Producer Thomas Penton – masterclass in loudness
A defining characteristic of current dance music is loudness. If it ain’t loud, it ain’t getting played. This stems from the fact that dance tracks are mixed into one another, so (on the most basic level) if the loudness of a track being mixed in is less than the previous track there will be an undesired drop in energy.
I know many people understandably think pushing a track to its limits can be a bad thing. But the truth of the matter is if you want to make any mainstream club music then it is essential knowledge. And even if you don’t, then it is still a key skill so you know how to get the most out of your sounds when you so wish. Whether you’re looking to make the next festival anthem or simply learn some hot techniques from a pro to apply to your underground sound, make sure you read on.
1. Your kicks are damn loud, what is the key to getting the kick to punch through the mix like you do?
First truncate the audio properly, then I usually insert the audio directly into the session (24bit) on the channel. I usually then insert Para E.Q., the Oxford Inflator (to give it a little punch) and sometimes the SX Limiter to give it extra snap (put the release to 10 & input around +6dB – this should really suck up the decay volume and still hold the sound at 0dB). I´ll take the kick audio track and duplicate it creating a copy. And then on the copied track, take the audio waveform of the kick and shorten it a lot until you only hear the snap/attack. Bring the volume of the limiter down around -4dB. And then play both tracks together, now the kick is sucked up loud as can be and the attack is more snapping in your face. And of course I sidechain most of the other audio tracks so nothing is hitting loud on the quarter notes of the kick, causing good separation.
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