the top of the page. Happy music making!
My dude your work is respectable, this channel is underrated for some reason.
So you don't mess with the faders of each track, basically you let them at 0db, and you control it with utility plugins, -16db on each track and +6db on the master, ok.
Then you process your kick till it peaks at -10db (or get a sampled one).
From there you mix your tracks all around that kick's peak/volume, and in the end, get out the +6db utility on master channel and do your mastering (or send it to a master engineer).
Is that it?
Yep, that's my process. Now, if you're not using analog modelled plugins with required (lower) input levels, you may not need to peak as low as -6. I did this follow up video that goes a bit more in depth: www.warpacademy.com/headroom-gain-staging-clipping-in-32-bit-digital-audio-mixing-tutorial/
In the video, the utility for the kick ist set to -10 db. So he doesn't actually "process" anything there...
@@warpacademy Hey, should the kick peak at -10dB on the master after counting the +6dB or on the kick's track ?
It's even more simple, put the master at a higher volume, so when you turn it down. It's over, has headroom
@@warpacademy Do you have any recommendations on volume control plugins? I'm using FL but I can't find any standard plugin with which works with db's.
One thing worth mentioning about the audio effect rack being the default for audio or midi tracks is that if you have a lot of stuff on the rack, you will get a higher latency
I think you mean a higher latency, but I get your point. Utility devices and EQ Eights don't introduce any latency. They're zero latency effects. It depends on exactly which effects you have in the Rack and what settings they have. Each plugin is different. Some introduce latency, and others don't.
For example, if you have FabFilter Pro-Q3 in zero latency mode, it will not create any lag. If you put it in linear phase mode, then you start to get latency.
@@warpacademy Ah yea, my mistake I meant higher latency
Simple but one of the most effective tips I have used, Thank you Guys, helped me a lot
I have a question - at 5:25 in the video it states "All you need to do is mix your projects so that the peak levels are just beginning to tickle the red..."
How do I bring up the levels? I don't touch the gain that is set to -16db per channel nor do I touch the faders that are at 0 or increase the volume on the master fader. So how do I bring up the levels? Using what method?
Hi, you mix using the faders. That's what they're for.
But let me just add this: mixing so that peaks tickle the red on peak meters has *no* bearing on how the mix sounds. Far better to use VUs set so 0VU= -18 and if it hits 0VU (ie: not peak) you're fine.
Try not to mix with your eyes.
@@TWEAKER01 Hey man. Problem is, the faders are set to 0, all the way up. I can only turn them up slightly and then the faders max out at the top. I do not have enough room on the faders to push them up any further. Utility Gain has been set to -16db per channel/track. And the workaround I used is to increase clip gain on each clip, setting each clip to the level that I want. Is it ok to do this or is there another proper technique?
@@SIGMA7777 yeah... don't do that. Faders should always have room to move. Start with them at 0dB (about 3/4 of the way up) and you should have 12dB of gain in reserve.
@@TWEAKER01 Faders are already at 0 (3/4 of the way up) and when I max them they only give me an extra 6db. Did you read my other reply to you? I made the mistake of posting it in the main thread instead of the reply :( Here it is again:
I forgot to add. I have multiple clips per track, so in a track labeled drums, I will have a few drum clips loaded, such as drums01, drums02, drums03, drums04. I am also using an AKAI MPK249 midi controller to play all of my stuff live by lunching clips from the controller. I cannot assign a fader to each clip - that would mean modifying my template each time for a new project. The faders however are mapped to each track. When I want one clip louder of softer than another, I have to go and do this in clip gain per clip. My question is, am I doing this correctly or is there a better way?
@@johnbacogiannis8870 I was replying to Sigma who stated "the faders are set to 0, all the way up".
In your case yes clip gain adjust each for relative levels in the one track, then might be better to sub group or buss those to another stereo pair of mixer channels. And check your ProTools preferences, set the mixer for +12dB above zero.
As long as not clipping any outputs or the master out you'll have plenty of headroom internally.
I personally mix a lot with analog emulated plugins. And even actual analog gear. I personally use a plugin called "front daw" for gain staging. I set the input until the light turns a little bit yellow. Which is the sweets pot for most plugins. This also gives me a little bit of console saturation straight from the beginning. But yes the issue is that I usually end up with either being very close to clipping or I have +1db or something with clipping depending on how many instruments I have. So I also use a VCA that controls all the tracks, and turn that down until everything sits at - 6
Interesting approach Thimo! Thanks for the share mate. Cheers.
"perfect -6dB"?
Here's a tip: add a software VU meter to your stereo monitor buss.
Set it so 0VU = 18dBFS (digital).
Mix (by *ear*). If peaks often hit around 0VU you're *fine*. Don't overthink it - peak headroom is built in to this method (just as with analogue VUs).
Check mono. Keep it 24 bit/native rate, check the export, label it and send to mastering.
There is *no* "perfect -6dB as it depends on the arrangement and density of your mix. How it *sounds*, believe it or not, is what counts.
- M.E.
which one do u use?
@@caseu9 analog (SIFAM) meters.
Or in the box: Waves, PSP, or Klanghelm are usable.
DUDE GAME CHANGER!!!!! The -16 db concept is great!!!
Dope. Glad ya enjoyed it.
Can’t get template from the link. Never comes to my email. Not even the spam folder
The same!
check the social folder
Same
@Accurate Records & More I did get mine eventually dude but I'm happy to email it if you're bored waiting :)
Thanks a lot for this game changing tip! I struggled for years to get a good, loud sounding mix and with this tip I nail it every time. One of the best and effective technique concerning mixing!
Glad it helped!
One tip from me is , let kick hit on -12 and then mixdown the track so it sounds good, then the entire track should be -6, or else your kick is to weak! now you know that to as a bonus!
Mix roughly atround -12dB average, -6dB max
@@spectralspecies my mix always have -12 or -9 at final is that good?
@@yurianvise1672 when you're mixing in 32 bit floating point you can theoretically not experience digital clipping, using in th ebox plug-ins only. When using external which mimic oldskool equipment you do want to keep -6dB as peak threshold to consider headroom for an external mastering engineer. -6 db will leave you with plenty of dynamic range for a proper mix.
this is the smartest advice ive ever heard
Hey this video is very interesting, thanks for uploading it! But I was wondering if I should add my own EQ/compression/saturation before or after the -16 gain on my channels?
Same question here, please answer :)
Before
@@dominicklicciardi Is it probably easiest just to put all the effects before?
Good question. I suppose you could try both methods and see which one turns out the best, that seems to be the only way of knowing.
Cheers
In Ableton live it is fine you can go +60dB over the red on the individual channels and still bring it back completely unclipped in the master. I can't say it is any easier to gain stage, however you certainly can still avoid clipping the master with a utility.
That's a very broad generalization that is often incorrect with certain workflows. Here's why: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
Will definitely add this template and knowledge to my upcoming projects! Thank you for sharing Vespers. This is really useful :)
You're very welcome! Happy music making.
Did you get the template? If so, can you forward it to me? It won't download for me. No email is received.
@@izfax2215 Same
Same
Brilliant. One question though. Why put the +db in a effects rack and not just put the master fader to +6db?
You could do either, I just prefer to leave the master fader untouched. The Utility also provides a variety of other advantages, such as being able to sum your low end or your whole mix to mono for previewing how that sounds.
This has been a very helpful tutorial. Thanks so much. I watched this 10x until I got it.
Glad ya liked this one. Happy music making!
What about mixing with a limiter on with an output ceiling set between -0.1 to -0.3 and driving up the gain on the limiter until we start reaching the ceiling... We would then remove the limiter before sending it off for mastering. Is this a similar approach ?!
Nope. This won't work. Because you're overloading the mix into the limiter and letting the limiter crush it down. As soon as you remove the limiter, your mix will be clipping.
Warp Academy's killing it at the moment!!
Glad you've been enjoying the videos.
At 6:04 you add the Comp to the bass but there is no -16db EQ on there? please explain...
The song at that timecode is an example project from another producer. It's not in my mix template. That was just an example.
VESPERS!! MUCH LOVE DUDE! been a fan for years.
Cheers mate. Thanks for watching.
Me too. Helluva guy.
on fl you can highlight mixer channels all at once and bring them down if you want to create more headroom - i'm surprised you can't do something like that on ableton??
You certainly can, in any DAW. But there's a really good reason not to do that. Later, when you're doing a fine mixdown, your faders will be out of the range where they have the most resolution. Volume faders are logarithmic and they lose resolution the farther away from their neutral position you get. Do dropping them down by 16 dB takes then way out of their ideal range and impairs your ability to mix with them.
@@warpacademy Obviously not as a final mastering tool considering mixdown compression and volume ratios
but generally for someone who is mixing as they go or has just made a big tune in one session
Hey, i have a question since a long time, Should i put the plugins i use after utility or before utility? Ex: eq, compression, saturation, etc, thank you very much!
Good question, I would experiment with both and see what has the best results
after!! they are probably calibrated to have an ideal input of -18db (0VU)
What a smart trick with the +6db on the master, thanks
Happy to help. Cheers.
i really like the intro music track what the name of this pleaseee?
It's the demo track of a Serum Preset pack called "Darkside Funk" released by Warp Academy :)
Here's the origional song:
th-cam.com/video/RLQSTdni_2Y/w-d-xo.html
You can also get the project file of this song if you purchase the Preset Pack over at:
www.warpacademy.com/store/darkside-funk/
Cheers Yadin!
I've had the hardest time with mixing and mastering mostly because I have so many songs that I don't want to send to get mastered because they are just not something I'd release or I don't have the money and for mastering I'd like to save me good songs that I plan on releasing ! but I was never sure of how to mix because I just brought my master fader to -10 and then I would just end up making things really loud and when I tried to use a limiter on the master it just destroys my tracks ahah but I'm learning , this video was really helpful I'll try it on my new songs ! thank you :)
Glad this was helpful.
Great template - thank you. One thing - when i add extra plugins into the device rack, i gather they should come after the utility that reduces the gain, so that any plugin modelled with low headroom / hot clipping would have the necessary headroom when the signal goes into it?
You're very welcome. Yes, typically you'd put emulated plugins after the gain stage down. Unless you want to intentionally drive their input and you like the color they add. Cheers!
can anyone send me that tamplate please? they removed it from webpage .
@@begibobokhidze2005 it’s still on there. Got it yesterday. Just have to put email address and will send a link..
I agree with the comments that this is an old concern - and there is a very simple solution if your mix is peaking over -6db.
Pull back on the master fader, its fine, its what its there for. Pull back by the amount peaking past -6db for a perfect -6db.
Floating point digital summing errors/distortions occur elsewhere, not with volume scaling at 64 bits. You cant comprehend how much resolution 9,223,372,036,854,775,807, gives you. There will be no audible harmonic distortion from this process.
You should adjust your listening volume elsewhere, on your amp or a monitor volume knob.
it is good practice to lower your levels if you're peaking though, till you've filtered out some highs and lows though, you're likely gonna peak above 6 in early stages even if you're doing it right. Its correct you can overload some 32 bit plug in algorythyms but i know some dance musicians who swear by doing it.
Hey Andrew. Nice to hear from ya. Thanks for watching and commenting. Quite a few folks have pointed this out as well and I'll mention one big reason that I don't recommend this. It's due to analog modelled plugins. If you just let everything run hot from the source sounds, then turn down the full sum on the master, then you have levels on your tracks and busses that will most certainly peak at beyond 0. Analog emulated plugins will misbehave when fed this level of signal.
Check this out: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
Brutal, big big love my man
I saw your videos 10 years ago! Cool to see you are still posting videos :)
More to come!
you got a live 9 version for all of us broke mf's?
Hey mate. We don't, but it would be straightforward to make one. I'll see if we can post one soon. Cheers!
Warp Academy thanks 🙏
@@warpacademy Much appreciated. Thanks
Great video! Thanks for the template too!
No problem!
I love the song that's playing during this haha. Also thank you so much for this info
You're very welcome. Here's a link to our release where that song came from: soundcloud.com/warpacademy/sets/darkside-funk
Thanks to you I've been working like this for years. DnB tracks 30 parts deep, not an issue with this method of working. Currently I'm in the proces of building this template in BitWig. I know, but I've seen and heard things on the other side that can not be reversed.
Up on reviewing this. -16 dB on track all tracks ok, but why not +10 dB instead of 6 dB on the master channel to have that -6 dB render?
A bit of a monologue here, but I think understand it. You are referencing against the peak level of the normalized kick at -10 dB. : )))
Ah, this is an important point. It's because you never start with a perfect mix. You don't just put your tracks in and magically you're peaking at -6 dB. You mix by turning up what you want to hear more, not by turning everything else down - that's way too much work and a bad workflow.
I start by turning everything WAY down at the beginning, in the template, and then leaving myself tons of room to push volumes up as I mix. When I see myself clipping the master, which eventually happens, I know I've reached -6 dBFS and I need to adjust the mix more delicately and strategically at that point.
As I've said on my follow up video, -6 dB is not a required or magic number. It can be -1 dB. But I like -6 as it leaves a nice margin for error.
Yeah, kind of. That's honestly not even necessary because that's a peak level. You can have 2 kick with a sample peak of -10 dB but they can be wildly different in loudness, meaning they'd need to be mixed at different gains and processed differently.
@@warpacademy Thanks for getting back on the subject. Really appreciate it!
Hey thank you for the tutorial!
Will it make sense if I mix with even lower peak db levels during mixing, so that there is not even a chance that I'll be clipping, PLUS I'll have lower peak levels than -6db at the end? Does that work as well? or am I missing something?
Dang 2 years and no response! This is a great question! I'm no expert, but I think the issue is that you would then end up with a mix that (for electronic/club/bass-oriented music) could potentially have excessive dynamics. So when you squash it down for mastering, the peaks and valleys of the final mixdown would make the devices used for reducing dynamic range in mastering (compression/limiting etc) work much harder to bring the desired consistency of perceived "loudness" into focus. There IS a limit when mastering, a point where those peaks in the waveform just don't sound good being limited and squashed down to such an extreme. Because the real point when mastering dance music (which relies on a more consistent sense of "loudness" than most genres) is to enrich the mix by making sure everything is heard, even if it comes off as subtle comparatively to all the elements as a whole. So the more distance between those peaks vs the valleys in the waveform of the mixdown, the more they get squashed since the volume HAS to come up overall to achieve consistency. So imagine you're mixing that way, essentially making it impossible to peak, and as a result your loud parts have no "limit", therefore song's possible shortcomings in regards to dynamics are never really revealed. And so the eventual desired perceived loudness and quality upon mastering the final product is compromised greatly. The less they have to shave off the top, the better it will sound in the end. Because when they're mastering, they're essentially just trying to bring everything UP in volume. You don't want them to have to squash it down. But if the peaks are too far apart from the valleys, when they attempt to bring up the overall volume and hit that max they'll end up having to push it too hard to match any sort of industry-standard loudness. An overly simple way to demonstrate is when you put a compressor on any signal and make it work too hard, the result is mushy because of how much the loudest parts of the sound are being limited from going any further. Sorry this is an excessive explanation but hope you find it helpful. It's been two years though so who knows, you probably know more than me by now!
Ok great example, theoretically you could just keep bringing down the master volume while you mix any time it peaks right? The reason people don't do that is because you just keep widening the gap between those peaks and valleys, which restricts the ability to get it LOUD without sounding awful. I used to do that and I'm pretty sad I didn't know better because the songs were good but the mixes were horrible lol.
This is awesome! I have done all that gain structure workflow (at -10db)... almost exactly, using the same type of self created audio effects racks, Except i didn't do the -16db and the +6db on the master, instead i used to use a mastering plugin to listen to the mix at 0db... this had its obvious problems. Your technique fixes this workflow perfectly! I feel silly that i didn't figure it out on my own, i was so close. I have struggled with this.
Glad this helped with your workflow. Cheers mate.
The part that really matter is dynamics, not really where dbfs is. Lufs or rms is key, leave it dynamic, not squashed. Math on every track vs just your master fader in a 32bit world is better.
Kevin St Croix yep! LUFS are better way to watch for dynamics and to meet an overall volumen and punch. I like -12 or -11LFUS for my mastered instrumentals. -8 or -7 LUFS for my mastered songs.
Yeah lol, pulling down everything with one fader pre-master really is the same as pulling it down in the mix cause of 32bit. Not sure why such an emphasis is still placed on gain staging, besides for analog emulation
Why work in 32 bit vs 24bit?
I mean you'll just have to dither it down for like platform right?
As opposed to 24 bit, where you'll only have to dither down for platforms that need 16bit
I've been using this technique for 6 months since watching the tutorial and I like the result. Thank you!
Can we get PLEASE a gain staging in a fruity loops session ?? That would be awesome!!!thanks 🎶🎶💥💥
the concept is the same regardless of daw
Yes, I'm pleased to say we will be making an FL version of this. Soon. Cheers!
Just wanted to send a big thank you your way. I just used this trick and it worked perfectly! Rave on!
Hate to break the myth but the mastering engineer can bring the volume down if they need to and they probably will. Just don't go above 0
That's a common comment which I shot another video to address: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
How do you make the wafeform looks even like a big rectangle between throughout alll the sections ?
With Sausage Fattener of course.
Awesome idea, I was totally thrown off when you first mentioned boosting the master by 6db (or any db for that matter lol) but when you explained why, I was like 🤯 ohhhhhh wow! So thanks for that!
Cheers!
This is dead helpful, @warpadademy - cheers! I have a question about the template: there's a group for 'Submixes' - is there any info on how to use these and how they differ to buses?
Hey Gnarls glad you found this useful. And thanks for the question. I’ve updated the template a lot since this video and so that’s where the Submixes come in. They are one and the same as busses.
That said I just shot a deep dive video into the new template and how I use the SubMixing structure. Please subscribe to the channel and check back next week to see that video go live.
@@warpacademy legend, looking forward to the vid
Sure thing. Stay tuned!
OMG that was great guys thanks i love this channel and ableton live cool
Thanks Shalarem. Stay tuned for more videos and stay in touch!
@@warpacademy sure i will thanks
Hey @warpacademy, loving this template. Put it to good use so far for generating ideas, and am now approaching my first mixdown. One thing I'm feeling unsure about specifically relating to this template is how to adjust individual track volumes? Given all my channel faders are at 0, if my actual instrument is too quiet, then which volume parameter should I be adjusting? Should it be instrument gain (i.e. wtv options built into your synth) > -16db pad > Channel fader? Any insight here would be super appreciated.
Hey Charles. Glad you're liking the template. My approach is to just turn up the gain on my monitoring. If you don't have enough gain on your monitoring to account for quiet levels, then add a limiter or additional Utility on the master and turn it up there. Just be sure to check the limiter and make sure it's not triggering more than a couple dB of GR in your process.
Finally, I always do my rough mixing by adjusting the gain on each channels Utility. I leave my mix faders at 0 until I go back in to do the fine polishing to the mix, once it's roughed in.
Been watching since 2011 I've been able to create an amazing sound album. Thanks .
Nice one. Congratulations Martin!
@Subzone absolutely!! This was in 2014 and I've even got better th-cam.com/video/kCgCbOa9kI8/w-d-xo.html
This is really smart. I was already mixing with my levels down and adding a volume utility, but it was mostly so I could hear it louder. Using the 6 db bump to spot clipping will make spotting issues sooo much easier!
A icndcxs uzapiza⛵️🛰️🏥🏪🌄🚇🌄🌠🌄🚆🛬🎑🗿
Cheers mate. Glad this one helped.
wow, who'd a thunk? this is a stupidly simple idea. appreciate it very, very much.
Are we supposed to hit -6db peak dbfs or should the average volume of the mix be at -6db before mastering? Im asking because it seems to be really hard to control the peaks of the kick drum to -6 without making it too quiet in the mix.... Would the option be turn down the kick to super low volumes and turn everything else down super low but bring up the volume on the interface to hear things better?!
Peak level.
Interesting if nobody had “invented” gain plugins 😂😂
that +6dB master bus trick.
You are extremely right! But the case is; when I upload my beat to beatstars like mastered minus 6 db, it sounds way quiter than other beats on website. Than I feel like people dont like my beat couse all others beats are so loud and banging.
Man you didn't understand the video. You get your track at -6 and then you have to master it
@@MIDNIGHTCVLT yes you are right. I learned it after ı texted that comment. tnx btw
The whole -6dbFs is nonsense. A mastering engineer doesn't need "headroom" to master. They can just peak normalize. If you're talking about AVOIDING clipping for sonics purposes, that's a different thing... Most mastering engineers know how to deal with headroom with literally one click on Sequoia. I don't think you actually understand what headroom means in mastering.
Most important thing is that it sounds right. And btw... MOST MASTER FADERS ARE PRE FADER. Meaning that if you're clipping in the master, AND DROP THE MASTER, you're actually not clipping anymore (it's PRE FADER).
WRONG, I have worked with some of the top mastering engineers on top A list projects, they have required me to give them my tracks anywhere from -10 to -15, this is so they can have room to eq, compress and limit, without headroom they cannot do a great job. Peak Normalize is not mastering...see bernie grundman, infransonic sound mastering and many more
@@zonasound I'm not a mastering engineer by any means so I googled Bernie Grundman and found this video, here he states (somewhere in the 10-12 minute area I believe) that the mixer had left about -4 db and he agreed that this small wiggle room (but no more) is totally fine.
@@mrbones102 Well i've had 4 records that I mixed mastered by Bernie Grundman. They asked for my mixes to peak at -10db. All you have to do is look up mastering audio wikipedia or any mastering facility. Which state if the mastering engineer doesn't have headroom, he or she can't do their job bcz compression, eq, imaging, limiting add volume and effect. Infrasonic sound prefer -20 db bcz they use much analog gear. This is my experience.
its mainly to avoid digital clipping.
Are you real? Serious, are you real or a troll? And all those 40 likes are trolls also, ignorant.
so i am trying this out i see when i use the vu meter on each track and get it to 0 the track db is about -6 however i am gain staging a live snr and when i do before even touch anything the vu meter is at 0 but the track db is at 0 and sometimes goes over. if i gain control it to -6 then the vu meter will be way low so what should i do here?
oooo damnnn the track got me grooving and distracted. I forgot I was watching a tutorial loool :) Release dates PLEASE? if none let me buy or pay to collab on the beat please! I'm a Producer/DJ/Songwriter
Awesome video. I added a limiter ceiling on the master track at -6 just to make things loud. I guess my goal was to make sure the mix is balance in volume.
No no no, please don't do that. Don't use a limiter to control your peak level. Do the actual thing and gain stage properly without using a plugin that will create distortion. Never use a limiter on your master when you're sending the song to a mastering engineer.
Just mix to a sub master Aux to control the level going into master....BOOM!!!
It's not that easy when you're using analog modelled plugins, which most people are these days. Check out the follow up video here, which explains a lot more: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
It IS that easy, because dude was most likely talking about OUTPUT from those plugins, not input. He's talking about premaster. See BROSTEP for examples.
@@gulagwarlord Okay, let's walk through this. Take the example of using a kick from a sample pack. That kick is going to be at 0 dB, normalized (as are pretty much all audio samples in packs). If you're not gain staging that kick down, it's going to be peaking it's own track, as well as any AUX mix or sub-master also at 0 dB. If you're using all 32 bit, non-analog modelled plugins, then you're fine. However, if you're using analog modelled plugins (such as ones from Waves that I showed in the video I linked), then they could be distorting or producing unwanted artifacts due to the input level being so high. This is why using a sub-mix alone doesn't resolve the issue. The output of a plugin can be turned down, but you're clipping the input.
@@warpacademy I use UAD plugins, my favorite being my API and Neve 88rs channel strips. The best sounding out there, btw. I can drive the input as hard as I want to taste, like a real pre I even know the sweet spots for non-linearity. . As long as my output on the plug isn't clipping... it doesn't matter what the daw fader is doing because it is floating point data. More than enough headroom on good plugins as long as the input/output doesn't clip. As long as the little meter on the left and right of the plugin ( in ableton) isn't red, everything at the fader is just for control. The op was just stating this fact. You can mix hot, and then bring it down before the master clipper/limiter. Btw. I don't use waves plugins for modelling, they usually sound like shit.
@@warpacademy Also, I rarely use mastered samples... I try to start with intact waveforms and clip ONLY when I want to, at several points in the mixing/bussing.
Awesome video, I have been struggling with a lot of this and will watch it again to help me. Many thanks
Glad you found it helpful.
It's digital. The only gain staging you need is the master bus.
Many have said this, and so I've created a follow up video to explain more in depth why this isn't always the case. There are some significant oversights in just assuming that digital always has infinite headroom: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html
Rock on Andrew!
"Pshhhhh" ... 😂
Why can't mastering engineers add a -6db gain to a normalized premaster? No reason at all.
We don't live in the world of tapes and tubes anymore so needing 6 dB of headroom is obsolete, since it won't change the sound as you're approaching 0db.
Just make sure your track isn't unintentionally clipping.
Hey mate. Great tunes, I enjoy your music. I did a deeper followup video to this that I'd recommend checking out: th-cam.com/video/CGRusg9GnAg/w-d-xo.html&
You're right that we don't live in a world of analog tapes and tubes. That said, we do live in a world of digital tapes & tubes that are modelled after the same analog equipment. Not everyone uses these types of plugins, of course, but many do. So I recommend staging out your levels like this anyways.
If you're not running anything modelled after analog, and all your plugins can handle signals of at or near 0 dB, then 32 bit float will take care of any overages. But there is a huge trend towards using analog modelled plugins and it's nice to be able to use them on your busses and test masters.
uhmmm just lower the volume lul
surely this is a joke
@@enhancdreality nope, literally does the same thing
@@matt7212 Yes but that misses the point of gain staging and it would be much worse without it - cymatics.fm/blogs/production/what-is-gain-staging
@@enhancdreality this is really just adjusting the metering rather than gain staging. There is no sonic difference in mixing to 0db and then turning the master down to -6 peak. It's good to have templates and structured workflow but there is no right way to go about it really. Actual gain staging is more important between plugins to make sure everything his working as intened, especially analog modled stuff.
@@paukin9344 gotcha. Thanks
I subbed when I saw the speaker in the wall 🔥🔥🔥
Sweet. Thanks!
Hello !One question 🙋🏻♂️, when you’re the same person who is going to master like most nubby producers like me do it now days. Is it ok to get the mix as loud to -0 db from the mix before mastering?
Good question. You could get it close to 0 dB, but I'd still leave some margin. Unless you're going to analyze the whole mix for clips. Just leave yourself a little room, then export for mastering. Don't master in the same project.
@@warpacademy thanks for responding, I used to export it to a different project but some engineers told me that I can do it in same project . Now you told me that I’m gonna consider do it as I did it before 🙏🏻
Amazing Video and that bus on the master is a game changer for me. Thanks!
No problem!
Put in my email and everything for the free template and I'm not getting it.
Sometimes our e-mails get hard blocked by certain e-mail providers so they don't even show up in spam. Hit up our support, we'll sort ya out.
thank you my friend! i will check
This is good training wheels for people just starting out. Nice.
Bro, the MOMENT you started speaking, I could hear the mad audio processing you have and that instantly grabbed me 🤣
Love the way you convey information! But I was wandering - when you do all the gain staiging, even with these extra 6 dB on the master channel, the mix at it's first stages sounds very quiet and even hard to monitor properly, and for me it results in throwing plugins carelessly just to raise the volume up. So what do you think about mixing with a limiter on a master channel for these purposes or maybe bad idea?
Levels will be low but just turn your monitor's or amp up to suit.
Don't limit the master track, you need it for reference. But what you can do is put a clipper on every single track at the end of the effects chain. When you want it to sound "louder" you can bring up the input level on the clipper which acts as a more concise limiter. You'll know you brought the volume up too far as soon as it sounds like shit. This way you'll fuck around less with experimenting and know exactly how loud the sound can be. It reduces the dynamics (like a compressor) but doesn't reshape the transients in a way that is consistent and predictable while also allowing you to know exactly what the limit of loudness is. All the group of sounds should be sent to busses which should also have a clipper at the end of the chain. But on the bus, don't do anything with the clipper, as it's just there to shave a little of the top if need be. There's a great process this producer Baphometrix came up with called the clip to zero technique. The videos are long and hard to get through but it's free, fantastic info that you won't find anywhere else. It's also a reliable system that makes gain staging much more predictable and easy to understand.
Woah, great video mate!
Glad you enjoyed it!
been using my Pink noise template for years but might give this one a try
Personally I don't find pink noise is a very good guide for the contour of a mix. I've never used it.
I love the explanation, concept, layout, and sectioned out layout and the description. If I ever make videos, I'm going to be like you.
Hi there, great tutorial, thanks for posting it.
I'd like to ask you, how to gain stage after my song is recorded.
Thanks a lot.
Happy to help. This process applies to material that's already been recorded, so there's nothing different to do here with your song. Gain staging pre or during recording is another topic through.
@@warpacademy sorry so this template and approach is not appropriate to use if you are recording live drum machines and synths into the session? Only suitable if you are working exclusively with samples? Do you have any videos or can recommend any discussing gain staging for set ups like this?
@@warpacademy Can you clarify your answer a bit please ? Do you mean that if the song (= combination of track) is a combination of sample track and instruments tracks recorded with a midi keyboard that the recording shouldn't happen with this template or with the utility on each track disabled ? Otherwise put, should we gain stage while recording our song, or should gain staging only be done after the song (= combination of track)s has been recorded ?
What if u set your kick and samples to -16db then use a limiter to boost about 6db, wld that be about the same thing?
I know some people are against mixing into a limiter, and alot of the time I have it off, especially in the begining of production stage, but I just like to be able to turn it on and off and see what it sounds like as I mix...
Then when I'm done I turn the limiter off, export, and master in a seperate session...
Very interesting topic, I will see the following video and evenutali as soon as I have an extra moment, for the moment I have saved it in a playlist.
But I want to ask immediately a question: today where the DAW and similar software are all believe in 32 bits floating point (apart from a few plug-ins) and then the real limit of digital clipping is much higher than that set by standard, Does gain staging always make sense? Does it also have a valid reference for mastering? Is it always to be done anyway when exporting out of your DAW for some reason? Thanks for the valuable answers!
Hey Luca. Thanks for stopping by. Short answer: watch the next video. That is EXACTLY what it's about. It will answer your question directly with many examples.
@@warpacademy Thanks for the prompt response! As soon as I can I will see the video, because I am curious to investigate the important issue. Congratulations and the next opportunity!
Cheers!
Great video! Can you explain the reason for the reference tracks?
Sure thing. Please watch these videos on that from our channel: th-cam.com/video/WurWA4svRTc/w-d-xo.html& th-cam.com/video/PUO94qMuKk8/w-d-xo.html&
So the download template only has a utility on each channel? Was hoping for the effect rack too
Honestly you don’t need the effect rack. I stopped using it myself so I removed it from the template. I work differently now and no longer think that rack is useful.
@@warpacademy Top man!! Iv been appreciating your great work for many years and as a producer from the UK whose had a UK No.1 With Dj Pied Piper iv had to re-learn the digital space again as a child these last few weeks. Thank you for your efforts and all the best in the future!! Keep rockin!!! We never stop learning!!! Blessings from the UK!!!
Right on. Congrats on the past successes and here’s to a bright future for you in the digital world.
Can someone help explain what the ends on all the channels are for and why theres so many
Not sure what you mean by "ends on all the channels". Please clarify and I'd be happy to respond.