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[frightnite]

I think people should care less about -6 db but focus on proper gain staging because a well balanced mix can be pushed more than a unbalanced -6db mix

[LETTMusic]

I route all of my project's mixer channels to one channel called 'Pre-Master'. That Pre-Master Channel goes to the Master. That gives me double the mastering FX slots, but more importantly, it gives me one additional fader to control the Master gain all in one, so I can keep my leveling of everything else in place. It's a really easy way to reduce the total gain of my track if it's getting too loud. I can also put a soft clipper on the pre-master as an option to ensure it doesn't go over 0dB before it hits the final Master.

Another benefit of using a dedicated Pre-Master channel is that I can set up a standalone 'Reference' mixing channel that I can drop reference tracks into my project to compare my mix against. The Reference track bypasses the Pre-Master and is routed straight to the master. This ensures that if I have started adding FX to my pre-master chain, it does not apply to the Reference track as that's already mixed/mastered. So all I need to do is gain match the Reference to my Pre-Master, and I can start EQing or working to tonally balance my track in live time, and do a direct comparison with plugins like SPAN on my Pre-Master and Reference as they play simultaneously (Reference sidechained to master so no output volume so I get to listen to just my track).

So to sum up and simplify, for me, I allow only 2 channels to route to the Master directly. A reference track channel, and my pre-master channel which is a sum of everything else.

[aerialgrey]

Nice one. Since I typically start my tracks with a kick drum, I always just turn the kick down -10 db and mix everything around it…A trick I learned from D. Ramirez like 12 years ago. Works for me!

[michaelfarrow]

Good idea, Streaky!
What I do: rather than adding a limiter with +6 dB, I simply turn up the volume of the stereo mix track by 6 dB. When I get the mix sounding strong and balanced, the mixing is finished and the mastering begins. I put the level of the stereo track back to unity and engage whatever limiting/compressing I am going to use for the mastering.

[sigmathamajestic]

First, add a limiter to your master channel and add 5.5 to 6 dB of gain. Since you're looking to get your mix somewhere between -3 and -6 dB, this added gain will trigger your limiter around 2 dB of attenuation.

Next, Leave faders at 0dB (zero unity) and adjust input gain for all tracks first, before mixing! Moving your faders is considered output volume and is at the end of your Effects chain. If i have a signal coming into my mixer at -3 dB and adjust the output volume, it may sound quieter, but it doesnt change the input volume, or how loud the signal is coming in. When I load a plugin, I'll notice that the sound s still coming into it at -3 dB and if I, for instance, use and eq to make a boost, I'm essentially clipping now. You can use a gain plugin as the first slot on your Effects chain if you'd like, as opposed to the pregain slider/knob for each one. This still achieves the same thing, and helps to manage the volume on its way to your EQ, compressor, etc., and not stress them out.

By leaving faders at zero, you can also accuratley check the volumes going into each individual channel, and bus tracks as well. You should not be clipping in any of your channels!

Your pre-mix should contain a balanced volume of all your sounds and sit between -3 to -6 dB on the master. Now, time to start processing!

Make your adjustments, but always make sure to use the make-up gain in whatever effect you use to adjust the volume of a signal back to the level it was at before you added the effect! When it's all done, your mix should sound cleaner than your pre-mix, and still between -3 and -6 dB.

Then, if you want to move your faders, go for it. You'll only have to make slight movements to get a better blend of your signals.
As for what volume levels certain sounds should be around, that usually changes depending on genre.

Ive learned this recently, and as someone who mixes purely "in the box", this was game changing. Now I have to go back and fix it all.

Go forth and create! 👑👑👑

[spherodite]

This will definitely change how your mix will sound like when you remove the limiter, so you are basically mixing into a limiter and everything interacts as such. Unless you are super used to this method, with a known limiter, with tried and true settings, I simply think that lowering the gain of each individual track in the beginning of a mix is much safer method.

[mindstuff]

Weird advice but I guess makes sense if your listening volume never changes. I simply set my kick, the loudest sound in the mix to -18 dbs rms and everything else mixed to the kick. I never clip and have more than enough headroom for mastering (usually -10 to -12 db). Limiter on the master with default settings from the start just to keep a hot signal from crushing my ears.

[stephenpeacock]

Hi Streaky - Thanks as always for kindly sharing your knowledge - it is hugely appreciated.😊

[cordellsounds]

I use a limiter on the mix bus towards the end of a mix just to get an idea of how it will react to mastering but my preference is to keep my gain staging in check from the start by changing the gain of the regions or the output of whatever soft synth/sampler and keep it in check each time a plugin is added. This helps to get the best out of analogue emulation plugins and also means my mix is in a pretty good place with all faders at unity, which (in logic at least) means the scaling of the faders is much more precise than when you have the fader near the bottom. I usually just use the faders for fine tuning and volume automation. Most importantly I know my monitoring setup well. When working on a mix my control room level is always at exactly half way and I know how loud it should sound and how much energy the track should have at that volume without clipping and if it doesn't I still have work to do. If you know your monitor setup well then why fool yourself?

[salmonesque]

This one lesson had the most positive impact on my recording and mixing. Thanks Streaky. Bake on.

[nadimabou-chacra]

I always mix with a VU meter set -18LUFS on master channel as a reference for individual tracks and/or whole mix

[NoeAnton]

I've been using the Steven Slate FG-X2 at my master bus with the 6dB of gain and works wonderful for allowing a good headroom for mastering.

[PrincipalAudio]

I modify the gains on tracks to make the clips -6dB from max and keep the faders around the 0dB mark for a range of +12 to -infinity automation. I also use a gain plugin on those tracks that need more than +12dB of automation. Quite useful using a separate gain plugin on vocal tracks for doing the bulk of automation, and using the fader for longer-term lifts, such as in choruses.

I use -6dB on the main busses to feed the output stages, and automate around this figure to bring dynamics to the track. With all the previous gain-staging done, this works perfectly for me. The output limiter usually needs about ~6-9dB of gain to get to a -10 LUFS output, and a little more for -8 LUFS. But usually I'll leave the headroom and master it in a separate project after a week of not listening to the track.

[cryptoparking]

Thank you! Am going to try it out! More vids like this pls!

[dillonbeylefeld]

Brilliant advice. Definitely going to be using this. Love the vids. Getting a lot of your shorts on my feed. Great stuff!!!

[sparella]

I heard someone recommend leveling the drum bus to -23Lufs and mixing from there. So far with this technique I've ended up in the -17Lufs range at the 2buss. So, it's not quite 6dB, but not terribly far off.

[jamiec]

Wow. I've been mixing for 25 years. It never dawned on me to do this. Great tip. Thanks Streaky

[LexerJason]

To be honest, I haven't expected anything special in this video because there are hundreds of them on the web and all of then are quite similar in general, but man, this is actually a brilliant piece of advice to follow!

[rome]

I set every channel to around -18 db using a gain plugin at the end of my chain. Then I balance from there by raising and lowering those gain plugins. That way all my faders are at zero even after I've achieved a good balance. And my master bus is nowhere close to clipping.

I'm also very careful to get the right input levels into each of my plugins. You can either do this using a gain plugin, or the input and output dials on the plugins themselves.

[aiyka_music]

Isn't using a gain plugin with 6db better than using a limiter with 6db because the limiter may be doing some gain reduction especially on the kicks so it doesn't guarantee that you're going to have enough headroom once you get rid of it at the end of the production session...