On the line Obelix mix

[Bold Beagle]

Thx. I learned something. Music needs to have some dynamics to it, otherwise it will sound squashed and compressed like hell. Recomended DR or dynamic range is around 8 to 12 dB., For vynil records it can be as high as 20 while mp3 usually has a DR of 7 or even less (thats why it sounds shitty) .

Nowadays we're not using DR values anymore because the algorithm used to measure them is fundamentally flawed. The current standard measurement for dynamic range is LRA, or "loudness range average." Unlike RMS verses LUFS, these measurements are generally not the same, because the TT meter doesn't take as many variables into consideration.

Get yourself an EBU compliant loudness meter. There's a very good and inexpensive one that's free to try here:

http://www.toneboosters.com/tb-ebuloudness/

If your LRA doesn't go any lower than 4 or 5 you're probably ok, but if it gets up to 10 it's probably too dynamic to be heard in the car/club/noisy environment. That's rarely a problem, though.

The TT meter is still a decent tool, but it's designed to be very simplistic and as such it isn't very accurate. While you're on the Toneboosters site, check out his other plugins that are free to try. They're about the best cheapies I've ever heard and I use them in every mix.

Hope that helps,

BB.