burning level

[rjw]

New to this, although have had the 2488 for about six years. How can you adjust the level at which CDs are burned. When my CDs are played back on external players the level is always too low. At what stage of the process can I adjust this?

 

[Jarno]

Never heard about "loudness war": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loudness_war ?

There's no single "adjustment" to make your CDs louder. This is usually adchieved during mastering process by using compressors, limiters etc. It's a kind of art itself and takes years to learn.

 

[Christos]

HI, I had the same issue. So when I mix down I have the high up, between the 0 and the 6 on the master stereo fader. Then keep you monitor level down or where you need it to be.

 

[tony13]

That's a really good question rjw. You would think that the presets for the mastering on the 2488 NEO would get your volume pretty close to where it needs to be as long as you've created a good mix but it doesn't. I've about come to the conclusion that it's not possible to burn a CD on the 2488 with the mastering tools that it provides and be able to get the audio at a volume level comparable with the recording industry audio levels. And I'm talking about recording industry volume levels before the "loudness war." I can play music that was recorded in the 1960's (or whenever) in my car or my home stereo or on anything and listen to it at a moderate volume level. Then, I play a CD that I recorded on the 2488 NEO and I have to turn the volume up on my stereo considerably. If my CD was in a jukebox, it would be kinda embarrassing at the lack of volume compared to the other songs in the jukebox. The only way I have found to get the volume level during mastering to a somewhat comparable volume level to other CD's is to not be too concerned about the meter and clipping. I know that goes against basic recording logic but if I can't hear it clipping, I've decided to let it go. I hate to do that but it's either that or have a real quiet CD. Of course, there is a limit as to how far you can let it go. I may be wrong but I think that when the meter shows it's clipping, it's more of a warning sign, to an extent. Even when I let it "clip," the volume level is still not up to recording industry volume levels. If anyone knows how to create a great sounding CD on the 2488 NEO at a proper volume level, I'd love to hear your suggestions!

 

[vgmrmojo]

I recorded our band live and I set the recording levels just below clipping ( red led coming on on each channel ) and when I mixed the songs I had to turn down ( cut )
the volume of if track to get a nice mix. When i burned the cd I used the basic compressor preset and the cd sounded fine without turning the volume knob up to 10.

 

[tony13]

I recorded our band live and I set the recording levels just below clipping ( red led coming on on each channel ) and when I mixed the songs I had to turn down ( cut )
the volume of if track to get a nice mix. When i burned the cd I used the basic compressor preset and the cd sounded fine without turning the volume knob up to 10.

Thanks for your reply vgmrmojo. Did you compare the volume level of the CD that you recorded to the volume level of a CD produced by a major record label? The CD's I've recorded sound fine and I don't have to turn the volume all the way up to 10 to listen to it but when I take my CD out of the CD player and put in a CD produced by a major record label, I have to turn the volume down to listen to that CD at a similar volume level.

 

[Rickholly]

I gave up a few years ago trying to get a loud enough mix from my 2488 internal mixes. I transfer the final mix to my computer and use Sony Sound Forge and the plug in/VST s from my T-Racks Deluxe software to make the final master. I do get my mixes pretty loud using a compressor and brick wall limiter in T-Racks but that's a fairly expensive software and unless you are ready to tackle mastering in a major way I don't recommend spending that much money. Like a lot of people I started with the great (and free) Audacity software (Google: Audacity and download the free software and the free updates). It has a few compressors in it that are pretty good. After compressing the final mix in Audacity you can use the "Volume" tool to raise the overall level. You will see how it effects the wave forms before you save it. If it's clipping too much you can see it long before you hear it on the display. It's not your fault or Tascam's because the CDs today are just compressed and limited to incredible standards that are hard to compete with and you probably shouldn't even try. (Google: Loudness Wars or YouTube: Loudness Wars).