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personal mastering

How do you go about it? which software hardware do you use?

im not very good at it but i think i can get a fairly good sound by using a multi band limiter on my stereo out in my sequencer. Anyone got any tips for me ?

I just put a limiter and compressor on the wav file.

I use hardware:
TC ELECTRONIC MASTERING 6000
FOCUSRITE RED 3


Anything cheaper (even cheaper software) isn't even worth trying mastering with.

These kinds of questions get asked regularly. Google for some articles on mastering. Preferably by recognized sources such as Sound on Sound magazine. They will tell you something about interesting software and how to use it properly. If you do fix a good mixdown mastering hardly comes down to anything more than multiband compressing your exported wav.

I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what is a good software limiter that you use?

dont use limiters OK DO IT

srsly tho what happened to having good mixing?

storyteller be a good guy and show us the powers of your hardware, export 16bars, 2 samples one mastered and non.

if your mixdown is good, you should not have to do very much at all on the master channel... maybe a little eq to roll off some of those super super low frequencies that NOBODY'S system will ever pick up... and maybe a compressor to boost the overall perceivable volume of your track.

less is more though, i hate hate hate squashed mixes, i'd rather hear something that just sounds a little bit quiet

david

quiet? it takes skill to maximize elements and is key to good production

but yusss squashed waveforms n square waveforms r sucky

quote:

Originally posted by trancey_spacer I don't mean to hijack this thread, but what is a good software limiter that you use?

Unlike a lot of other people here I use only what I can pay for. Instead of downloading the entire Waves collection, T-Racks, Izotope Ozone and whatever collection (like most people do) I just have four bought plugins (2 VSTi's + 2 VST's). The rest is freeware. The compression on my master channel is done with a free plugin, TLs Maximizer. It's quality is similar to Waves L2 UltraMaximizer (which is really good).

Some people should really have a look around. There is so much quality free stuff!

i agree that getting your stuff to have more perceivable volume is one of the keys to a good mixdown... but if someone isn't there yet, i'd much rather LISTEN to their material with a little bit lower overall loudness than LISTEN to somebody's squashed track

david

True. Hiding flaws by limiting on the master channel is uncool and easily perceivable.

i used to slap on a limiter on my master, i took it off now; my mixing has improved

Yea but some people mix very well with a compressor/limiter on the master as well. That's more a personal preference in my opinion. But good tip anyway. Most of the people I know that compose with a limiter on the master have gained sufficient knowledge before they started putting a limiter on their master.

true this

There are many views on mastering, how it should be done, when it is should be done.
Some even have mastering as a last chain in their creative part - like Rob Acid for example.
If we drop the term "mastering", and rather use the term finalizing - it will more true to the process we're trying to describe.
Mastering has always been the last resort to make changes to a finished mix. It's cheaper than remixing the whole track again, and fixing it there.
Ideally, you shouldn't need to do anything after you have mixed down - not as far as making the sort of changes you could (should) do at the mixing stage.
Slapping on a compressor, and a limiter to get more volume out of your mix, is ok. But unless you have some sort of creative compression going on, you should try to keep the mix as natural sounding as possible.
I'm sick of tracks where the wave form looks like a brick - where everything is squashed in you face.

cheers guys, some good info for me there. I had the impression that i could use a limiter to boost the overall volume once i had all my levels sorted. to me it sounds ok but im just a beginner so i dont think id spot the difference yet. ofcourse the people that matter will. i guess its just something that will improve with time.

Re: personal mastering

quote:

Originally posted by djandymac How do you go about it? which software hardware do you use? im not very good at it but i think i can get a fairly good sound by using a multi band limiter on my stereo out in my sequencer. Anyone got any tips for me ?

ok when it comes to mastering theres no trickery involved.all you need is some headphones and (simpley work your way through the track).untill you have removed all the glitches,and made suru all the leavels are right.this some times means making your components again.

Re: Re: personal mastering

quote:

Originally posted by airwalker1 ok when it comes to mastering theres no trickery involved.all you need is some headphones and (simpley work your way through the track).untill you have removed all the glitches,and made suru all the leavels are right.this some times means making your components again.

No thats mixing down or even just correcting flaws and then mixing down. That isn't what people mean when they say mastering...

Re: Re: personal mastering

quote:

Originally posted by airwalker1 ok when it comes to mastering theres no trickery involved.all you need is some headphones and (simpley work your way through the track).untill you have removed all the glitches,and made suru all the leavels are right.this some times means making your components again.

but if u mix down through headphones you arent gettin the sound you would get if listening through monitors are you ? in which case it might sound different when played through monitors than what it does through headpones ?

Mastering is to make sure the track sounds just as good on all sound systems.

Even though we can do a decent mastering job ourselves, very few of us have the experience nor the equipment to do a real mastering job.

But we can for sure provide a good mixdown which is the most important thing.

quote:

Originally posted by msz storyteller be a good guy and show us the powers of your hardware, export 16bars, 2 samples one mastered and non.

Sorry mate, just sold em and made 9000E, gonna go on world cruise now.

lol sweet

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