How to boost volumelevels? and get that punch?

[kit beats]

I think this is the topic for my question.

I want to make my music sounds harder, pump my music up.
Im looking for compressor or some program.

With MP i can set it louder but it's not nice yet. i looked on the internet 4 days.

Something i found is this :http://mp3.box.sk/codebox.links.php?key=synths&pid=musicsoft&subject=Sound+and+music+software+::+software+synths&pol=16

I have cubase and i can equalize but i want more, maybe someone can help me with an compress or some option in cubase.

[LPChip]

This question has nothing to do with the effects that can be entered in the  volume column. So I splitted the topic to a new one.


Its not easy to explain how to do this because this is quite some technical stuff that requires some experience in mixing your song.

First thing, make sure you have a very good compressor VST effect. The directX compressor that comes with OpenMPT doesn't work too well for this purpose. I use Buzzcomp Compressor suite. It has like 6 different kind of compressor plugins.

First, make sure that your sample has enough quality to be boosted. You can have a sample, but if it doesn't have the right quality, the wrong parts will be boosted.

Next, I advice to use somekind of EQ on it, so the right frequencies get boosted. I use Electri-Q as EQ, but they also have a free version called Posifopit. Its very good.

I learned by experience that it helps to boost the input levels to high, and then use the treshold to lower the volume again. How the settings should be is really a matter of trial and error. It'll give you experience.

It really helps to use the bypass feature to see if the sound is much better than you originally had.

I have once tweaked endlessly, till I found a reasonable setting. I then put it on bypass, and the original seemed to be nicer. At some point, you just loose focus of the goal, and using bypass frequently keeps you on your edge.

[kit beats]

First, make sure that your sample has enough quality to be boosted..

My samples are 16bit and peakfree is that enough?

Thanks..i'm making progress.

[LPChip]

First, make sure that your sample has enough quality to be boosted..

My samples are 16bit and peakfree is that enough?

Thanks..i'm making progress.

Its hard to say, but if you've used the compressor for a while, you'll see what samples are good and what aren't.

Note: the samples don't have to be bad, but the output it gets when using a compressor can be something else than that of what you're after.

[kit beats]

Thanks,

Is it that when i got for example : the classic compressor VST
And i got another .....compressor VST ,duz it sounds different or?!

And why there are so many :shock:

[Sam_Zen]

Handling only peaks is done by a limiter, not a compressor. It just bends down the highest volumes, to be able to normalize
the whole sample again to get it louder.
A default compressor decreases the volume-difference between the loudest and the softest parts. That's a different approach.

Things like this don't have a single solution, because it's very personal and dependent on the sound-material.
Even the concept 'pump my music up' can mean different things for any individual.
So it's not a single-step thing. It can't be, because there is a whole chain of elements. You can make a perfect pumped up
track with MPT, but if the amplifier for the final speakers have a lousy tone-setting ... ?

And last but not least : after boosting the samples and the song, there is always still the simple EQ in the Setup tag as final
control.

[LPChip]

Thanks,

Is it that when i got for example : the classic compressor VST
And i got another .....compressor VST ,duz it sounds different or?!

And why there are so many :shock:

There are 6 compressors in that package which could seem to be alot, but each has its own purpose. They don't sound different, they just have different options.

For instance, there are multi band compressors that will use 3 frequency ranges and compress them as different sounds. The gran suite are basically the same as the normal suite, but they offer slightly different options. They're the newer version so to say, but since they offer a bit more than the basic ones, they are also a bit more cpu heavier. For a simple compressor job, the basic one is the best option.

I would recommend to not use the multi band ones for now. They'll be harder to use. In fact, I don't use the multi band ones myself either.

[LPChip]

And last but not least : after boosting the samples and the song, there is always still the simple EQ in the Setup tag as final
control.

I would recommend against using this EQ as part of your song. The EQ is not that high quality as if you'd use say the Posifopit plugin that you found.

The build-in EQ is nice to adjust your sound of your soundcard so you can counteract the lack of bass etc.

I use it on my laptop to get close to the sound I have on my desktop. It allows me to mix better.

[Sam_Zen]

2 LPChip
You're right about : better not use it, and indeed : I also only use it to enhance the sound of my laptop too.

Strictly spoken afaik this EQ can't be seen as part of a song, because the setting is not saved with the song.
The setting is saved when MPT is closed.

[kit beats]

Where i'm at now is this, how i think it's set right:

Have my song , xm, open it with mp.

Check the general volume / sample volume (this is different for any song, yes)

put some vst effects on the patterns.
Listen well, i think, i hear that it's right, and save.

(this is where im at now).

And then amplfy? i dont know what that is, where i can find!

[LPChip]

You must switch the type to IT. XM doesn't support VST plugins.

And amplification is different per effect, and is usually called GAIN or Output level.

[kit beats]

Thanks..is it good to make songs with skaletracker, save them as xm and open with MP and save as IT.

I use skaletracker for filling in the patterns with samples, i just think its easyer working than MP.

About that xm duz not support vst..if i saved the song, and i close mp, open mp and open the xm is saved with vst effects, it just works..(with vst effects)

[LPChip]

Thanks..is it good to make songs with skaletracker, save them as xm and open with MP and save as IT.

I use skaletracker for filling in the patterns with samples, i just think its easyer working than MP.

About that xm duz not support vst..if i saved the song, and i close mp, open mp and open the xm is saved with vst effects, it just works..(with vst effects)

Oh, Didn't knew that, cus the XM format basically hasn't been touched that much. the IT one has much more features so people usually use the IT format anyway.

The support for XM is only there so people can convert to or participate in projects/compo's that use XM's.

[Sam_Zen]

2 LPChip

I can confirm that. XM's also have the plugin function, where the button 'Select' even scans the system for VST's anywhere.

Although I would choose to use the IT-format if I would start using plugins, I'm not so sure that there
is much difference in the options in both formats. I know IT has been used mainly to develop the app further,
so it will have advantages for the current user, but it is also a matter, whether people started with FastTracker
or with Impulse Tracker.

As long as I experience little output-differences when converting XM to IT, the support for XM is essential.

[LPChip]

There are some differences between IT and XM.

For instance, I believe that XM doesn't have sample pannings (or instrument pannings, one of the two)

And I'm not so sure if XM has filters either.

And how about opening those XM's with like... Fast Tracker 2?

FT2 doesn't have support for plugins.