Hi there:)
 
Problem:
 
I have had a band in Studio and I mastered the Songs with the new True Peak Standard, I think it sounds much better, warmer and for sure with more dynamic, not as harsh as when it is nailed to the ceiling, I never liked it!!
 
So this band was here a few years ago and at that time I mastered them to about -6 dB RMS, they wanted it like that:(
Now they'd like to have for a Demo Cd a Mix of short peaces from the old and the new Songs!
 
So far so good:)
 
I can't remember, but i think I mastered it with Boost 11, (-0,3 dB Peak), the new ones also with Boost 11, (- 0,5 dB)
 
Now with True Peak the new titles peaked at about -12 dB RMS, but for the old ones I have to reduce loudness for about 3 dB, they do peak at -9 dB RMS.
 
How can this be??  Same Limiter!! How can I master the new songs to -9 dB RMS without peaking at True Peak??
 
Does anybody know more about True Peak or perhaps any Brickwall Limiter to get the new songs to the same level as the old ones.
 
For now I reduced the level from the old ones, so they have a maximum -4 or -5 dB to 0!!
 
Thanks a lot:)
Heinz.
 
P.S. For sure I could master the old ones again, but I loaded the master backup in Sonar and it can't identify the whole plug ins, but they are there, and don't know which Version I've had installed at that time, Perhaps Sonar 8.5? :(
 

You talk about mastering. I would think remix to get the levels more inline with your new aesthetic. I would drop Boost 11 and go with a much better limiter when you go to master. I like Concrete Limiter but there other ones that will work nearly as well. For a really good and simple metering plus level control I would look strongly at Klanghelm YUMT.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug5UQNg8F4k Take a look at that vid. Its very helpful.

Hi:)
 
OK, after analysing the files, here the correct Meters:
 
Old mastered File:  -8 LUFS, True Peak -0,9,  RMS -8 dB
New mastered File:  -11 LUFS, True Peak -1 dB, RMS -11 dB
 
True Peaks are both OK, but I don't know how to get to the level of the old File without peaking True Peak:(
What the hell am I doing wrong??
 
OK, now that I've read that for Radio/TV Productions in Germany the Aim is to Master at about -23 LUFS and +- 3dB Peak, my Files are too loud, so it's not a problem, but I'm wondering what I have done to these old files to sound louder without peaking "True Peak"??
 
@John
I've Nugens VisLM, great Level Meter, so the problem is Boost11. Nomad Factorys Brickwall Limiter doesn't work either!

Ups, sorry:)
 
Thanks for the link, John:))

My hunch is that the dynamic range that you mentioned in the OP is playing a big part of this. As you flatten out dynamic range you are driving RMS values higher, and the peak values are the ones "set in stone" by a limiter, etc. A "visual" explanation would be similar to a true square wave... RMS=peak, so as you flatten dynamic range the difference between peak and RMS begins to narrow.
 
Have you gone back to the original files and mastered them to your new work flow, or are you trying to remaster the original masters? For the point of getting more dynamic range in older songs, I would step back to the mixes they came from.

Baseman
Old mastered File:  -8 LUFS, True Peak -0,9,  RMS -8 dB
New mastered File:  -11 LUFS, True Peak -1 dB, RMS -11 dB
 
...what I have done to these old files to sound louder without peaking "True Peak"??
 

Peak levels have little to do with the perception of loudness, which is more closely tied to average RMS values. The older files, with an average RMS of -8 dB, are going to sound louder than the newer ones averaging -11 dB RMS. The ratio of peak to RMS is called the crest factor.
 
To bring the new file up to the same level you're going to have to lower the crest factor, sacrificing peak-to-RMS ratio for the sake of overall volume. That means squashing some peaks. You'll need to raise the average RMS by 3 dB, which necessitates lowering your highest peaks by the same amount.
 
This is where the quality of the limiter comes into play (along with many other factors; it's not all about the limiter but that's a big subject that entire books have been written about). Boost 11 isn't a very smart limiter. It works OK in some situations, especially if the amount of limiting is small. But if you want to be able to turn up the average RMS levels (and proportionally turn peaks down) it helps to have a smart limiter that can do this as transparently as possible.
 
I'd suggest taking a look at TB Barricade for a quality limiter that's very inexpensive. If you want to throw more money at it, Ozone would be an excellent choice. There are plenty of others, such as Voxengo Elephant and FabFilter Pro-L, but they require a fair degree of expertise to use them properly. Ozone makes it downright easy.

Dave the OP wants to do just the opposite. He likes the sound of the new mastered songs and wants to go back have the old ones sound similar. 

What threw me off was when he asked "how can I master the new songs to -9 dB RMS?", leading me to assume he wanted the new songs louder to match the old ones. Re-reading the OP, I see that he's trying to reduce the old files but finding the peaks consequently reduced by 4-5 dB in the process.
 
Heinz, your options may be limited. It depends on the original mix whether you'll be able to volume-match the two sets of files without reducing peak values in the old files. If you have a high crest factor, then it's just a matter of reducing it just enough to make the match, by simply raising the RMS less. But if your crest factor on the old files is low, you may have no choice but to lower everything, sacrificing peaks in the process.
 
If that's the case, assuming you still have the original project, you might go back in and examine things like compression on drums. If you've got severe compression on kick and/or snare, you may be able to back off the compression ratio and restore some of your crest factor. 

Can you go back a few years and pull out those mixes that were premastered that is.  Do you have those mixes before mastering?  Reason why you should never master at the time of the mix.  Because you never get to print that all important mix that is Pre Mastered.
 
If you do have those original pre mastered mixes than put those files through the same and the newer or latest mastering chain. That way you can bring all the rms levels together and consistently.  It will also help (to some degree) to disguise the fact some of the tracks were done previously.
 
If you don't have those premastered mixes from a few years ago than your only option is to lower the level of the whole track to match the newer mastered levels.  I have done that on a few ocassions when mastering tracks for clients that had come from a variety of sources.  It is not ideal but at least you can keep all the volume levels consistent.  The VU meter will keep everything in check on that front.
 
 
 

John
You talk about mastering. I would think remix to get the levels more inline with your new aesthetic. I would drop Boost 11 and go with a much better limiter when you go to master. I like Concrete Limiter but there other ones that will work nearly as well. For a really good and simple metering plus level control I would look strongly at Klanghelm YUMT.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug5UQNg8F4k Take a look at that vid. Its very helpful.

+1 to everything John said. i have really come to rely on the Klanghelm VUs. That video is also great. It really helped explain the new LU metering