Let's cut right to the chase and look at a simple but effective demonstration before we get down to the nitty-gritty of it all (throughout the article we will be using snippets of well-known Reason demo songs for 'target practice'). If you've made a Reason track that stays barely at the safe side of the clipping limit, the highest peak is probably around 0 dB already, which means that normalization will accomplish absolutely nothing. But what does normalization actually do? It searches for the highest peak in the audio file and adjusts the overall volume accordingly. All wave editors offer a normalization function. You may have been offered the advice to 'normalize' your tracks. 'Normalization', however, is not one of them.

Modern audio science has taught engineers to exploit this shortcoming by developing techniques that ensure delivery of maximum sonic impact. One of the ear's imperfections is that it isn't fast enough to pick up extremely transient (=short) sounds in the 1-10 millisecond range and make an accurate interpretation of the volume. Meet the concept of 'perceptual loudness'. This is done to get the message across despite your vain attempts to seek refuge in the kitchen during the break - there's no escape! But, assuming the regular programming is played at maximum audio volume, how can commercials appear at least twice as loud? The long and short of it is: The human ear judges loudness not by peaks, but by average. Have you ever found yourself jumping out of the sofa to hit the volume button on the remote whenever they cut to commercials? Audio tracks for commercials are usually 'macho mastered', heavily treated with compression and limiting enough to suppress a nuclear blast. In fact, many mastering engineers resent the 'loudness race' and favor a more conservative approach - but what's a poor home studio owner to do when every other CD you play is so loud it jumps straight out of the speakers and lumbers around the room like the Incredible Hulk? Let's crank it up! 2) While we will focus on the subject of volume (real and imagined), there's so much more to mastering than just loudness. But if you're one of those adventurous spirits, here's a basic primer in the art and science of audio mastering - have your MasterCard ready and step up to the counter.ДЇirst, let's get this out of the way: If your burning question is 'Why doesn't my music sound as loud as my commercial CDs? The peak meter tells me both sources are equally loud!', there are two things you should know: 1) This article will answer your question in fact, it was written for you.

Artists are exploring ways of bypassing the traditional music distribution channels altogether, opting instead for mp3 files or home-made CDs - and if you're planning on going all the way with the do-it-yourself working model, you also need to master this final step of the process (as if being a composer, musician, producer and mixing engineer wasn't enough.!) Needless to say, there's a reason why people can make a career and a living on audio refinement - and if you're dead serious about your material you should consider taking it to a professional, as mastering would be considered by some as a 'don't try this at home' thing. Traditionally, mastering has been an isolated domain outside the music production perimeter, but today, more and more aspects of production and distribution are brought closer to home - mastering included. This month we will be taking a break from Reason device dissection, and instead focus on a hot topic - mastering. Though the Reason mastering tools and tricks have changed a lot, the general mastering techniques and tips are still valid. Version alert! This article was written for Reason 2.5.

Aams mastering too quiet