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Best sound quality Ableton/Mixtape
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Best sound quality Ableton/Mixtape

djvtyme85 2:20 AM - 13 February, 2012
So I'm a bit uneducated & ol school but I really don't understand how to get the best sound quality out of the mixtape function. I tried to toy around with the compressor & limiter. But my mixes still aren't as loud as I want. I'm used to just staying in the yellow and knowing I was good with the normal record function but my sets always are dramatically lower than a normal CD or mp3.
dj_soo 4:13 AM - 13 February, 2012
it's all in limiting and compressing the right amount but not going overboard.

also, first evening out any major volume disparities first helps too...
dj_soo 4:14 AM - 13 February, 2012
meaning, once you're done with the mix, make sure that all tracks are roughly the same volume, then throw a limiter on the master channel and bump it up so that the limiter is compressing at about -6 dB
djvtyme85 4:16 AM - 13 February, 2012
Okay that makes a lot of sense. I wasn't evening out the tracks first. I was just working off the master. My goal simply getting the loudest possible recording.
dj_soo 4:20 AM - 13 February, 2012
yea, just don't overdo it with the limiting/compressing otherwise you can make your mix sound like shit.

What I would recommend is once your tracks are evened out in volume, bounce down your mix at about a -3 or -4 dB peak in a high bit-rate (32 or 24) and then take the entire file and run it through a limiter with the loudest part of the mix going at no more than -7 dB limiting.
phatbob 2:24 PM - 13 February, 2012
dj_soo has totally nailed it.

I would definitely say don't go overboard with compression, all the tracks are compressed already when they are mastered.

I made the mistake of finishing a mixtape in a hurry and compressed it all way too much, it sounded really flattened, not a good sound.
BattleFunk 2:57 PM - 13 February, 2012
Just turn it up if its too quiet?

Shouldnt need compression of any kind

Adding 6db of compression is only going to destroy 6db of dynamics (which is a lot!)

LOUD does not equal GOOD.
Panotaker 4:39 PM - 13 February, 2012
I agree with BattleFunk. The problem is not that your mix tape is not loud enough, the problem is that CDs are too loud to begin with. Louder is not better.
CMOS 7:44 PM - 13 February, 2012
I remember when i first started fuckin around with compressors, after every mixdown i was like why did my track with nice peaks and valleys just turn into a solid green bar?
djvtyme85 2:29 AM - 14 February, 2012
Yea I'm still experimenting with it. I just wish the leds for gains of my tracks were accurate in the first place so I could get a clean signal. Like back in the good old cassette days. Now my sound is very distorted or muddy just can't find that right balance