Q: do you think the louder you get a mix, the tighter the volume levels have to be for its elements? sometimes i want to just put a "maximizer" on my master and realize as soon as i start pumping everything, the unbalances become more noticeable, the loud start feeling louder in comparison to the mix etc. im not sure if its the maximizer, just the volume perception, or what.
A: i am guessing it's not working properly. if it's doing what it's supposed to, it should even out the volume. it might be just making everything louder, because the settings might not be right for your mix and you might just be hearing the 'make up gain' by default, which would just make it louder and not do anything. (this is what happened to me in the early stages). what i would suggest is to make sure there is no make up gain, then make sure the ratio is not 1:1 (make sure the first number is higher), then raise the threshold all the way up. Now it should be doing exactly nothing. then press the bypass button on and off to compare, and it should sound exactly the same. Also check to see if there is a 'reduction' monitor so you can see when it's actually doing something. So now it should be doing nothing. Now, with the bypass off (so the compressor is ON), start gradually lowering the threshold until you start to see the 'reduction' meter gradually start to light up when it hits those loud parts, and it should be tapering them down. then once you've compressed it down a little then you can raise the make up gain