So I use Cubase (Pro 12 version) for my music productions and I’m wondering if there’s a quick way to set the LUFS level for exporting the mastered song? The current method I use I learned from a recording engineer, which is that I add a Maximizer and a Brickwall Limiter to the Master channel in Cubase, I play the track while checking the integrated LUFS level on the Cubase loudness meter.
I gradually increase the level of the Maximizer to increase the loudness, and I put a Brickwall Limiter after the Maximizer so that the true peak level stays just slightly under 0db so I can increase the loudness without the true peak going into the red and clipping.
While playing the track and adjusting the level in the Maximizer, I check the integrated loudness reading on the loudness meter. I usually aim for somewhere between -14 LUFS and -11 LUFS. Problem, is in order to check the integrated loudness level, I have to play the song all the way through as I presume ‘integrated loudness’ is like an average loudness reading for the entire song. This is very time consuming because every time I want to increase or decrease the loudness, I have to keep listening all the way through.
This brings me to my question - is there a faster way to set the LUFS level of a song (and for the exported audio file) than just listening through multiple times and checking the integrated loudness level? I know that in a video editor like Kdenlive, for example, you can simply click an audio track (or the master channel of the audio) and set the LUFS level for it. The audio on the exported video file will be at that LUFS level. I want to know if it’s possible to do something similar in Cubase.
The thing is the LUFS Integrated Loudness number is for the entire song, so, however it is being measured in any specific case, has to deal with playing the whole song to take a measurement (or perhaps reading an already rendered audio file of the entire mix).
The first thing that comes to mind on this need is using a plugin that takes the reading after playing you’ve played the whole song then gives an option to adjust the level based on the target level you’ve set. There may be other plugins that can do that (I don’t think there are any included in Cubase), but the one I’m aware of is Waves WLM Plus. You can set your target levels (or just use a preset, such as for Spotify), then play the song all the way through to get a measurement. After that, there is a Trim button that can be used to adjust the level from what was measured to the target. If you measure again, you should get the level you were targeting.
Hi!
After adjusting your mix in a way that it sounds right to you do a mixdown and normalize your track to a LUFS level of your choice in Cubase after reimport:
F7 (Direct Offline Processing) Normalize. Pick any LUFS level you have in mind and read the statistics afrerwards (Audio/Statistics) to check peak, true peak etc.
Ok, I’ll try this. Do I have to export a mixdown and reimport back into a new project for mastering (and changing LUFS levels), or can it be done in one project?
It can all be done in one step and in the same project:
You’ll find the After Export options in the Export Audio Mixdown dialogue. Check “Create track” down below and your mixdown will be reimported on to a newly created audio track.
All you got to do now is to press F7 ( DOP ), pick normalize, and set your LUFS target. It will be applied immediately.
It’s a really convenient way to change your LUFS.
Ah, don’t forget to deactivate your mastering chain if you want to hear your newly imported master track. It doesn’t affect neither normalizing nor does it affect the statistics if you run them on that track. It will just double your mastering chain which is already baked into your new master. In case you wonder why it sounds completly overcompressed - it’s probably your mastering chain on your Stere Out not turned off
