Making my mixes CD level loudness

[TBman]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Regarding the cost of Ozone, Ozone Elements is not terribly expensive and works very well as a mastering system. $129.

- Glenn

If you keep an eye on iZotope, they run fantastic sales. I picked up Ozone 8 for less than that.

[anton]

Thanks folks, for all the input and info.

Jim, yea I was combining mixing/mastering I guess, at least the way I conveyed it in my writing. I totally understand they are separate processes. Whenever I finish my next cd I will definitely hand it off to someone else for mixing, then mastering. I guess this is more for my own self knowledge, and to make my less serious recordings I might post here or on youtube sound their best.

Doug, thanks for the explanation and clarification on compression vs limiting, and the maximizer. I am just learning about all that stuff.

Since I already own a few Fab Filter products I get a bit of a discount on their Limiter, so I might pick that up.

I thought about Ozone, but to use it within your DAW as a plugin you have to get the Advanced version which is $500. I guess Elements could work as a standalone thing. Do my mixing in Logic, export wav file, then import into Ozone for the mastering bit. Elements is actually on sale for $50 for one more day.

[rick-slo]

Of note is that various plugins give their best sound when input to them is well below clipping level. Keep input levels well down below clipping level while you are still
at work in the daw. If you must you can boost levels up to near clipping (and blast everyone's ears like your typical merchandise advertiser does) as a last step.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Glennwillow

Regarding the cost of Ozone, Ozone Elements is not terribly expensive and works very well as a mastering system. $129.

- Glenn

It's on sale for $90 at Plugin Boutique.

[Brent Hahn]

Originally Posted by rick-slo

Of note is that various plugins give their best sound when input to them is well below clipping level. Keep input levels well down below clipping level...

One common ploy is to use two instances of a limiter plugin in series, to divvy up the work. If you do that, make sure to bring down the output level of the first limiter, to put it in the comfort zone of the one that follows.

[Doug Young]

Originally Posted by anton

I thought about Ozone, but to use it within your DAW as a plugin you have to get the Advanced version which is $500. I guess Elements could work as a standalone thing. Do my mixing in Logic, export wav file, then import into Ozone for the mastering bit. Elements is actually on sale for $50 for one more day.

I think maybe you're confusing Ozone with RX? As far as I know, Ozone is only a plugin, and even the Elements version that's apparently on sale should work inside Logic just like in my demo.

[anton]

I could very possibly be wrong, but from what I understand looking at this chart under the Maximizer section you have to get Advanced for it to be available as a plugin.

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/...omparison.html

[Doug Young]

I have the full version, so I'm not certain about the elements, but I think what they're referring to is "modules" vs individual plugins. The way I usually use Ozone is across the mastering buss, and bring up the Ozone plugin, in which I can chain multiple modules. Some of those modules are also available as individual plugins, so I could select, say, just the EQ to put on a track. How is a single EQ plugin different from creating the Ozone plugin and just loading the one EQ module? Not clear that there's any real difference. In any case, I don't think you have to run Ozone as a standalone program, you should be able to use it as a plugin right in Logic.

There is a trial version you can download to see if it works.

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by anton

I could very possibly be wrong, but from what I understand looking at this chart under the Maximizer section you have to get Advanced for it to be available as a plugin.

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/...omparison.html

You get a version with the elements package. It doesn't have all the functions of the full version, but I mastered an entire album with the scaled down version and it was great. Using the elements version sold me on spending money for the advanced upgrade when it came on sale but the scaled back version kicks butt. Don't shy away from it.

[sdelsolray]

Originally Posted by anton

I could very possibly be wrong, but from what I understand looking at this chart under the Maximizer section you have to get Advanced for it to be available as a plugin.

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/...omparison.html

Ozone Elements and Ozone Standard is a single plugin into which you can put one or several of the available modules (e.g., EQ, dynamics, maximizer, etc.). You cannot use the single modules as plugins on their own as an insert in a single track for example.

Ozone Advanced also can be used as above but each module is also available separately as a plugin all by itself.

[min7b5]

I've been diggin' the Waves L2 Ultramaximizer

[Glennwillow]

Originally Posted by anton

I could very possibly be wrong, but from what I understand looking at this chart under the Maximizer section you have to get Advanced for it to be available as a plugin.

https://www.izotope.com/en/products/...omparison.html

I am using Ozone Elements as a plug-in in Cubase 10 Pro. I also used in Cubase Studio 5.

- Glenn

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by min7b5

I've been diggin' the Waves L2 Ultramaximizer

Yes! I've found the L2 to be a great level enhancer with exceptional transparency. It's always the last active, processing plugin on my mastering chain; just before my meters.

[min7b5]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

....It's always the last active, processing plugin on my mastering chain; just before my meters.

Me too. Not that I am an expert at any of this -I’m still learning for sure. The L2 was a game changer for me. And an inexpensive one at that!

[anton]

Ah ok that makes sense. I wonder why I thought about it the other way. It looks like iZotope's big sale is over, so oh well for now. Maybe Ill pick up the Fab Filter Limiter since I like their stuff, or the Ultramaxmizer Eric mentioned.