Author Topic: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB  (Read 11372 times)

RosC

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Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« on: February 19, 2016, 06:42:56 pm »
So I've been composing my tracking with all the tracks near - 20 dB and leaving the kick near 0 dB. When I master the track should I turn down the kick to near the other tracks volumes?
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Kenny Troy

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2016, 06:48:46 pm »
-20dB for everything except the kick? How is anything audible/ how much headroom do you have?

Here's a little "gain-structure" guide that you could try using. Just remember, there is no perfect formula for gain structure and you should adjust everything accordingly to what you believe best suits your track/style

Volume
       a. Kick = -9dB
       b. Vocal = -12dB
       c. Leads = -15dB
       d. Bass = -18dB
« Last Edit: February 19, 2016, 06:52:16 pm by Kenny Troy »

RosC

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2016, 06:50:14 pm »
Thanks! I'll give that a shot, Ilan Bluestone says he builds his tracks like that with the kick near 0 dB
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Kenny Troy

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2016, 06:53:34 pm »
Thanks! I'll give that a shot, Ilan Bluestone says he builds his tracks like that with the kick near 0 dB

That's the best part about music production. You can do what you want, what you like, or how you like to do it. Everyone has their own style and methods so don't think anything is necessarily "wrong"

RosC

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2016, 07:05:35 pm »
What would you leave the pads at out of curiousity?
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Kenny Troy

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #5 on: February 19, 2016, 07:08:38 pm »
What would you leave the pads at out of curiousity?

Depends on what you're trying to create, but more often than not they would be less audible than the other instruments in the mix.   Just to throw a number out there, -15 to -20dB. Maybe some stereo separation to push them to the back too. One of my tracks I actually have a pad at -13dB.

Generally I use pads as a background so they do not need to be "in your face" loud. But remember it's all relative to what you want to produce, and what you want your music to sound like.
« Last Edit: February 19, 2016, 07:12:28 pm by Kenny Troy »

Gabe D

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #6 on: February 19, 2016, 07:37:27 pm »
Try this.

Listen on the lowest of volumes. So turn you master volume all the way down and make it where you can barely hear it. If the Kick is standing out over everything else, lower the Kick db. 

Setting everything at whatever db is more of a starting point imo. I have all mine set at -10db but they always change.

Edit: And like Kenny said, its all relative to what you want to produce.
« Last Edit: February 19, 2016, 07:45:47 pm by gd4223 »
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ZAU

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #7 on: February 20, 2016, 03:56:43 am »
Volume
       a. Kick = -9dB
       b. Vocal = -12dB

For me, I would have the lead vocals somewhere closer or even equal to the kick. The vocals in the song are the most important thing for me, unless it plays a smaller role like it's a sampled chop for instance. But if there are full lyrics involved, I definitely want to make sure that those vocals are upfront. I always feel that if you can't her the lyrics, you are missing like 50% of the point of the whole song to begin with.

Hymoki

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #8 on: February 20, 2016, 04:08:19 am »
There's no set gain levels for tracks, it's mostly what you think sounds best for your mix. I usually mix pretty loud near 0 and then pull the master way down before it goes through my mastering chain so I have enough headroom!

ShawOfficial

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #9 on: February 20, 2016, 06:40:34 am »
I leave the level of the kick untouched and I mix everything around the kick.Well because how I generally mix,my kicks in my older tracks were lost in the mix,so after eqing and adjusting levels,and if your kick isn't punching through,you can always turn the kick up.
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oliverseuk

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #10 on: February 20, 2016, 07:12:15 pm »
Use some light saturation on your kick just to bring that transient down to the rest of your track, that will be really hard to master if it's that far above the rest of your track. Whenever I use a transient shaper, I'll throw a saturator on my effects chain straight after a few db of gain so that it sounds transparent. It just keeps you're dynamics under control and makes mastering a whole lot easier!

ShawOfficial

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Re: Mastering with the kick near 0 dB
« Reply #11 on: February 21, 2016, 06:11:53 am »
Use some light saturation on your kick just to bring that transient down to the rest of your track, that will be really hard to master if it's that far above the rest of your track. Whenever I use a transient shaper, I'll throw a saturator on my effects chain straight after a few db of gain so that it sounds transparent. It just keeps you're dynamics under control and makes mastering a whole lot easier!
Well for the first time with my latest trackI used waves transx and after all the master processing,as I move away from the speakers,the kick's low end seems to disappear.Will be trying this saturation trick.
All of us are students.Except some of us just stop learning.And I need you to keep going.There isn't going to be a happy ending,there's just gonna be happy struggle.But the struggle will be worth it.
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