Good Effects to use/apply for DJ w/ Hip-Hop, R&B, Mainstream

[Awethentik]

I recorded this mighty long 1hr 9min DEMO and it mostly has Hip-Hop but also has some R&B and Mainstream Genre's as well. I'm new to Wavelab 6 and I have been playing around with some of the effects and then burning a CD and then listening to it in my car as I have a nice stereo with some subs to get an idea of how it sounds. I just want to know if anyone knows any good effects to use for my situation. Oh yea I recorded this in Cubase Essential 4 at -6 (DB) as well.

I have normally been using a mix between some or all of these: Peak Master, Puncher, Spectralizer, EQ-1, Q and the Meta Normalizer Equal Loudness (RMS) and Equal Peak Level. I also talked to steinberg tech support today and the guy told me to try the Multiband Compressor and use the FM Radio preset. I tried that along with Peak Master, Q, and Puncher and it sounded good but not quite right. It also had some crackling or static as well and wasn't loud enough for me.

I also haven't noticed a difference between the Meta Normalizer Equal Loudness (RMS) option compared to the Meta Normalizer Equal Peak Level.

I think the loudest CD I've had yet that sounded good but still was missing something was with Peak Master, Puncher, EQ-1, Q.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated?

Oh yea on the far right side the Master Output Volume, its default set on 0 (db - I think) and I was also curious on if I should move this up to make it louder or just leave it a 0 and make all my adjustments with the effects. And if the bars go above the 0 is that bad?

[brandondrury]

I recommend you post an mp3 in Recording Reviews so we can give specific suggestions. This is WAY too broad of a topic.

Brandon

[Awethentik]

Aight I tried some different things and I just made a new one today after exporting the file out of the Audio Montage and then opening it as a wav file. I added the Multiband Compressor with FM Radio Preset, along with Puncher and Peak Master. Rendered the file and then added Dithering and then Rendered again and then burned to CD so I'm gonna check that out but it was all sounding real good.

The next one I want to make will be with the same effects but I just wanted to know whats good to use for batch processing? Because after I got all done the Bar Meter was showing it clipping so I think I'm going to need to add some Normalizer pluggins through Batch processing. I want to add all 3 of those effects and then do the bactch processing thing and add some pluggins like the Normalizer and maybe a few others you know to get all the levels right? What would be good to use?

[Awethentik]

These all are songs that are from djcity.com that get them from the labels so they all have been mastered to a degree. I tried doing the batch processing thing and I did
1. Meta Normalizer - Equal Peak
2. Peak Master at 1.5 db
3. Puncher at 50% soft
4. Mutliband Compressor - FM Radio
5. Pan Normalizer
6. Normalizer - Only If Clipping
7. Dithering

And then when I burned it and put it in my cd player it said TOC error. Also another thing, this one and the last one I made had 2 second pauses between the tracks and when I did advanced settings before I burned everything was at 0 so I don't understand how I got pauses when all my others I burned were straight through?

[Awethentik]

I called tech support today and found that I guess when I did the batch processing it did it in 32 bit that's why it wouldn't play. And then for some reason it added 2 second pauses by its'self so I had to go through under the + sign drop downs to change that to 0. So i'm going to try this again.

Do you think that's too much stuff/effects to apply if the songs have already been mastered before? I recorded in -6 DB in Cubase Essential 4 as well.

[Awethentik]

The first time I did

1. Meta Normalizer - Equal Peak
2. Peak Master - 1.5 DB
3. Puncher - 50% soft
4. Multiband Compressor - FM Radio -5.0 DB
5. Pan Normalizer - Equal Peak
6. Normalizer - 0 DB, Only if clipping
7. Dithering - Type 1, 3, 16 Bit

And it sounded really good just needed to be louder IMOP.

So the second time around I did

1. Meta Normalizer - Equal RMS
2. Peak Master - 3.0 DB
3. Puncher - 50%, soft lined up with input
4. Multiband Compressor - FM Radio -4.5 DB
5. Pan Normalizer - Equal RMS
6. Normlizer - 0 DB, Only if clipping
7. Dithering - Type 1, 3, 16 Bit

And im bout to try it out now, and any and all tips/suggestions would be grealty appreciated.

[brandondrury]

I use Cubase for all my mastering. I do some limiting while I mix, but after that, I toss all the mixed songs in Cubase on their own tracks. I'll put a limiter and maybe a multiband on the stereo bus. Then I go in and add a dB of EQ here and a dB of EQ there to even out any differences. I adjust the volume of the track to determine how hard it is hitting the limiter in the two bus.

With this method there is no need for batch processing. I can have a link of plugins and render them all at once.

Brandon

[Awethentik]

I just met a guy last tonight at Kinkos while I was finishing up my Demo Cover and he said I need to go to guitar center to get some pluggin that allows you to boost all your levels up without clipping and distortion. He couldn't remember the name of the software but I think he was talking about this, because he mentioned Pro Tools as well

http://www.guitarcenter.com/IK-Multi...19-i1154328.gc

I checked that out and it says you have to have Pro Tools. I read that review in there and that dude said everything that was on my mind and what I need to do so it seems like this would be a good pluggin for me, except it says you have to have Pro Tools and I have Cubase and Wavelab. I wonder if there is something similar to this for about the same price or cheaper?

[brandondrury]

he said I need to go to guitar center to get some pluggin that allows you to boost all your levels up without clipping and distortion.

He's referring to a brickwall limiter like the Waves L2 or Aradez Maximizer.

Brandon

[Awethentik]

Can you just buy that pluggin separate or is that in the whole software? I searched both of those and couldn't find anything to where you could buy either one.