mastering???

Rodney D

Logician
Is there a way using the logic's in itb plugins to do mastering, without crushing the life out of the audio and distortion. I can get it loud but compared to industry level cd, mine is always too low. When I turn my master up, the audio begins to break apart and distort. It just leads me to believe its just not possible to get a master loud like industry level using logic itb alone. Anybody had this problem is it just me?
 
The Logic AD Limiter is more like a clipper than a VCA type limiter. It will distort if driven hard.

Bypass all your mastering plugins and add them back one at a time in order, making sure you never go near clipping. Add another gain adjustment if you do clip. Listen for when the unwanted distortion appears. Don't push the SSL compressor too hard.

The normal Logic Limiter will probably give you more perceived loudness with less distortion. Try adding it before the AD Limiter. Or the Slate limiter can be good for drum-heavy tracks.

Mastering is an art, and it's tough to compete with the dedicated professionals, but with a good source track it's possible to get close ITB with Logic.
 
How loud (and clear) you can get a master depends on how good mix you have. If your final 2-bus is full of sharp transients then you will have a problem getting loud and clear masters.

Make sure each track is taken care of BEFORE it hits the 2-buss and then you will have a much easier time getting it loud.

Edit: it doesn't matter if its Logic plugs or not, they're just tools.
 
Gain, eq, compressor(s), limiter, AD-limiter.

There's no magic signal chain, you have to imagine what the track needs, listen to what each plugin is doing and tweak it or lose it. But be careful with your gain staging. If you are getting distortion you are overloading something somewhere.

When comparing to commercial releases, remember the arrangement and the mix can also effect how loud a track can be mastered. Our expertise at every stage is our limitation much more than our software.
 
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