Finding RMS

[Stephen Simmons]

Hi everybody. In bouncing down multiple tracks to one stereo track for export to a mastering program how do I tell what the RMS of that track is? And what should ideally be pre mastering? Are there different schools of thought as to that? I realize there are different opinions on mastering levels. -1? -3? -5 or 10?

Thank you.

WSS

[David Baay]

In the Track View menu: Options > Meter Options > Bus (and/or Playback) Meter Options > RMS (or Peak + RMS).

The general rule for pre-master levels has traditionally been to just to keep the highest peak under -6dB, and let the Mastering Engineer worry about RMS and LUFS  (loudness).  Depending on the nature of the material, -6dB peak is typically going to give you an RMS around -12 to -14dB. But if you haven't applied sufficient compression on individual tracks (especially drums) to keep the peaks under control, the RMS may be lower. In extreme cases, that may make it more difficult for the mastering engineer/application to get a good result from compressing the stereo mix, but in general you don't need to be super-concerned about the RMS/LUFS of the pre-master. Better to leave a good amount of room to work than to already be over-compressed.

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by David Baay