Should I mix to -6 dB? My tracks sound muddy at -7 LUFS

[claratheresa]

I don't understand why some people recommend mixing to -6 dB, because when I try to process tracks at -7 loudness units full scale, everything becomes very muddy, especially the bass.

 

[tonylouis]

Please aim for a peak level of -6 dB, but don't worry if it goes slightly above that. Avoid clipping the audio. If necessary, the mastering engineer can easily lower the level without any issues, as long as your mix doesn't have excessive dynamic range.

 

[GoodLaugh]

I lower the instrumental volume to -6 dB and then mix the vocals to it. The final mix will be at the same dB level. After that, I master it.

 

[Silverlaker]

I think the best way to find out how much loudness you want is to put in a reference track that you like and analyze the integrated LUFS, momentary LUFS, and dBTP. Then try to get similar results.

 

[Historical Druid]

If your track sounds muddy, it's because your rendered mix is muddy, not because of the mastering volume. Setting the peak level to -6 dB is to give mastering engineers enough headroom, not to affect the rendered mix.

 

[AwardReady]

Your final mix's peak level doesn't make the final track muddy after audio mastering. These two things have nothing to do with each other.

 

[Lady Najjemba]

-6 dB, -7 LUFS and - 7RMS are not the same.

 

[Skirt Douglas]

-6 dB, that's for headroom to send it to a music mastering house to get it finished.

 

[Ashley Myers]

-6 dB, -7 LUFS and - 7RMS are not the same.

What do they mean?

 

[Lumansi]

What do they mean?

-6 dB doesn't actually measure anything... it's just a ratio. But, dBFS is commonly used to refer to the peak level of a signal during the audio mixing process, as shown on a DAW mix console. This is very different from -7 LUFS, which is commonly used to refer to the perceived loudness of a song.

 

[Widzo]

Don't mix to -6 dB. Just mix to where things sound the way you want them to.

 

[WhoKnows]

Sound engineering is usually a matter of gain staging, applying EQ, fixing phase issues and etc. Mixing to -6 dB might be someone else's standard, but if you're mastering your own stuff, don't clip. Your call, your standards.

 

[Fearless Travels]

Sound engineering is usually a matter of gain staging, applying EQ, fixing phase issues and etc. Mixing to -6 dB might be someone else's standard, but if you're mastering your own stuff, don't clip. Your call, your standards.

Clipping can be super useful. And it has nothing to do with mud.

 

[Alien Ale]

Use your ears, dB numbers will mess you up big time. Yes, you can have a starting point, but rely more on your ears.

 

[Ptah]

Don't use dB and loudness units full scale in the same sentence, it never ends well.

 

[Fluffy Babe]

Between 200 and 500 Hz is where the muddiness usually resides, just make sure you use a bell EQ and cut those frequencies as you go if you hear any muddiness. Sometimes you may have to use a high-pass filter on some instruments to reduce frequency masking.

 

[Xochipilli]

If you put a brickwall limiter on a bad mix and try to push your levels, it will sound muddy and distorted. I suggest you get your production and mixing right before you even look at audio mastering.