# Not to be the loudest, Lufs & Clipping



## MPortmann (May 15, 2018)

I recently saw some other composers (up for same job) submissions and couldn’t help notice massively clipped waveforms. Doing some calibrations I measured Lufs -2, true peak clipping +.5. Sounds distorted to me. They are winning jobs. 

Unfortunately I feel some people perceive louder is better. I’m not talking about us as composers, I mean people on the other side supervisors, editors, directors, etc...some composers make their music loud to be noticed. Anything above -8 to -6 Lufs and clipped waveforms sounds bad to me. I always give my all to have the best music, musicians, studios, etc...in everything I do. That’s how I came up.

I’ll ignore it and move on and mind my my own. It just shocks and disheartens me sometimes that people care less, more and more, about sound quality. And that people generally, on both ends of this business, have a general lack of interest about any of this. 

What has been your experience with this?


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## MPortmann (May 15, 2018)

EpicDude said:


> This track was used for the Wonder Woman movie, a massive blockbuster. It's an amazing composition but the mastering is clearly a tragedy. I don't think I'm the only one that thinks it sounds like shit, but certainly I'm in the minority because people love it. I don't know if it's good or bad that a track with this bad quality can end up in a blockbuster movie...




Exactly. I feel like I’m bringing up problems to people who don’t want to know about these problems. Like why are you asking this? with major studios and their people!


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## dgburns (May 15, 2018)

When I work with people I know and have history with, I mix to low levels. Mostly because I know it helps them when it gets to mix.

I know how to pin things to stupid rms levels. But really- it just makes the drums wimpy when you turn all of it down because you don’t have peaks any more.


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## karelpsota (May 15, 2018)

2 things...

1) *Loudness matters.*

Supervisors go through so many tracks a day, they don't have time to compensate for RMS differences. So naturally they pick the loudest track.

The solution is to deliver two versions: "_crunchy loud master_" and "_smooth master_".

(That's how I actually named my files on latest trailer placements)

2) *Clipping is not necessarily bad.*

Yes, "_Catapult"_ is a trash master but...
Done right, clipping is a nice harmonic exciter for transients.

A good example is "_Attention" _by Charlie Puth:



The first few ms of every kick is clipped, but it works wonders in the mix.



The trick is to clip short sounds, not sustained ones (like in Catapult).

Hope this helps


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## d.healey (May 16, 2018)

If someone wants it louder they should turn up their speakers


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## Desire Inspires (May 16, 2018)

MPortmann said:


> I recently saw some other composers (up for same job) submissions and couldn’t help notice massively clipped waveforms. Doing some calibrations I measured Lufs -2, true peak clipping +.5. Sounds distorted to me. They are winning jobs.
> 
> Unfortunately I feel some people perceive louder is better. I’m not talking about us as composers, I mean people on the other side supervisors, editors, directors, etc...some composers make their music loud to be noticed. Anything above -8 to -6 Lufs and clipped waveforms sounds bad to me. I always give my all to have the best music, musicians, studios, etc...in everything I do. That’s how I came up.
> 
> ...



I threw in the towel a long time ago about fighting the loudness wars. If they want loud, I simply crank up my music as loud as needed to please the client.

Honestly, I don’t even consider any of my older trailer music good or competitive when it isn’t loud enough. Some of my first attempts at trailer stuff sound like rubbish just because they were not as loud as other songs on a compilation album.


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## MPortmann (May 16, 2018)

karelpsota said:


> 2 things...
> 
> 1) *Loudness matters.*
> 
> ...




Really interesting on the 2 masters version. Do you recommend specific limiters/devices for squeezing out some extra Lufs? Mine seem to crap out at certain point. Thanks


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## dgburns (May 16, 2018)

karelpsota said:


> 2 things...
> 
> 1) *Loudness matters.*
> 
> ...




So sad that you guys have to resort to clipping to get placements. And I disagree that clipping makes things sound better, it’s just more ‘smooshed’ (lol)


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