Compressing Final Wav form?

[Initial]

I'm new to this forum and also new to mastering techniques. The last few days have been agonizing, do to a very seemingly simple problem.

I've got my mix perfect, left slight compression on Drums and Subs. Proceeded to mix down to a single 24 bit Wav, then opened up a mastering track in logic 9
( with plugins needed for mastering already on master chain ). Problem follows, as soon as i try to add any sort of multi press or add limit to pump up the volume the track peaks. I find this odd, isn't it called a 'LIMITER' for a reason? I have tried bouncing the wav at all sorts of different volumes ie VERY LOW attempting to create more headroom but i just cannot seem to get the gain on add limit past 3 dbs before it begins to peak. What did i do wrong in my final mix that would make this occur?

any suggestions on this topic are greatly appreciated
Thanks!

[paravrais]

I'm new to this forum and also new to mastering techniques. The last few days have been agonizing, do to a very seemingly simple problem.

I've got my mix perfect, left slight compression on Drums and Subs. Proceeded to mix down to a single 24 bit Wav, then opened up a mastering track in logic 9
( with plugins needed for mastering already on master chain ). Problem follows, as soon as i try to add any sort of multi press or add limit to pump up the volume the track peaks. I find this odd, isn't it called a 'LIMITER' for a reason? I have tried bouncing the wav at all sorts of different volumes ie VERY LOW attempting to create more headroom but i just cannot seem to get the gain on add limit past 3 dbs before it begins to peak. What did i do wrong in my final mix that would make this occur?

any suggestions on this topic are greatly appreciated
Thanks!

Maybe you mixed too high to begin with?? If your mix is peaking or near to peaking then it won't matter if you take the gain on the master down and then render it, your not creating any headroom by doing this. You gotta make the changes in the actual mix itself.

Not an expert on this part of producing but maybe that will help?

[Initial]

Thank you for suggestions but when i said i bounced 'VERY LOW' i didn't change master out, i ment i remixed the entire mix lower, a lot lower actually and this is why i'm losing my mind over this because it should be making headroom.

[Initial]

My final mix isn't even close to hitting yellow with master at zero when i bounced as wav and yeah.. still no love.. all my tracks are at like -20--30 dbs

[staticcast]

This may seem obvious but I've made this mistake countless times before - is your master fader (and the channel fader for the channel in which you've put your mixdown) set higher than 0dB? Or exactly at 0dB?

It might be that the meter peaks when the track *hits* rather than *exceeds* 0, in this case just pull down the master by 0.1dB and see if that helps.

Also, make sure the brickwall limiter is the LAST thing in the chain. A multiband won't stop peak levels exceeding anything.

[Initial]

This may seem obvious but I've made this mistake countless times before - is your master fader (and the channel fader for the channel in which you've put your mixdown) set higher than 0dB? Or exactly at 0dB?

It might be that the meter peaks when the track *hits* rather than *exceeds* 0, in this case just pull down the master by 0.1dB and see if that helps.

Also, make sure the brickwall limiter is the LAST thing in the chain. A multiband won't stop peak levels exceeding anything.

I will give that a try, thanks for your suggestion.

Master chain set in this order as follows
Linear eq
Multi press with a hip hop final compressor
yes, limiter on bottom of channel
Although now i think about.. would these need to be on master output or the channel themselves?

[staticcast]

This may seem obvious but I've made this mistake countless times before - is your master fader (and the channel fader for the channel in which you've put your mixdown) set higher than 0dB? Or exactly at 0dB?

It might be that the meter peaks when the track *hits* rather than *exceeds* 0, in this case just pull down the master by 0.1dB and see if that helps.

Also, make sure the brickwall limiter is the LAST thing in the chain. A multiband won't stop peak levels exceeding anything.

I will give that a try, thanks for your suggestion.

Master chain set in this order as follows
Linear eq
Multi press with a hip hop final compressor
yes, limiter on bottom of channel
Although now i think about.. would these need to be on master output or the channel themselves?

Shouldn't matter.

Is the master meter reading (not fader position) higher than the channel meter reading?
If so, have you got any of the sends turned up?

[Initial]

I tried adding the compression to the multi track audio files (before bounced to av) and it doesn't go over at all.. why is it doing it with the bounced wav?

The final wav and the master out channels are reading the same but yes still going over after adding the brick wall

[staticcast]

I tried adding the compression to the multi track audio files (before bounced to av) and it doesn't go over at all.. why is it doing it with the bounced wav?

The final wav and the master out channels are reading the same but yes still going over after adding the brick wall

Which limiter are you using? Is there an "output gain" setting on it or something similar? Brickwall limiters should do exactly what they say on the tin. If it's still clipping I'm pretty sure it must be either the output level setting on the limiter or something *after* it in the signal chain, assuming the limiter is actually a limiter.

[Initial]

its the adaptive limiter built into logic and works as a limiter. Been working with it on unmastered tracks but asoon as i try to apply to wav it turns to shit

[Initial]

There are 3 knobs: gain, Input scale, and out ceiling

[Basic A]

All Im gonna say is if you dont know how to do something, dont do it.

Go read up on how limiting and compressions works.

[NRHc]

Also,when you bounce in logic sometimes it makes auto normalizing..this could be raising your volume

[Initial]

All Im gonna say is if you dont know how to do something, dont do it.

Go read up on how limiting and compressions works.

Adaptive limiter is a tool used to increase perceived loudness... Knowledge of the tool is not going to make my final mix not clip. i only added a slight limit to my final master chain following a multi press on a factory preset and it began to clip. The limiter should never make anything go over what it was originally

Also i noticed that when i'm bouncing my final mix it is normalizing automatically is there a way to change this setting? Could this be my problem?

[Basic A]

multi press on a factory preset

All Im gonna say is if you dont know how to do something, dont do it.

[Basic A]

Adaptive limiter is a tool used to increase perceived loudness...

No its a tool to decrease relative dynamics, raing the level of the lowest dynamic and lowering the level of the highest one, using a user defined ratio, of 10:1 or greater.

This in turn, increases percieved volume.

And btw dude, any preset your compressor comes with, probably, isnt going to work. You cant use presets on something that specific to the application. Learn what all those knobs do before you try to master your stuff. Otherwise your gonna end up with a brickwalled, dynamically static, mess. Im not trying to be a dick, I know I seem it, but Im not. You need to learn this stuff one day anyway. Arguing you dont need to, isnt a good strategy.

[collective]

There are 3 knobs: gain, Input scale, and out ceiling

lol set the out ceiling at -.3 db

[Initial]

Problem solved. Nomalizer was on in bouncing window causing my bounced wav to be louder then final mix.

[-[2]DAY_-]

Nomalizer was on in bouncing window causing my bounced wav to be louder then final mix.

And people call Reason users crazy......