how to boost my output to -2 Db

Author
Bansaw
Max Output Level: -88 dBFS
  • Total Posts : 116
  • Joined: 2008/08/14 13:34:16
  • Status: offline
2012/07/16 20:17:29 (permalink)

how to boost my output to -2 Db



I have Sonar Home 6.2.
When I export mixdowns it seems like they are a bit quiet and I'd like them to be bouncing up to -2db.

How do I get the mixdown volume boosted?   

Sonar Home 6 XL (32-bit), Toshiba Sat L500 INTEL I5-430M 2.26-2.53GHZ , Win7 , 4GB, 500GB, MOTU Ethno & Symphonic, Rapture 1.2.1, Studiologic 990Xp, UM-1EX midi interface, UA-1EX usb sound cad
#1

8 Replies Related Threads

    daveny5
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 16934
    • Joined: 2003/11/06 09:54:36
    • Location: North Carolina
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/16 20:48:03 (permalink)
    Make sure your tracks are recorded at good levels. Then put some compression on the master bus and crank up the volume a bit. Try using Boost11 if you have it. 

    Dave
    Computer: Intel i7, ASROCK H170M, 16GB/5TB+, Windows 10 Pro 64-bit, Sonar Platinum, TASCAM US-16x08, Cakewalk UM-3G MIDI I/F
    Instruments: SL-880 Keyboard controller, Korg 05R/W, Korg N1R, KORG Wavestation EX
    Axes: Fender Stratocaster, Line6 Variax 300, Ovation Acoustic, Takamine Nylon Acoustic, Behringer GX212 amp, Shure SM-58 mic, Rode NT1 condenser mic.
    Outboard: Mackie 1402-VLZ mixer, TC Helicon VoiceLive 2, Digitech Vocalist WS EX, PODXTLive, various stompboxes and stuff. 
    Controllers: Korg nanoKONTROL, Wacom Bamboo Touchpad
    #2
    RobertB
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11256
    • Joined: 2005/11/19 23:40:50
    • Location: Fort Worth, Texas
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/17 00:02:30 (permalink)
    Yes, you have Boost 11. It was introduced with SHS6XL, much to the chagrin of many Sonar users.
    You are following good practice, and routing all of your audio tracks(including bus outputs) to the master bus, correct?
    Insert Boost 11 in the FX bin of the master bus.
    Follow that with Voxengo SPAN. This will help you keep track of clipping and overhot frequencies.
    Be prepared to adjust individual track EQ(you have Sonitus EQ available in the Console View, or you can work with you choice of third party EQ's)
    Also, you may actually have to adjust some of your track levels down.
    I used Boost 11 on this track:
    http://soundclick.com/share.cfm?id=10285834
    On initial application of Boost 11, it sounded like utter crap. I had been pushing the peaks for more volume, and it was clipping like crazy.  After some jucidious adjustments, It got where I was comfortable with the sound.
    You have some powerful tools in SHS6.
    Use them, and trust your ears.
    post edited by RobertB - 2012/07/17 00:06:41

    My Soundclick Page
    SONAR Professional, X3eStudio,W7 64bit, AMD Athlon IIx4 2.8Ghz, 4GB RAM, 64bit, AKAI EIE Pro, Nektar Impact LX61,Alesis DM6,Alesis ControlPad,Yamaha MG10/2,Alesis M1Mk2 monitors,Samson Servo300,assorted guitars,Lava Lamp

    Shimozu-Kushiari or Bob
    #3
    malcolmb
    Max Output Level: -76 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 713
    • Joined: 2008/06/11 14:43:05
    • Location: Isle of Wight - England
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/17 04:08:01 (permalink)
    Hi Bansaw - I also find that the .wav that is created when you "bounce to track" and then export is a bit quiet in comparison to the project sound level in HS (I suspect this has something to do with the soundcard settings and not HS - no doubt one day I will figure it out!). Everything daveny5 and RobertB advise is absolutely right (I have taken their excellent advice before and strongly recommend it) and will definitely dramatically improve the sound level and quality for you. However, you may still find that even then, the exported .wav file sounds a little quiet in comparison to what it sounded like in HS. The solution is simple (which is the sort of solution I can cope with!). Either before you export the .wav or import it into a blank project, go to Process / Audio / Gain and add as many decibels to the .wav as you need!
    post edited by malcolmb - 2012/07/17 04:09:14

    HS 7 XL
    XP Prof.
    4 GB memory
    GPO, VSL, Music Lab Real Guitar/LPC, EWQLSC, Vocaloid Miriam/Avanna 
    Soundcard - Marian Marc 4 Midi

    www.soundclick.com/malcolmbrown
    www.soundclick.com/lylemusic
    www.youtube.com/user/LyleMusic
    #4
    Bansaw
    Max Output Level: -88 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 116
    • Joined: 2008/08/14 13:34:16
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/19 15:45:19 (permalink)
    Thanks all,... the Process / Audio / Gain is useful. I tried the Boost11. I right-clicked on the master bus and added it. It took ages to deploy and I thought the program had crashed. But it didn't work for me. On the tutorials I've seen, the active waveform scrolls from right to left as its being processed, but in my case there was no wave form visible and it had no effect. (yes, I did enable it and click the switch etc).

    Sonar Home 6 XL (32-bit), Toshiba Sat L500 INTEL I5-430M 2.26-2.53GHZ , Win7 , 4GB, 500GB, MOTU Ethno & Symphonic, Rapture 1.2.1, Studiologic 990Xp, UM-1EX midi interface, UA-1EX usb sound cad
    #5
    Kalle Rantaaho
    Max Output Level: -5 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 7005
    • Joined: 2006/01/09 13:07:59
    • Location: Finland
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/20 03:52:02 (permalink)
    what bothers me a bit in your original post is that you don't actually talk about increasing loudness (in the way 99% of the poster do, to get "commercial loudness), but only about lifting the peaks to -2 dB. Would you elaborate a bit, please. So you're not after actual loudness (high RMS level volume -15 - -10 dB) like in commercial recordings. Basically, you can lift the peak simply by sliding the Master Bus level up a required amount, but that's not accurate, of course. One very clear way would be bouncing to track and then Normalizing to -2dB. The behaviour of Boost 11 sounds weird. It's not a heavy VST, it should pop up in a second.

    SONAR PE 8.5.3, Asus P5B, 2,4 Ghz Dual Core, 4 Gb RAM, GF 7300, EMU 1820, Bluetube Pre  -  Kontakt4, Ozone, Addictive Drums, PSP Mixpack2, Melda Creative Pack, Melodyne Plugin etc.
    The benefit of being a middle aged amateur is the low number of years of frustration ahead of you.
    #6
    Jeff Evans
    Max Output Level: -24 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 5139
    • Joined: 2009/04/13 18:20:16
    • Location: Ballarat, Australia
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/21 19:02:10 (permalink)
    You need to define -2 dB as either peak or rms. Some ommercial recordings are WAY hotter than the level that Kalle is suggesting as well. They do not sit at -15 as he has said.  (maybe some of the louder ones are around -10) Most commercial CD's are around - 7 dB rms. I know its loud but the facts are that is where most of them are. I have mastering quite a bit lately and often have to deal with clients wanting their projects to be as loud as commercial CD's so I have been doing a lot of measuring in this area.

    Boost 11 is not even worth talking about. It is not a good limiter period. In order to get levels sitting up at -7dB rms without any distortion you have to invest in a serious limiter such as the PSP Xenon. It can do it but at a cost though. The new Sonar concrete limiter sounds like it is a much better option compared to boost 11  as well and might be in the ball park of getting your levels up high as well.

    But getting good levels in your final result actually starts further back from the final limiting stage. It starts right back in your tracking levels and mix processing etc..

    Specs i5-2500K 3.5 Ghz - 8 Gb RAM - Win 7 64 bit - ATI Radeon HD6900 Series - RME PCI HDSP9632 - Steinberg Midex 8 Midi interface - Faderport 8- Studio One V4 - iMac 2.5Ghz Core i5 - Sierra 10.12.6 - Focusrite Clarett thunderbolt interface 
     
    Poor minds talk about people, average minds talk about events, great minds talk about ideas -Eleanor Roosevelt
    #7
    RobertB
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 11256
    • Joined: 2005/11/19 23:40:50
    • Location: Fort Worth, Texas
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/21 20:04:57 (permalink)
    The Concrete Limiter is exclusively for X1 w/pro Channel. It is not compatible with SHS6XL at all.
    PSP Xenon is $249. I would hope it is better than Boost 11.
    Bansaw, as Kalle noted, that behavior is not right. The version of Boost 11 included with SHS6XL may not agree with W7.
    You might want to consider upgrading to X1, as it was designed with the W7 environment in mind.
    post edited by RobertB - 2012/07/21 20:10:54

    My Soundclick Page
    SONAR Professional, X3eStudio,W7 64bit, AMD Athlon IIx4 2.8Ghz, 4GB RAM, 64bit, AKAI EIE Pro, Nektar Impact LX61,Alesis DM6,Alesis ControlPad,Yamaha MG10/2,Alesis M1Mk2 monitors,Samson Servo300,assorted guitars,Lava Lamp

    Shimozu-Kushiari or Bob
    #8
    Bristol_Jonesey
    Max Output Level: 0 dBFS
    • Total Posts : 16775
    • Joined: 2007/10/08 15:41:17
    • Location: Bristol, UK
    • Status: offline
    Re:how to boost my output to -2 Db 2012/07/25 12:14:47 (permalink)
    Another very good limiter which can be very transparent is the TRackS3 Brickwall Limiter.

    It's currently retailing for €74.99 here.

    CbB, Platinum, 64 bit throughout
    Custom built i7 3930, 32Gb RAM, 2 x 1Tb Internal HDD, 1 x 1TB system SSD (Win 7), 1 x 500Gb system SSD (Win 10), 2 x 1Tb External HDD's, Dual boot Win 7 & Win 10 64 Bit, Saffire Pro 26, ISA One, Adam P11A,
    #9
    Jump to:
    © 2025 APG vNext Commercial Version 5.1