Why Isn't My Master Louder? Mastering a Song That Is Already Loud
Mastered your song and it is not louder? Why a song that is already loud stays about the same, how to compare fairly, and how to get a louder master.
You upload a song to Mastering, flip to MASTERED, and it sounds about as loud as the original. Is something wrong? Almost always, no. It usually means the song you uploaded is already loud, very often because it is a released song that has been mastered before. Here is what is going on, and how to get the result you want.
A master is not a volume knob
Mastering finishes a song so it holds its own next to other releases, and the louder a song already is, the less there is to add. A quiet mix comes back clearly louder, so the difference is easy to hear. A song that is already loud comes back about as loud as it went in.
So when the MASTERED side sounds the same volume, listen for everything else: is it clearer, more balanced, more even from the verse to the chorus? That is where the master shows on a loud song.
Released songs make a poor test
A song you can stream from a famous artist has been mastered already, usually to be loud. Mastering it again has little left to do, which is why it tells you very little about what Mastering can do. To hear the difference, try it on your own mix, before it has been mastered anywhere.
LOW can come back a little quieter
On a song that is already very loud, LOW can even sound a little quieter than the original. LOW is the lightest touch, made for music that should breathe. For a louder master, pick MEDIUM or HIGH: HIGH is the loudest and boldest.
Compare fairly with MATCH LEVEL
MATCH LEVEL turns the louder side down to the quieter one while you listen, so you judge the master itself rather than its volume. On a quiet mix it brings MASTERED down to the level of the original, a clear step. On a song that was already loud the two sides are close, so MATCH LEVEL changes very little. Both are normal, and MATCH LEVEL never changes the file you download.
How to get a louder master
- Master your own mix, not a song that was released already.
- Pick MEDIUM or HIGH. HIGH is the loudest and boldest.
- Upload a mix that is not already pushed to the limit, so the master has room to work.
- Listen with MATCH LEVEL off to hear the full change in volume, then turn it on to judge the sound.
Still unsure?
Play the chorus on ORIGINAL and MASTERED a few times with MATCH LEVEL on, on headphones and on speakers. If the master sounds clearer and more even at the same volume, it is doing its job, louder or not. For the whole process from a finished mix to a download, read how to master a song for release.