"Level maximization - Dynamically optimizing audio for CD format"

There's no such process as "maximization".... and the phrase "dynamically optimizing auidio for CD" is completely meaningless. I think you're trying to describe the use of a Limiter to raise overall volume levels, but you've described it very badly.


"1. Volume Level Maximization
This is to make sure that all audio is at maximum volume, so that all songs are at the same volume level. Ever watch late night TV, where the volume of the commercials are a couple notches higher than the show you were watching? If a professional CD mastering engineer was involved, they would raise the volume of TV show to match the volume of the commercials."

This is completely wrong... you don't want all the tracks on a CD to be at the same level... do you think a ballad should be as loud as the rocker track that came before it?

A very strange thing to say if you're an experienced ME.[i]

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heya. sorry just wonderin, is this equivalent to the normalization process, where you try to get the loudest levels without distorting, peaking or clipping the sound?

Quote:

heya. sorry just wonderin, is this equivalent to the normalization process, where you try to get the loudest levels without distorting, peaking or clipping the sound?

Normalization generally is a process where a program will go through the entire audio file, find the loudest peak, determine the difference between 0dBFS and peak, and then raise the level of the entire file by the same relative amount to peak level, or the level that you tell it to.

Let's say that you have a file that averages around -18 dBFS but has a single peak near -1 dBFS. If you normalize the file to 0 dBFS (not a good idea for other reasons) you will have raised all of the audio by 1 dB, but the average is still on the lower side conmpared to today's average CD levels for a standard "pop song". For songs without large transients, for example a ballad, nornalization may have the opposite effect, where it is raised beyond the normally accepted level.

It requires a good understanding of how to tailor the transients so that the maximum impact of the music is retained, while creating an average level closer to what is required for that particular style of music. Normalizition does take any of this into consideration, it just blindly raises level to the maximum that you specify essentially doing very little, or worse raising the music further than it should be.

In regard to the term "maximization", I can't speak for the person that originally posted that, but the term scares me a bit. It connotates making songs as loud as possible. That's not what mastering is about to me.
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Tom Volpicelli
The Mastering House Inc.
http://www.masteringhouse.com
CD Mastering and Media Production Services

"polish a turd"

Wooh ease up .. i wouldn't say that the audio is that bad, i've heard a lot worse plus that dropped back guitar sound (re track 1) is now i think a legit sound for the type of music that is being played there.

I’m trying to imagine a great rich guitar sound with that style all I keep getting is green day.

ok i guess if you like that style.. no I think you have done well with this especially with the equipment... ok the mix is bad on the 2nd track.

Now hearing the 4th at random... ok your getting frequency interferences from the lower freq. and the hollow dip mentioned earlier which has come from you compensating no?

Dude keep working on it it's alright compress that bass back at the mix (with a good compressor) (or turn it down) and things will look better.

I use to have the same prob.
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Stacey the Pagan Goddess of digitalindustry.