Mastering - multiband compression

Hi, i've been looking at my tracks through Harbal and noticed i need to get the average signal up in certain bands but not alter the peak energy, so i started using multiband compression but every time i increase the average level it increases the peak level.I'm soloing the band in Sonar's LP64 multi and looking at the peak level before compression and returning the signal to the same level after compression using output gain, but when i now look in Harbal the peak and average levels have increased by the same amount, i'd like a way to control these independently.I'm setting the compression with fastest attack and auto release and high ratio basically limiting the band.Any help would be very much appreciated.
 
Cheers
Steve.

jamesyoyo


Get a mastering suite like Ozone or T-Racks and you will see the difference almost immediately.
That being said, you need to apply multiband compression judiciously, and then go thru a maximizer or Brickwall Limiter to get your average signal level upped.
As for actually using HarBal, any tonal adjustments made there have to be done prior to any mastering/finishing. Otherwise, GI-GO. 

Cheers for the advice, i already have T-Racks3 and i'm not using Harbal to make adjustments, i just wanted to increase the average level and not the peaks of the mid range instead of the whole frequency range as with a Limiter, Basically increase the green line and not the yellow line in Harbal.
 
Cheers
Steve.

In Ozone... you are able to raise and lower the compression levels in the 4 bands easily. Any time you change one of those levels, it will affect the output levels as a matter of course.

 I look at it as a balancing act. What skull said is very much a reality as well.... I used to try to increase to correct issues.... the result was everything was "above the line" in the end  and the sound quality was questionable. One day... instead of running everything up, I actually started pulling the other things down. IIRC I wanted the bass to be louder, but it was already smacking the red line. I was amazed at the difference when I started using the "less is more" approach. 

I continue to use this approach to this day and people ask me from time to time "how do you get such a clean and clear mix"..... well that's part of the answer.... don't automatically assume you have to add to a mix to make it better..... I use that same approach with EQ, compression, levels, etc...

Try it and see if that works for you.

Oh yeah.... BTW.... like any addict..... I still have to fight the desire to "push" the levels.......

i think setting the attack at the fastest setting on the MBC might be a problem.


imagine, all of your initial attack (whether it be the drums lining up with the bass guitar, or a snare hit by itself, or a hard vocal entry) is being taken down, quickly.

everything becomes homogenous.

batsbrew


i think setting the attack at the fastest setting on the MBC might be a problem.


imagine, all of your initial attack (whether it be the drums lining up with the bass guitar, or a snare hit by itself, or a hard vocal entry) is being taken down, quickly.

everything becomes homogenous.

Spooky you posted this whilst i was just thinking the same thing.
Cheers
Steve.