This is particularly true once we add drums to the equation, which I will explain a little more about later. In the digital world, a single vocal and acoustic guitar can actually get a louder playback level than a complete band. Because each instrument takes up some of the total amplitude we can actually have, the more instruments we add the less loud they can actually be. In the world where we have an amplitude ceiling, this is not the case.
In the acoustic world, the more instruments we have banging away, the more energy we put into the air and the more total sound pressure level we get. That said, it’s an essential skill because people want their records to sound like they belong with what’s out there, and what’s out there right now is loud. It’s just another skill in the arsenal to create desired results. The second is that loud mixes do not get approved mixes that feel right to the client get approved.ĭon’t go about thinking that because you can make your mix the loudest in the world it’s going to win over clients or help sell records.
The first is that by focusing so much on how to make a mix loud, I was taking time away from learning how to make a mix good. I spent a long time figuring out how to create a loud mix. Now I want to throw a great big caution out there. Therefore when we’re mixing with the intention of the final playback level being very loud, we can customize the way the sounds are heard and cater to that idea. It’s not how much volume something has, it’s how much volume something appears to have. Rather, “loudness” is the perception of amplitude. However, “loudness” is not the same as amplitude. In other words, things can only get so high in terms of amplitude. A digital file has a hard ceiling called 0 dbFS, and any signal that exceeds this level turns into harmonic distortion, not playback amplitude. The only issue is that there is a limitation on playback level. And since commercial records sound so loud - well … everyone wants their music loud as can be. Commercial releases are currently very loud, particularly since the EDM scene flushed through the mainstream market in the late 2000s. Playback loudness is an ever-persistent issue in the world of mixing and mastering.