Preparing a mix for export

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In Cubase, the Loudness Meter is part of the Control Room, which is one of the most powerful features for professional mixing. It allows you to monitor your levels without the meter itself affecting your actual audio signal.

1. Enable the Control Room

If you don’t see the meter on the right side of your screen:

  1. Go to the Studio menu > Audio Connections (or press F4).

  2. Click the Control Room tab.

  3. Click the large Power Button icon to turn it on.

  4. Ensure your “Monitor 1” is assigned to your speakers/interface. (Note: Once Control Room is on, your “Outputs” tab should be set to Not Connected to avoid doubling the volume).

2. Access the Loudness Meter

  1. On the main Project window, click the Right Zone icon (the small square in the top right corner).

  2. Select the CR (Control Room) tab at the top of that zone.

  3. At the bottom of the CR panel, click the Loudness tab.

3. Understanding the “Big Three” Numbers

When you play your loudest chorus, look at these specific values:

  • Integrated (LUFS): This is the most important number for streaming (Spotify/Apple Music). It measures the average loudness of the entire song.

    • Target: Between -14 LUFS and -10 LUFS for most modern music.

  • Short-Term (LUFS): This tells you how loud the last 3 seconds were. This is great for making sure your choruses are slightly louder than your verses.

  • True Peak (dB): This measures the absolute peak of the digital wave.

    • Target: Keep this below -1.0 dB to prevent distortion when the file is converted to MP3/AAC by streaming platforms.

4. How to use this for “Step 10” (Stereo Bus)

Instead of guessing how hard to push your Limiter:

  1. Play the loudest part of your song.

  2. Watch the Integrated LUFS.

  3. Slowly increase the Gain or Threshold on your Master Limiter until the meter shows your target (e.g., -14 LUFS).

  4. If your Loudness Range (LRA) is very high (above 10), your mix has too much volume difference between quiet and loud parts; you may need more bus compression.

5. Using the “Normalize” Secret

If you find your mixes are always too quiet:

  • Cubase has a Loudness Normalization option in the Export window (File > Export > Audio Mixdown).

  • You can set it to -14 LUFS, and Cubase will automatically calculate the gain needed to hit that target exactly.

Final Optimized Workflow Summary

You now have a complete, professional architecture:

  1. Render in Place to commit production.

  2. Import Track Archive to drop in your Groups, VCAs, and Sidechain EQs.

  3. Gain Stage to -18dB using Pre-Gain.

  4. Mix “Into” the Stereo Bus (Tube Comp + Magneto II).

  5. Monitor via Control Room Loudness to ensure you’re streaming-ready.

CHECKLIST

This final checklist is what separates a “good home mix” from a “pro-studio master.” Before you commit to your final export, run through these five technical checks in Cubase.

1. The Mono Compatibility Test

Even though we live in a stereo world, many club systems, phone speakers, and radio signals sum to mono. If your mix disappears in mono, you have phase cancellation.

  • The Check: In the Cubase Control Room, click the [Mono] button.

  • What to listen for: Does the Snare lose its “snap”? Does the Lead Vocal get quieter?

  • The Fix: If an instrument disappears, reduce the width of your “Stereo Enhancer” plugins or check if your double-tracked guitars are out of phase.

2. The “Low-End” Phase Alignment

In your drum setup, the Kick drum and the Bass compete for the same space. If they aren’t “aligned,” they will fight each other, resulting in a weak low end.

  • The Check: Solo the Kick and Bass together. Toggle the Phase Reverse [ø] button on the Bass track (found in the Cubase Pre-Rack).

  • The Goal: Whichever position (Phase ON or OFF) sounds fatter and louder is the correct one. If the bass gets thin when you toggle it, switch it back.

3. Sibilance and “The 3k Build-up”

When you have multiple tracks of backing vocals and lead vocals, the “S” and “T” sounds (sibilance) can become ear-piercing.

  • The Check: Listen specifically to the “S” sounds in the loudest chorus.

  • The Fix: Don’t just De-ess the lead vocal. Use a De-esser on your BVOC Group. Also, check your GUITAR GRP for a buildup at 3kHz; if it’s too harsh, use a wide, 2dB dip in your Group EQ.

4. Headroom & Inter-Sample Peaks

Even if your meters aren’t “turning red,” you might still be clipping the digital-to-analog converters.

  • The Check: Look at your True Peak meter in the Control Room.

  • The Goal: It should never hit 0.0. Professional mixers aim for -1.0 dB True Peak. This creates a “buffer” so that when your song is converted to an MP3 or uploaded to YouTube, no distortion is added.

5. The “Fade” and “Silence” Check

  • The Check: Listen to the very beginning and the very end of the song at a very high volume.

  • What to look for:

    • Do you hear a “pop” at the start? (Add a tiny 5ms fade-in).

    • Is there amp hiss or headphone bleed during the intro? (Gate it or manually cut the silence).

    • Does the reverb tail get cut off abruptly? (Ensure your export range extends past the last sound).

Your Final “Master Export” Settings

When you go to File > Export > Audio Mixdown, use these settings for the best quality:

Setting Selection Why?
File Format Wave Industry standard.
Sample Rate 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz Match your project settings.
Bit Depth 32-bit (float) Prevents clipping during the export.
Dithering Use “UV22HR” Only if you are downsampling to 16-bit.

Summary of your New Workflow

  1. Produce: Creative phase (MIDI/Audio).

  2. Commit: Render in Place (Mono for Kick/Bass/Vocals).

  3. Prep: Import your Mix Framework Archive (Groups/VCAs/FX).

  4. Balance: Gain stage to -18dB; mix into your Stereo Bus “Glue.”

  5. Refine: Sidechain the vocals using Frequency 2.

  6. Verify: Run the Final Mix Checks above.

  7. Export: High-quality WAV with -1.0 True Peak.

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