Why increasing the sound pressure makes the mix harder | How to make the sound loud but not painful

The higher the sound pressure, the harder, flatter, and more painful the mix can become. The limiter is not the only cause. Depending on how you create the low range, momentary peak, and brightness before entering the limiter, the way you hear the same loudness can vary greatly.

Low frequencies are using too much headroom

If the kick or bass has a large ultra-low range, the limiter will react strongly even if it is not noticeable to the ear. Rather than cutting it down more than necessary, it cleans up subband lengths, kick and bass overlap, and unnecessary low-frequency noise.

Concentrating work on one limiter

If you raise the last one too much, the transients will suddenly become rounder and the roughness in the high range will become more noticeable. By separating the roles into peak tidying up, light clipping, and gentle compression during the mix stage, you can reduce the changes in each step.

Adding the high range and then making it louder

When the volume is increased, the human ear becomes more sensitive to high-frequency stimulation. If you feel that the sound is lacking at a low volume, add high frequencies, and then increase the sound pressure, it may end up being too much when finished. Check the balance again when the volume is close to the target volume.

The attack is lost and the sound is choppy

If you sharply reduce the peak, the ratio between the rise and the aftertaste of the sound will be disrupted, and the sound may feel unnaturally angular or boxy. Don't treat all peaks the same way, go back and check the cause for each vocal, drum, and bass.

Confirmation procedure to make the sound loud but not painful

• Check if it has already become hard with the limiter removed

• Check if the limiter movement decreases when lowering the low range a little

• Comparing the same volume before and after increasing the sound pressure

• Bypass high frequency EQ and saturation once

• Check loud for a short period of time, and generally work at a comfortable volume.

Good sound pressure is not just a loud sound, but a sound that makes you want to listen to it at a slightly higher volume.

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Don't just follow the numbers; the point of completion is where the expression of the voice, the room in the low range, and the smoothness of the high range remain.