Too quiet? Really?

[VinylRepublic]

I have been getting 'nice track, opening too quiet for broadcast' reviews. I agreed so I made a point of learning how to really read my LUF meters and spent a lot of time getting the most out of Ozone 9 to bring the tracks up to -14 LUFs (integrated). So I was a bit miffed to find that my latest orchestral uplift offering got the same critique. I know the open is quiet, uplift requires dynamics, but do you folks think it's TOO quiet? Even after mastering? I suppose the high end is -14 LUFS so being at -35 at the beginning is on the edge. Should I be drawing in volume automation to bring the openings up significantly louder? Here's the track:

https://play.reelcrafter.com/sZixhlziQleiXza9VMue2A

Cheers.

[johnnyrowing]

I like your idea of automating the open to increase opening volume and even out the performance.

Pretty huge dynamic variation right now.

Hope it gets a forward next time.

[gitanosoy]

The whole track doesn't have to be at -14 Lufs the loudest part of the track need to hit-14.0 LUFS and you can also pass that mark and go to -12.0 LUFS without it distorting. I don't know for sync but classical music generally is mastered at -16.0 to -18.0 LUFS and Hip-Hop they will push it to -9.0 LUFS so different genres dhave different LUFS levels.


good luck

[VinylRepublic]

Thanks guys. Its a strange balance. Classical music often goes to niente but of course broadcast can't handle that, especially in the open. But I thought I had hit a good balance. There are other issues I would say, with this track (too harsh midrangey in the middle for instance) so I didn't have much hope for it, but I thought I had knocked this 'opening too quiet' thing on the head with this one. sigh. Back to it! Cheers!

Robert

[edmondredd]

Robert,
lovely melody and theme you have there.
I suppose, in my opinion, that you shouldn't worry much about the LUFS at this stage. I would start by revisiting a bit the orchestration, the different articulations, the layering, the instruments placement, and then a good balance of it all that would take the cue to another level.
Try to have a lead instrument rather than an ensemble as an exemple of a different orchestration. Have those solo instruments use different articulations, or even have the ensemble play a different articulation (a double bass pizzicato with the piano intro as an exemple).
You orchestra sounds centred, I'm not sure if it's a pan issue or a stereo width, but try moving the light percussion across the stereo field to create more width, especially that those are not constant sounds. Keep the center image for really important lines.
And then when you start having all of this, you'll notice that this has got some nice big sound to it. You start applying gentle compression here and there, to make sure everything is controlled, then you could add a limiter at the end of your plugin chain, and have it limit gently. You don't have much percussive elements to worry about other than that timpani roll and hit, but this could be worked a little bit more.
I hope that helps, and that it makes sense to you,
cheers

[VinylRepublic]

It really helps, Edmond! I appreciate the time you took to listen and advise, and I’ll implement those changes immediately. I am working with a half built VEP template with Synchron as my key orch and haven’t yet addressed balance and imaging but I sort of did a stop gap job to file this cue on time. Miles to go there but this is the sort of working advice that can lift a cue from sludgery (not a real word). The screener also mention the lack of low end so that note about double basses is spot on too. Awesome, thanks again man!

[cosmicdolphin]

Yeah gain up the first 22s, any editor who pulls that out the bin likely won't be able to hear it when under dialogue. TV isn't the place for subtle dynamics, it will just get lost and the editor won't use the track.

[VinylRepublic]

Absolutely will! Learning all the time, thanks!

[VanderBoegh]

My advice is not to overthink this from the technical perspective. People - in my opinion - get too caught up on trivialities like LUFS readings. And to be perfectly honest, I've been doing this for 12 years (the last 7 years as a full-time composer), and I still have no freakin' idea what a LUFS is. Seriously. I master my tracks with my ears and visually by simply looking at the final waveform.

But Mark was very accurate when he said TV music is not the place for subtle dynamics. Just get your track nice and loud so it can be heard underneath dialogue and doesn't shock an editor when they have to pull the volume waaaay up in order to hear the opening, and then are blasted by volume when the composition gets cooking. You're putting too much work on an editor's plate if you're asking them to automate volume levels for you.

What you've got here is a very nice piece, and would sound right at home if played in a concert hall by a live orchestra. But that type of arrangement and performance doesn't typically work well for TV. They're just different beasts.

~~Matt

[VinylRepublic]

Thanks Matt. This is also great feedback. I actually see the error in this intro and, as you say, it has to do with not so much the LUFS but the huge dynamic journey the piece goes on. I can now see a music sup tearing off his cans as the music ramps up from a quiet start. I’ve already adjusted that and I’ll put it back in circulation when the moment is right. Cheers all!