Mastering very "quiet" synth recordings

[Mediterranean]

This question always bugged me.

 

How "loud" does a very "quiet" passage have to be? Or does the listener just need to raise the volume to listen to such recordings?

 

The problem arises especially when making a CD that has songs with different volume levels. I don't think you can just go ahead and "normalize" the whole CD to one constant level just so that the listener doesn't have to play with the volume between songs.

 

Thank you:)

 

Example attached.

[Allerian]

(imo!) Mastering is not about creating one constant level on the CD. It is about making all the tracks sound like they should be on the same CD. Sometimes it is levels, EQing, and controlling dynamics, other times you'll end up asking the artist to re-do a poorly recorded section or do some wholesale sonic trimming. "Normalizing" is a giant hammer that you don't want to use.

 

Here's a track for comparision which has lots of quiet parts. I was careful to maintain these as they drive the overall feel of the tracks.

 

Before its too late

[Cygnus64]

The problem arises especially when making a CD that has songs with different volume levels. I don't think you can just go ahead and "normalize" the whole CD to one constant level

 

Sure you can, thats what normalizing does.

 

 

Some CDs are very dynamic, mine are. Most CDs are not, they are at a fairly consistent level with very little dynamics. Ultimately, if you get a CD mastered by a pro, they will take care of the levels.

[Cygnus64]

BTW, Arasia peaks around -3.5, thats not soft at all.