Why does 0db sound so quiet...

[Nyyx]

Ok so I'm just resampling some stuff and it's peaking at 0db. I'm just wondering why it sounds so quiet in comparison to audio on like soundcloud or whatever. (The sound I'm comparing is also on soundcloud.)

[legend4ry]

Dynamics.

Even if you slam a hard limiter on your track and put it to -0.1db - it might still not be loud.

Click to see!

Basically, stupidly amount of loudness (without moving the volume knob of what you're listening on...) which you hear on soundcloud and masters on digital comes from crushing your track down to the point where it doesn't sound like it is clipping but JUST on the edge, then pushing it as hard as it can go.

Read up on 'the loudness war' to get an idea of what I mean.


I just re-read.

DAWs sometimes don't push as loud as soundcloud due to the plugins and such, sometimes plugins have post-bounce effects and charactistics too.

Also if you're using windows 7, go down to the volume icon on the right > mixer > find your DAW - see if its up full.

[Nyyx]

I'm not even using a limiter, or raping the signal in any way. I just used a single compressor. The sound I'm mostly referring to is a reese bass(So I guess it has been raped in some ways, but in the best ways.) that I uploaded to soundcloud... So much rape. I'm sorry.

[legend4ry]

Is it only loud on soundcloud or everywhere outside of DAW?

[Nyyx]

Everywhere.

[Simulant]

Read up on peak and RMS...

[test_recordings]

I think human ears actually work more like RMS meters, that's why compressed stuff sounds louder

[Trichome]

What are you comparing it to? It's all well and good saying that the sample is at 0db but if you're comparing it to actual tunes with sub and more going on then it will obviously sound quieter.

[nowaysj]

Go into your daw, create a sine wave at 200hz at 0db. Create another sine wave, this one at 4khz at 0db. Listen to the 200hz, then listen to the 4khz. Which one is louder? Report back.

[Samuel_L_Damnson]

equal loudness contours?

[nowaysj]

shhhhh!

[falseblank]

Read up on peak and RMS...

this.

to get you started OP..the RMS measures the perceived loudness, which you can increase by reducing dynamics or boosting certain frequencies

[Nyyx]

Go into your daw, create a sine wave at 200hz at 0db. Create another sine wave, this one at 4khz at 0db. Listen to the 200hz, then listen to the 4khz. Which one is louder? Report back.

Well the 4khz at 0db is just intolerable. I wouldn't say its any louder than 200hz though. Just more shrill and unpleasant.

[nowaysj]

Very well then.

[falseblank]

Go into your daw, create a sine wave at 200hz at 0db. Create another sine wave, this one at 4khz at 0db. Listen to the 200hz, then listen to the 4khz. Which one is louder? Report back.

Well the 4khz at 0db is just intolerable. I wouldn't say its any louder than 200hz though. Just more shrill and unpleasant.

i think his point is that your ears are more sensitive to frequencies around 4-5k so they will be ''''''perceived''''' as louder

hence, if you emphasise those frequencies your audio will sound louder

[test_recordings]

Also, I think the lower the frequency, the more power required for the same volume of a higher frequency.

But of course, setting the volume to a certain level will use the power in the amp to get that level.

So that makes it a separate issue. Unless you have an under-powered amp.

[Simulant]

Go into your daw, create a sine wave at 200hz at 0db. Create another sine wave, this one at 4khz at 0db. Listen to the 200hz, then listen to the 4khz. Which one is louder? Report back.

Well the 4khz at 0db is just intolerable. I wouldn't say its any louder than 200hz though. Just more shrill and unpleasant.

Look up the Fletcher-Munson curves. Basically your ears are most sensitive to frequencies in the vocal range. No surprise there it's just evolution doing it's job.

I did a hearing test where they played a frequency quieter and quieter until I couldn't hear it anymore. Then repeated for a different frequency. The results were that I can hear some frequencies louder than others, which is normal.

[outbound]

Go into your daw, create a sine wave at 200hz at 0db. Create another sine wave, this one at 4khz at 0db. Listen to the 200hz, then listen to the 4khz. Which one is louder? Report back.

Well the 4khz at 0db is just intolerable. I wouldn't say its any louder than 200hz though. Just more shrill and unpleasant.

Look up the Fletcher-Munson curves. Basically your ears are most sensitive to frequencies in the vocal range. No surprise there it's just evolution doing it's job.

I did a hearing test where they played a frequency quieter and quieter until I couldn't hear it anymore. Then repeated for a different frequency. The results were that I can hear some frequencies louder than others, which is normal.

Imma go with this. If it's a heavily processed reese then odds are it's compressed/distorted anyway giving you very little dynamic range. The only thing left after you have removed dynamics is to focus on frequency content.

If it's very unpleasant around this area then may be an idea to make a new reese that has qualities around 3-5kHz that sound not as unpleasant. Layer this in with the original and hopefully get something a little better. Also try putting movement in, having the reese modulate so that it occasionally pushes higher at the 3-5kHz range for a brief period before dropping down a bit can hit 'louder' and while not staying in that area for long is less likely to give ear fatigue, just an idea.

[Eridu]

Ok so I'm just resampling some stuff and it's peaking at 0db. I'm just wondering why it sounds so quiet in comparison to audio on like soundcloud or whatever. (The sound I'm comparing is also on soundcloud.)

thats because you can go over 0db if you are staying in the digital mp3 soundcloud whatever as long as you dont burn audio cd`s. YOu can go up to +5db maybe even 6 or 7. If you dont believe me try it out.