guarantee most young producers in my position won't know about this same technique is using the eq to cut the bottom end and then using the gain utility to bring the apparent gain back up. Most of the other guides and tutorials I have read on the internet have only talked about compressing and then boosting the top and bottom end using an eq. Maybe when writing the post you should really emphasize this point as it may be simple to you, but a completely new concept to others! So, just to add some extra clarity to this point -- bass has a big influence on the apparent loudness of a song, partly because it account for more of the power in the signal -- so, it's crucial to get the right EQ balance before you try to lift the level. (I'm not just talking about slapping a high-pass filter across everything though, you need carefully chosen settings depending on the song -- watch the video to see what I mean.) The video was made on my home mastering setup, and the plugins I'm using use are made by Melda Production -- if you'd like to know more about how (and why) I use them, I've made a series of free email tutorials -- for more information, click this link: 26 Responses Great advice!!! I especially like that you pointed out that the commerical song has more high end synth content than Brendan's mix, so it will inherently sound louder