Hi.  X3 user here.
 
When I listen to my songs on my car radio I always have to boost the volume up much higher than the radio or other CDs I have, yet the mastering volume on the project seems to be very high (it even clips in some spots) and the master WAV graphic looks very full and wide.  If I try to up the master volume on the final mix any higher it would distort.  How can I get more volume into my master project without adding more clipping and distortion?
 
Thanks
 
John B.

Hey John, I think the first question would be: Are you actually mastering, including a final limiter which allows you to greatly increase volume while keeping the peaks from going over 0db ? (or your set limit)

Most radio broadcasts are heavily compressed. This means they are high in RMS volume.  Not something to emulate. 

Generally speaking, you need to raise the RMS levels of your projects whilst keeping the peaks intact.
 
Do a search on "raising RMS levels" and you'll get a wealth of information on the best way to do this without destroying your mix.

Thanks guys.  I guess I don't really mean I've "mastered" the mix per se.  What I mean is the volume on the MASTERING bus in the project.  This even hits a bit into the red but is still much lower than radio broadcasts.  Thanks for the tip on the RMS level.  I will research this.
 
JB

There are many threads here about mastering chains and output levels for mixes and for masters.  Just search for 'mastering' and you'll find many discussions.  There are hundreds of videos on YouTube about mastering as well and about using maximizer or final limiter plugins such as the Waves L2.  The L2 was on sale recently for $29.
 
Here's a link to a recent thread about mastering:  http://forum.cakewalk.com...d-mixing-m3644017.aspx
 
Here's a link to a decent video and using an L2:  https://youtu.be/JPD4SxVQo4s

Good Day,
Im no expert but you may want to insert a loudness meter or (CW Adaptive Limiter displays LUFS) as last in signal chain before main to see what kind levels your actually outputting, although Im uncertain of what standard level to use, probably no "higher" (closer to zero) than around minus -11.5 LUFS (integrated/average) would be a higher standard currently being suggested, a lot of stuff seems to be around -20 LUFS. There was a post here a few weeks ago with a link to a calibrated (-11.5 LUFS) pink noise wave file, import it into a track and you can somewhat calibrate your output meters.
 
Cheers  

The easiest way to raise the output levels of a track:
 

1) Add a clipper (like GClip or KClip) and gently clip the higher peaks. If done right, you won't hear any difference and removing those peaks will allow you to raise overall levels without distortion.
 
2) Use one or more limiters to raise the levels. Never raise it by more than 3-4db per limiter instance.
 
3) Add VUMT to the Master. Set PPM to -10 (-8 if you really want to go loud). This should always be the last plugin in your chain. Repeat step 2 until the needles in VUMT consistently touch "0" during the loudest parts of the song.
 
All of this assumes you have already done any EQ and final compression/saturation adjustments to the track.
 
Regards,
Dan

Thanks.  This is all stuff I've never really gotten into before.  Thanks for all your suggestions.
 
JB

It's a learning process, at least it was for me, and a rather sharp curve.  Feel free to send a PM if you have questions.  Good luck.