mastering tools and tips

[djyoavb]

what do u use? any special secrets?

[ December 17, 2003, 11:10 AM: Message edited by: djyoavb ]

[djyoavb]

^

[socratez]

Dont use compression to much,, thats my secret, i hate that so called daftpunk compression sound since its such a cliche.

Try a little reverb,,, can do miracles.

Thats about it, for the rest,,, just use your ears

[djyoavb]

Originally posted by socratez:
Dont use compression to much,, thats my secret, i hate that so called daftpunk compression sound since its such a cliche.

Try a little reverb,,, can do miracles.

Thats about it, for the rest,,, just use your ears a little reverb on top of it all?

[lesysteme]

i never pre master

ive used the finalizer (which is awesome BTW).

but i send my mix un mastered to my mastering/cutting house then let them work their "magic"

[djyoavb]

yeah usually the lables r sending it for pre- mastering and then they have to cut it to vinyl and all, but still, i want to improve my mastering skills, i prefer doing the pre- mastering myself that let a stranger mess with my music.

[lesysteme]

i feel the oppopsite

the person u use and trust for your mastering should not be a stranger.

you should only be using someone after much research and asking for recocommendations.

mastering is such an art onto itself that one should be giving the mastering engineer a mix with the most "room" for growth and applying their personality lets say. i feel anyways

howie weinberg will add a different feel than frankford wayne lets say.

these are top notch professionals who know exactly what pitch and frequency will sound where when cut to vinyl.

if you think of mastering as a stage done by a stranger, its time to re think your approach to mastering i feel, no offence of course smile.gif

[djyoavb]

sure, it's just not that easy when u don't have a dime and the lables u r releasing on r located miles away from u... ;)

[Brian]

i use t-racks for niceing up my final mix (some slight compression and eqing) .. but only for my own use

if/when i send something off to be pressed i'll send the untouched original mix to someone who makes a living doing mastering

[lesysteme]

well ask then who they are using etc etc and maybe ask if they can use "so and so" if you arent happy etc.

most likely they are using someone good and that the yhave a relationship with

mastering can make or break a record in someways.

think of your music in good hands..and if youre not happy, find those good hands

[O'love]

ideal mastering should be left to the professionals..but if you're on a budget etc. (like we are) you can try to do it yourself...

a few rules: know your listening environment and monitors VERY good, use good reference material and compare a lot.....

our last release we used the UAD1 plugins very gently, and added a little Waves L2 limiting as the last stage to get the volume right.... that was all that was needed as the mix itself was already good enough......

if you're mastering for vinyl lowcut from 40 or 50Hz downwards, and from high-cut from 15KHz upwards or something....and check the stereo-image, especially in the lower and low-mid regions....this should ideal be mono....otherwise it gives problems during cutting stage.....

a mistake often made: people remember the sound of the PA in the club, and try to create that at home.....but forget at home you don't have a club environment and PA etc.... so you need to get the original record and reference it from your home listening environment...

Olaf

[C hristian]

what are the goals/objectives of mastering?

[djyoavb]

Originally posted by lesysteme:
well ask then who they are using etc etc and maybe ask if they can use "so and so" if you arent happy etc.

most likely they are using someone good and that the yhave a relationship with

mastering can make or break a record in someways.

think of your music in good hands..and if youre not happy, find those good hands not so many choises i'm affraid... but at least i am releasing on lables i repect and like so they should be doing good... smile.gif

[djyoavb]

usually i use abit compression and eq too, just to get things right. i was talking about pre-mastering off course, i don't want even to try master for vinyl although usually i cut below 40 HZ anyways. thanx for the replies ya'll smile.gif

[djyoavb]

Originally posted by O'love:
our last release we used the UAD1 plugins very gently, Olaf hi Olaf smile.gif which company produces it?

[GrantB]

Originally posted by djyoavb:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by O'love:
our last release we used the UAD1 plugins very gently, Olaf hi Olaf smile.gif which company produces it? </font>[/QUOTE]Universal Audio

www.uadio.com (http://www.uadio.com)

http://www.uaudio.com/PPI/home.html

[djyoavb]

Originally posted by GrantB:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by djyoavb:
</font><blockquote>quote:</font><hr />Originally posted by O'love:
our last release we used the UAD1 plugins very gently, Olaf hi Olaf smile.gif which company produces it? </font>[/QUOTE]Universal Audio

www.uadio.com (http://www.uadio.com)

http://www.uaudio.com/PPI/home.html </font>[/QUOTE]graemlins/thumbsup.gif

[GrantB]

Originally posted by C hristian:
what are the goals/objectives of mastering? web page (http://www.sharkfindigital.com/mastering.htm)

[So easy a protic can do it (QUAD)]

Originally posted by O'love:
ideal mastering should be left to the professionals..but if you're on a budget etc. (like we are) you can try to do it yourself...

a few rules: know your listening environment and monitors VERY good, use good reference material and compare a lot.....

our last release we used the UAD1 plugins very gently, and added a little Waves L2 limiting as the last stage to get the volume right.... that was all that was needed as the mix itself was already good enough......

if you're mastering for vinyl lowcut from 40 or 50Hz downwards, and from high-cut from 15KHz upwards or something....and check the stereo-image, especially in the lower and low-mid regions....this should ideal be mono....otherwise it gives problems during cutting stage.....

a mistake often made: people remember the sound of the PA in the club, and try to create that at home.....but forget at home you don't have a club environment and PA etc.... so you need to get the original record and reference it from your home listening environment...

Olaf AND TO ADD TO THIS, PEOPLE, WE MUST DEADEN THE ECHO HAPPENIN IN OUR SOUND ROOMS, THE REASON BEING BECAUSE OUR EARS ARE USED TO LISENING FOR THE SLIGHTEST VIBRATIONS AND IF THE ROOM HAS SOUND DIFFUSERS ON THE WALLS AND "BASS TRAPS" IN THE 4 CORNERS OF THE ROOM, YOU WILL BE GUARANTEED AN EXCELLENT PRE, POST, AND MASTERED VERSION OF YOUR MUSIC. ALSO YOU SHOULD BE MIXING DOWN ON YOUR MONITORS FOR THE FINAL MIX, SO THAT YOU CLEARLY CAN ADJUST FREQUENCIES BETWEEN CERTAIN INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS AS WELL AND BY ALL MEANS, DO THIS MIX AT LOW VOLUME AS IF YOUR LISTENING TO AN "AM RADIO". IF YOU CAN UNDERSTAND EACH INSTRUMENT AND VOCALS WITHOUT STUFF OVERCROWDING WHAT'S COMING THRU AN AM RADIO, THEN YOU'VE GOT A HELL OF A MASTERED MIX READY TO GO TO PRESS......SORRY, I WAS TAUGHT THIS AT SEAGRAPE RECORDING STUDIOS SOME YRS AGO...... smile.gif

OH YEAH, FOR SOUNDROOM SETUPS, GO TO WWW.AURALEX.COM. (http://WWW.AURALEX.COM.) THEY HAVE PICS OF WHAT ROOMS SHOULD LOOK LIKE.

[ December 19, 2003, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: DJ QUAD ]

[SPINSTERWUN]

And...........

Here is a BBS site to help beginners/professionals build their own studios...

http://www.johnlsayers.com/phpBB2/index.php

[SPINSTERWUN]

Here are some pics of "home recorders" studios.

http://www.johnlsayers.com/Pages/Studios.htm

[SPINSTERWUN]

Pictures of "real" studios....

http://www.argosyconsole.com/dreamstudios.htm