Right or wrong, I don’t ramp my songs up to 0 or in other words no headroom. I was taught that it is the same idea as giving a final mix to a mastering engineer; they need a bit of room to work. While it would be nice if streaming services didn’t mangle our submission, we know they are going to.
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Here is something else you might want to consider? I calibrated my monitor speakers using this guide from Presonus and has worked well for me. Since you already have Studio One Pro you have the tone gererator built into it. The only other thing you need to do is download a dB meter app to your phone and follow the guide. How Do I Calibrate My Studio Monitors?
BIAB 2025 Ultrapack- Studio One Pro 7 Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio
You also have tons of experience. Would you agree with the other basic statement I made: "In the end, I think Mario has it right: send your audio in the best quality they accept..."?
Yes, absolutely.
For ideal results, the goal should to learn what that "best quality" is for one's most used platform. That said, AppleMusic standards are not going to cause problems with most services and platforms. Those of us who master for clients need to know their exact needs and have the tools & experience to use them. I posted a couple of mine.
In the extreme example I cited, I drove the couple hours to the K-Love broadcast HQ to get an exact rundown of their technical specs. Having had a Class 1 FCC license in my background when I managed a 10W FM station didn't hurt (yeah, I speak broadcast-geek). That's a market of 520 stations and translators—artists who get regular play reach an estimated 20–30M listeners not counting internet.
The only other thing you need to do is download a dB meter app to your phone and follow the guide.
Outside of monitoring SPL at live events, I don't see the use.
It does not replace calibrating studio monitors to one's listening position with a dedicated measurement microphone and apps for applying and storing the settings. At $299, ARC Studio isn't bad but, with only 9 bands of adjustment, isn't great either. Here's a rundown of Room/Monitor Calibration Apps & Hardware ranging from $299—$12,000.
The nice thing about a box is that is stores the settings in your monitoring chain. 'Apps-only' such as the ARC 4 App require the settings to be inserted when you monitor and bypassed when you export the audio or bounce to disk. There is a workaround for Mac using an Aggregate Device to host the app but Windows does not have this functionality—again, the box makes it a non-issue.
Good for you, I guess, but the industry does not use this except when mastering to CD where -0.1 dB is the goal. As Matt already posted:
Quote
Right or wrong, I don’t ramp my songs up to 0 or in other words no headroom. I was taught that it is the same idea as giving a final mix to a mastering engineer; they need a bit of room to work
Although there is no hard industry standard, no one I know wants to see tracks submitted that exceed -3 dB, I include myself.
Here is something else you might want to consider? I calibrated my monitor speakers using this guide from Presonus and has worked well for me. Since you already have Studio One Pro you have the tone gererator built into it. The only other thing you need to do is download a dB meter app to your phone and follow the guide. How Do I Calibrate My Studio Monitors?
Another useful post, thanks for sharing. Here is how I'm understanding the factors at play; there are many.
https://soundcloud.com/user-646279677 BiaB 2025 Windows For me there’s no better place in the band than to have one leg in the harmony world and the other in the percussive. Thank you Paul Tutmarc and Leo Fender.
I agree with the ARC. I have the version 3 with the calibration mic. I also use Sonarworks reference that is calibrated for my AKG K240 headphones which pretty much gives me a good Idea of what my actual mix sounds like without the room.
BIAB 2025 Ultrapack- Studio One Pro 7 Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio
I agree with the ARC. I have the version 3 with the calibration mic. I also use Sonarworks reference that is calibrated for my AKG K240 headphones which pretty much gives me a good Idea of what my actual mix sounds like without the room.
The ARC 3 upgrade to 4 can’t have been handled worse. Though I purchased 3 + mic directly and emailed the receipt to Customer Support, they wouldn’t let me just purchase the ARC box (comes with 4). Finally, they had a sale and I had enough Jam Points to get the box with another mic at lower cost. I should sell that extra Measurement Mic on Reverb.
As for the differences between ARC 3 and 4, I wouldn’t spend $99 just for that. IKM has so many bundles etc. that 4 is likely to be included in the next thing you buy anyway.
I went for the Slate VSX system a couple years ago. It’s pretty good but I can’t say that I prefer it to calibrated monitor speakers. Nice to get a different perspective now and then.
That's exactly how I have acquired a lot IKM products is with them bundle sales and have received many great deals over the years. Thanks for the heads up.
BIAB 2025 Ultrapack- Studio One Pro 7 Windows 11, Mac Mini M4 with Logic Pro 11, Melodyne Studio
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!
Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!
Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
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PowerTracks Pro Audio 2025 is here! This new version introduces many features, including VST3 support, the ability to load or import a .FLAC file, a reset option for track height in the Tracks window, a taller Timeline on the Notation window toolbar, new freeze buttons in the Tracks window, three toolbar modes (two rows, single row, and none), the improved Select Patch dialog with text-based search and numeric patch display, a new button in the DirectX/VST window to copy an effects group, and more!
First-time packages start at only $49. Already a PowerTracks Pro Audio user? Upgrade for as little as $29!
Video: Summary of the New Band-in-a-Box® App for iOS®
Join Tobin as he takes you on a tour of the new Band-in-a-Box® app for iOS®! Designed for musicians, singer-songwriters, and educators, this powerful tool lets you create, play, and transfer songs effortlessly on your iPhone® or iPad®—anytime, anywhere.
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