General
- the Focus is the Balance between Peak and RMS
- the Average of EDM Songs have and RMS -5dBFS which is Very Loud (Some have Even an Average of -3dBFS)
- the Dynamic Version is About -2dB (or 3dB) Lower than the Loud Version, i.e. -7dBFS RMS (or -8dBFS RMS )
- thus you have to Make a Loud Version and a Dynamic Version
- an Ideal Mix is About -9dBFS RMS to -10dBFS RMS
Workflow
1) Start to Master the Loudest Possible Version by Taking your Loudest Song Part and Work Out the Master Over that Level
- it is a Good Idea to Start Compete to the References
- Aim for an RMS of -5dB
- Check How it Sounds, When / Where it is Distorting and Correct the Mix with EQ, Sidechain etc.
2) Then Aim for the Dynamic Version by Reducing 2 dB of RMS and Peak from the Loud Master
3) Then Start to Prioritise if it is Going to Radio, Stream Service, CD etc.
- Notice that FM Radio Stations have a Rather Brutal Limiter on their Side, so it will be Squashed Again which you Should Care Of
4) The Goal is that Either Listeners via FM Radio or Beatport etc. Get the Same Results in Terms of Sound Quality
- i.e. Beatport = -5dBFS
- Radio FM, Spotify, Youtube = -7 dBFS
5) Then Think About Specific Applications
- e.g. Instagram will Bring the Level Up 2dB on the Overall Track, which Means you have to Bring Everything Down by 2dB (i.e. Peak and RMS)
6) For iTunes you Take the Dynamic Version and Lower it by 2dB via the Limiter, i.e. Make it Even More Dynamic
- for iTunes you can Deliver a 24 Bit at 96kHz Amazing Sounding Dynamic Track
- but Some Clients will Ask for the Same Pushed Version as for Beatport
7) For Spotify / Youtube you Take the Dynamic Version and Match the “Standard” -5dBFS RMS
- if you have a Strong Mid-Range Sound i Might be Good to Lower the Dynamic Version a Little (About -1dB / -2dB) to Translate Well on Spotify / Youtube (Same as iTunes then)
8) Notice that the Encoding to mp3 Pushes Up the Level by 0.3dB
- so the Approach is to go to Izotope RX or Sonnox, Lower the Level by -0.3dB and then Encode to mp3
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