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New Gear Review: TC Electronic LC2n and LC6n Loudness Normalization

tc_electronic_lc2nTC’s LC2n for stereo program audio and LC6n for 5.1 surround audio are loudness measurement and normalization processors. They’re available for MACs and PCs and in either AudioSuite plug-in format for Pro Tools or as a standalone off-line processor that includes a batch-processing mode. TC’s LCn makes it easy to hit the right loudness target for HDTV, Mobile TV, podcast, radio, iTunes Radio, YouTube or Spotify.

In Pro Tools 12, I had a recent mix I was going to send to iTunes and wanted to not chance what iTunes Radio would do to it, so I used the iTunes preset and LC2n to automatically conform my mix loudness/level accordingly. The twin Radar Meters on the LC2n GUI labeled Source and Process showed nearly the same—original file at -15.1 LKFS (Loudness, K-weighted, relative to Full Scale), the process file at -16 LKFS—1 dB lower and negligible.

Now I am using LC2n all the time to check on my loudness levels so that I can mix closely to a desired target level. I am producing finished products immediately ready and without further processing for broadcast, film, CD, Euro broadcast or iTunes delivery.

LC2n sells for $299 and LC6n sells for $699.

tcelectronic.com/lcn

Barry Rudolph is a recording engineer/mixer who has worked on over 30 gold and platinum records. He has recorded and/or mixed Lynyrd Skynyrd, Hall & Oates, Pat Benatar, Rod Stewart, the Corrs and more. Barry has his own futuristic music mixing facility and loves teaching audio engineering at Musician’s Institute, Hollywood, CA. He is a lifetime Grammy-voting member of NARAS and a contributing editor for Mix Magazine. barryrudolph.com