38 – CLEAN / CLEAN PLUS
Loud(ness) Max(imizer)
This is a very special effect. You can use it to increase the average volume
of a recording.
Imagine you have recorded a track that contains music with a wide dynamic
range. That is, the music contains a few very loud parts, but also very low
parts. During recording you have taken great care that the few loud peak
signals did not cause distortion.
Now you find that – compared to the peaks – the rest of the music is not
loud enough. Try Loud Max to level out the different levels. It will make the
material sound more dense.
Where and how you should use this effect depends on the type of music
and your taste. If a wide dynamic range is part of the musical character of a
recording – as is often the case with classical music – you should either re-
frain from using Loud Max or only use it subtly.