Do I need an L2? Acoustic question

So my mixes for my own music usually don't end up too loud. There's a
lot of dynamics and a lot of peaks and I usually preserve most of them.
That means of course not much compression and that which is used is
subtle. Of course the overall volume isn't as loud as some releases
(keep in mind I've asked some radio programmers about my releases and
they all say they haven't noticed any problem with the volume compared
to other cd's). The music is jazz type music, all acoustic, and i play
the acoustic guitar.

So I'm doing mixes for a friend of mine who respects how i hear things
and likes how I've mixed some of my own releases. They sound more like
the older jazz records he enjoys listening to. We all know most of the
current studios are recording jazz artists in the same manner they
record rock music.

So I sent him mixes of 2 songs last week to see if I was on the right
track. I told him it was about 90% where i would do it if it were my
own release. It needs a very little eq and limiting on the mix bus
plus the fades and so forth need to be done. He called me today to
tell me he really liked what i sent him and said "i know you said it's
about 90% done and i really like everything you've done, but when
you're all done with the whole record will you be able to add that
final sheen to it?"

None of the records he's done lately have ended up at big mastering
houses. The studios that record him do the mix, then they L2 it on pro
tools and add fades and stuff for a master cd. I've seen them do it.
I got the drives from the tracking engineer for this project and he had
an L2 on the mix bus. So I'm pretty sure that's what the sound is he's
hearing- that tightening of it. But he is aware of loss of dynamics on
modern records, etc....

So I'm wondering if i need to get an L2 and gently hit the peaks with
it on the mix bus, if that will tighten it up to add the "sheen" (his
description) he's used to. My normal process is to use the waves ren
compressor with a 1.5 ratio so it's barely hitting and then follow it
with the digi limiter, once again barely hitting with longer attack and
release. It just lets me get a little more volume with slightly less
peaks (and the way the cd was tracked, it could stand to have a lot
less peaks! Everything was miked WAY too close). I've never used an
L2 and don't know what it sounds like compared to other processes.
This particular project is a jazz sextet- rhythm section plus archtop
guitar (with amp), vibes and tenor.


Nate

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Do I need an L2? Acoustic question
    ... lot of dynamics and a lot of peaks and I usually preserve most of them. ... That means of course not much compression and that which is used is ... The music is jazz type music, all acoustic, and i play ...
    (rec.audio.pro)
  • Re: CD quality
    ... I have several CDs of Jazz and the like that hit ... 0dBFS regularly and for prolonged periods. ... Classic Rock isn't immune ... on peaks, and even letting some peaks clip for brief periods. ...
    (rec.audio.tech)
  • Re: What is line level audio?
    ... you have very little in the way of dynamics, so there is probably not a ... and so would have some VERY loud peaks at the peaks. ... db above the rms or LESS for classical. ... I can make a cmd line version of my wave analyzer, ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
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