The loudness of your tracks before mixing can have a significant impact on the quality and outcome of the final mix. In this post, we’ll discuss how loud your tracks should be before mixing.

Firstly, it’s important to understand the concept of peak level and RMS level. Peak level refers to the highest point of a waveform, while RMS level refers to the average level of a waveform. Peak level is important to ensure that your track does not clip, while RMS level is important for overall perceived loudness.

When preparing your tracks for mixing, it’s recommended to have your peak level at around -6dB to -3dB and your RMS level at around -18dB to -12dB. This allows enough headroom for the mixer to work with and ensures that your track doesn’t clip or distort.

It’s important to note that while loudness is important, it’s not everything. It’s better to have a well-balanced mix with proper frequency distribution than a loud but poorly mixed track. The mixer can always increase the loudness during the mastering stage if needed.

If your tracks are too loud, you can use a gain reduction plugin to reduce the volume levels. Alternatively, you can adjust the faders or gain levels in your DAW. On the other hand, if your tracks are too quiet, you can use a gain plugin to increase the volume levels.

In summary, it’s recommended to have your peak level at around -6dB to -3dB and your RMS level at around -18dB to -12dB when preparing your tracks for mixing. This allows enough headroom for the mixer to work with and ensures that your track doesn’t clip or distort. Remember, it’s better to have a well-balanced mix than a loud but poorly mixed track.