How high should the volume be to export for audio mastering?

[Shellfish Lover]

What is the approximate level at which the master volume should be set in order to export for audio mastering?

 

[Code Useful]

As long as you are not clipping?

 

[Dzvuke]

Are you talking about peak levels or the master fader?

 

[Ashley Myers]

I've been told -3 dBFS.

 

[Smart Water]

As long as you're not clipping (going above 0 dBTP), you're good.

Probably best not to go above -3 dBFS due to intersample peaks.

 

[Electrical Show]

You should leave the master fader at 0 dBFS (i.e., untouched) and try to achieve a maximum peak between -6 and -3 dBFS by balancing your channels. If you aim for each channel to peak at -12 dBFS, you will usually end up with plenty of headroom on your master bus.

If it's clipping there and your mix is otherwise good, you can lower the overall volume with a gain utility plugin until it stops clipping before exporting or rendering to a WAV file. The only thing that matters is that the master isn't clipping. All this "leave 3 to 6 dB headroom above peak for audio mastering" is nonsense.

 

[PrimeGamer]

I never touched it. If you have to turn it down because of clipping, you probably didn't "gain stage" your audio tracks and busses properly during mixing. You could add an instance of a gain plugin and lower the loudness of your entire mix if you don't want to start the sound engineering process over again.

 

[Scribbles]

You should never touch the level of the master channel's fader or stereo out track, and leave it where it is by default, i.e. 0 dBFS. You should also never use it for writing automation e.g., trying to fade out a beat or a song.