Volume level for submissions

[mojobone]

I'd recommend against 'limiting the daylights' out of anything, for fear of being caught out by a leveling algorithm, somewhere down the line. Remember it's average level the ear responds to, so peaks have little to do with loudness; crest factor is the important thing. These days, I leave a full decibel between my highest peak and OdBFS, and for pop/hiphop music, I maintain a crest factor of at least 3dB; 6dB or more for rock, blues or jazz and even more for classical.

[Len911]

The volume knob up about 30-40%?

I know it sounds crazy, but I would think most people set their volume knob to the over-all average of what they listen to. It is annoying if they need to change the knob. Then they probably focus on levels within the mix and the harshness or warmness. Some sites are more difficult than others, I mean youtube and soundcloud are a couple where I always seem to be turning the volume up and down. Soundcloud is probably worse because sometimes the mix is off and there are really loud drums that drown out a vocal or lead melody, I can't change the mix, and youtube is usually uploads of already mixed material. So I think if something is well mixed and in the sweet spot, loudness wouldn't matter, as much as everything else like composition and arrangement.

[annayarbrough]

I'd recommend against 'limiting the daylights' out of anything, for fear of being caught out by a leveling algorithm, somewhere down the line. Remember it's average level the ear responds to, so peaks have little to do with loudness; crest factor is the important thing. These days, I leave a full decibel between my highest peak and OdBFS, and for pop/hiphop music, I maintain a crest factor of at least 3dB; 6dB or more for rock, blues or jazz and even more for classical.

Good info, Mojo—thanks!

[andygabrys]

Limiting the daylights out of it is relative.

3 db crest is pretty much what I would consider “having the daylights limited out of it”

[waveheavy]

No disrespect to those who have been writing library tracks for a long time, but I think what matters is the volume level based on the style. Orchestral music shouldn't be as loud as EDM or Pop. If you try to get an orchestral piece up to the loudness of EDM, it can sound unnatural because of being squashed by a compressor/limiter. Whereas with a Pop or Rock song their tracks are usually compressed more and the final loudness has a higher standard.

If a screener has to turn the volume up a whole lot, then I can see that as a problem. But that doesn't mean every track should be loud. I'd like to think the screeners have enough experience to not succumb to the loudness wars.

I prefer to listen to library tracks in good libraries and see what their loudness is per the style.

[mojobone]

Of course if you're assembling an album, you won't want gentle ballads to be as loud as flat-out rockers, but most library tracks will be heard more or less in isolation or with other tracks in the same genre. Another thing to keep in mind is that library tracks are going underneath dialog in many cases, and often at a very low level, so a lot of folks mix at very low levels, to make sure all the important elements can be heard. I also check my mixes, or at least the loudest/softest parts at the recommended 85dB SPL to be sure the lows and highs aren't taking heads off at full volume. The one other real big thing is that you have to know where your levels are in the first place and the way you do that is to calibrate your monitors, which you can do with an app on your phone or a decibel meter from Radio Shack, if they still have those. (you can also get one from Sweetwater or your fave music retailer for about $60USD. *EDIT you'll also want a pink noise generator or a looped sample thereof.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idGvZnSnPhs

[cassmcentee]

*Update*
I just had a library ask me to turn down the volume on a tune!

Since this thread started I've been pushing the compressors and limiters harder every mix...
Time for self-correction, dial it back some (I would post the mix but I deleted it earlier)

[annayarbrough]

*Update*
I just had a library ask me to turn down the volume on a tune!

Since this thread started I've been pushing the compressors and limiters harder every mix...
Time for self-correction, dial it back some (I would post the mix but I deleted it earlier)

Haha! The same thought crossed my mind last night... took me so long to be able to get them up, and now I'm wondering if I'm starting to overdo it.......

[Len911]

I find presets in the limiter to be extremely helpful. Set the volume knob on the headphones to 40%, and click through the presets.
That's probably the best thing I like about the Sonnox Limiter, they have an abundant supply of presets, and I'm too lazy to make them myself,lol! That gives you instant comparisons and reference. I can't imagine manually tweaking a limiter.

[GuitarKit]

I import one of the sample songs from the listing into my session and use that as a volume check. Of course is going to hold those important factors to help my piece reach the right goals of E.Q and volume for that particular genre.