{"id":144,"date":"2021-12-21T10:39:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-21T10:39:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/noisebuilders.com\/?p=144"},"modified":"2022-09-14T23:17:50","modified_gmt":"2022-09-14T23:17:50","slug":"should-you-normalize-in-ableton","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/noisebuilders.com\/should-you-normalize-in-ableton\/","title":{"rendered":"Should You Normalize in Ableton?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Normalization is a process that has a bit of history in the recording industry. But, it’s one that not a lot of musicians and producers really know the details about. It’s often unclear what normalization is and whether you should be doing it in the first place. Let’s take a look at what the process of normalizing music is, and then you might be able to answer the question, “should you normalize in Ableton?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Normalizing in Ableton will take the highest point in an audio track or file and raise or lower it to a standard threshold, often 0 dB. This will raise or lower the entire level of the audio track as a whole, without affecting dynamics. Tracks with spikes in loudness can be helped by normalization.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we can see, there are elements to consider when deciding to normalize or not. It isn’t necessary to normalize every audio track that you’re working with. Some tracks that fall well below clipping points and still leave headroom for mixing into the overall song probably won’t need normalization. Especially if the audio is already fairly stable and consistent in terms of levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Should You Normalize On Ableton?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, if that’s the case, when DO we normalize audio in Ableton?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When we normalize an audio track, the process alters the levels of the audio within that track and ensures that it’s done in an equal and consistent way. Generally, as mentioned, Ableton will alter your track to bring the loudest spots to 0 dB. This will be the “loudest” level typically accepted when you want to bounce your track.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Remember that when you mix all of your tracks together, they will “add up” in overall level. And, if you go too high at certain points, you’ll start clipping. This is common when you have kick drums hitting at the same time that you have loud, screamy vocals and driving guitars. If you have vocal tracks where the singer is hitting very high levels at certain parts of the song, this might be a great option for normalizing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, if your recordings aren’t up to par, whether you’re recording guitar<\/a> or anything else, normalizing can help to even out spikes or bring up levels that are too low. Just remember that when you raise levels altogether, you’ll raise the volume on everything, including noise from low-end equipment and anything a mic picks up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dynamic range and normalizing<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Simply put, normalizing is going to look for the highest peak in your track and then raise or lower it to a point that you set. It will then raise or lower the rest of the signal to match it uniformly. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, normalization doesn’t alter the dynamic range within your track. If you have some high peaks and spikes within your track, you’ll still have them after normalizing. If you want to “even out” your audio you’ll want to either use a compressor or a limiter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Compressors<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, you might want to use a compressor that will bring the whole track, or song, to an average level, which will affect the dynamic range of the whole piece. Compression is a very common tool in mixing. You will use compression much more often than you will normalization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Limiters<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

A limiter, on the other hand, will act as a stop-gap at the top of a range and keep your signal from going over that “limit.” A limiter most likely won’t affect your dynamic range either. It will literally cut off any signal going over the top limit that you set. It’s an easier, but much more blunt force, tool to use. Use limiters sparingly, and only towards the very end of your mixing process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here are a few reasons why it would be advisable not to normalize:<\/p>\n\n\n\n