Volume of Samples

Hi - New to this forum and MPC Beats. I am using an MPD218 to trigger samples from MPC Beats. Can someone help me figure out why the output gain is lower once the sample is imported into Beats. As soon as I drag a wav file into Beats it gets noticeably quieter then the same wav file played outside of Beats. I have tried normalizing the samples in Beats and increasing the program level q-link but I'd just like the samples to play at their original volume inside Beats. Thanks in advance.

You may need to look at the program and see what it's output volume is.

It is fairly common for a sampler to drop a polyphonic group to -6db for example, so that if you play multiple sounds from a normalized sample that you won't digitally clip.

I'd start with the drum kit or key group and check the master page to see what the volume/level is set to.

Hello, I'm new to this forum and new to making beats. I didn't want to create a new topic so I searched for a topic that is similar to my question. Hope that's okay.

So, I'm using MPC Beats as Software, and to make Beats I look on youtube for samples. Importing the sample, arranging, slicing, etc. is not a problem. I figured that out. But my question is about the volume of the Beat/of the sample.

To simplify the question: If I make different tracks, how can I achieve that they have all the same volume level? how can I make sure that all songs are equally loud?

I did some research and I know that is something called LUFS that is a tool to make sure that songs have the same loudness level. I also saw that there is something called a limiter, that should limit the volume.

It would be really great if someone could help me to point me in the right direction. What do I have to do exactly to achieve that result? How can I measure the loudness of a sample/track etc?

Thanks a lot in advance
herClueless

first of all, thanks for replying. i know that there are a lot of different types of volumes/gains. But i really don't know how to handle all this stuff and i simplified my question so it's clear what i want to achieve. Honestly, i am a little bit disappointed about your answer. I don't expect of course that someone gives me all the answers on a silver platter but just saying "read the manual" is not really helpful. Especially because i don't think there is a manual for the mpc beats software. I know that there is the mpc academy with all the youtube videos ( https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLyawkFIWnO1PkLpXAN1cciuvoXbrt7M9U ) and i admit i have not watched all of them but i have not found something helpful in the videos i watched that would help me with my problem.

Please, is there someone that could help me? For me, this is an important issue. I stopped learning how to make beats because of this issue because couldn't find something helpful on my own. And I really would like to continue learning. So I really hope someone could help me a little bit more.

Thanks a lot in advance for any kind of help.

herclueless wrote:Honestly, i am a little bit disappointed about your answer. I don't expect of course that someone gives me all the answers on a silver platter but just saying "read the manual" is not really helpful. Especially because i don't think there is a manual for the mpc beats software.

Wow, first you hijack another members post, then you diss the man that responded.

Yes there is a manual for Beats, the fact you haven't found it says a lot about the effort you're willing to put in. They're in the 'docs' folder, found as a sub folder within the MPC Beats folder.

@BostonGreen

BostonGreen wrote:Wow, first you hijack another members post, then you diss the man that responded.

I'm really sorry, when i read your message i was surprised because it was really not my intention to be disrespectful to anyone or to hijack another member's thread. I am a new Member here without any Posts and i thought it would not be good to open a new Thread as my first post. So i decided to look if there is already a thread with a similar problem. I know it's not the same but i thought it's close enough. I am really a newbie here, so please excuse me, it was not my intention at all to be disrespectful or misbehave. I appreciated that someone answered to my question, that's also why my first sentence was

herclueless wrote:first of all, thanks for replying.

BostonGreen wrote:Yes there is a manual for Beats, the fact you haven't found it says a lot about the effort you're willing to put in. They're in the 'docs' folder, found as a sub folder within the MPC Beats folder.

Thanks a lot for this note, now i found it also. For me, this whole beat making thing is really overwhelming. So perhaps you can imagine, that since I'm struggling with everything and specifically with this issue, that i was a little bit discouraged when the answer to my question was, that i should read the manual. Like i said, i really don't expect that someone give me all my answers on a silver platter. I hoped that someone could point me in the right direction. So i will of course look into the manual, but i really appreciate any kind of help and any kind of knowledge that would help me with this problem

Lampdog wrote:I didn't take it as a diss.

The manual tells you about the features of your gear, it doesn't give you methods and techniques, those are yours to create with the tools given in the manual.

I use X, I don't use the software. Same thing with the volume though. If there is a pad, program, mixer gain knob, etc, somewhere that is not at default then your imported sample will sound diff because of prior settings.

I use a blank template (I manually zero'd everything), everything off and when I import anything it sounds exactly like the original. Maybe take time to save a template of all settings zeroized and use that when starting from now on. I said it before, the features of all gaining is in the manual and if you don't take time to get comfortable with that your in for a world of hurt. Know your machine enough to manipulate it to do what you want (within it's capabilities of course).

I really appreciate your answer. For me everything sounds like a foreign language. Im good with tech, the internet etc. But when it comes to sound and making beats, everything is like a foreign language. I will definitely follow your advice and look into the manual. I don't use any hardware. I just use the mpc beats software on a virtual machine, because mpc beats does not work on Linux. I wonder if using the software mpc beats on a virtual machine could have any impact making beats.

Reading about gain/volume etc is very confusing, i tried to understand the difference, reading what the internet says about it. That's why in my initial post i tried to make the question as simple as possible. At the end i would like to understand more about volume in music and how i can achieve to make different tracks with the same max volume. Hopefully the manual will help me understand that better.

If your goal is max volume, you're likely to quickly find yourself into advanced topics that are filled with as much objective as subjective information.

My advice... and take it as you will... focus on just loading samples to create drum kits and key groups, and focus on getting a groove. This is something that will lead you into the foundations of song structure, adjusting fx, automation, and a load of other things.

Talking about maxing out volume when you have little information about how to even use the software is kind of like going to driver's education and expecting to learn how to super charge your car. Certainly there is some relation in topics... but completely different domains.

All that said... if you really want to learn about maximizing sounds to start... read up on mixing and eq techniques, low pass and high pass filters, compressors, maximizers, limiters... and eventually you can get into mastering. Or if you decide to go deeper look into a shortcut like the Yorgos Mastering suite... he can probably let you know if it works with Beats or requires the MPC Software.

NearTao wrote:If your goal is max volume, you're likely to quickly find yourself into advanced topics that are filled with as much objective as subjective information.

My advice... and take it as you will... focus on just loading samples to create drum kits and key groups, and focus on getting a groove. This is something that will lead you into the foundations of song structure, adjusting fx, automation, and a load of other things.

Talking about maxing out volume when you have little information about how to even use the software is kind of like going to driver's education and expecting to learn how to super charge your car. Certainly there is some relation in topics... but completely different domains.

All that said... if you really want to learn about maximizing sounds to start... read up on mixing and eq techniques, low pass and high pass filters, compressors, maximizers, limiters... and eventually you can get into mastering. Or if you decide to go deeper look into a shortcut like the Yorgos Mastering suite... he can probably let you know if it works with Beats or requires the MPC Software.

I totally agree, I started with working with samples(importing cutting in pieces etc), creating drum patterns etc. just basic stuff trying to be creative and making beats, without expectations. Just trying to learn how the software works.

I have to apologize about my previous post, i was not precise enough i guess, i don't want to maximize the sound. I just would like to know how i can measure loudness so that if i have multiple beats they all have the same level of loudness. Especially because when i import samples, i think they all have different sound/volume levels. I Hope i could it now explain better. Like i said, for me the whole sound topic is new.