Good afternoon trance addicts.

I've found mixing into a multiband band compressor makes my mixes feel glued together. You put so much effort into giving each sound there own space everything starts to feel disconnected and gluing the mix together with multiband compression just seems to help me get into the vibe of the track a lot easier.

However I seen a lot of posts recently from people suggesting that if your using a multiband compressor on your master that your mix isn't well balanced. These post have been on mixing fourms rather than trance specific. And im just wonder if a muiltband compressor only really used for mastering dance music?


I don't actually do my own mastering, and appreciate the secret to a good master is a good mix but have a rough (DIY) mastering chain really helps to give me a better feel for the tune as a whole.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts,

Never trust people who tell you "you should do it this way or that way".
I understand right now you're in a process where you need "confirmation" for a lot of things. But my suggestion is to be persistent and soon you'll trust your ears. That should be your only goal. Once you reach that you won't bother with what someone might think about your personal approach. At the end you'll realize it's subjective, and the responses you'll get are based purely on personal experience. We're all different.

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cit. "Back then people danced to a dj set. Nowdays they are recording it with their smart phones."

This has been done to death on here over the years.

Here are some links of good discussions (crazy to see old those old regs in the first one).

http://tranceaddict.com/forums/show...99#.VNub__nF_ng

This one has a good explanation if it.

http://tranceaddict.com/forums/show...99#.VNuchvnF_ng

Essentially, (and not to be too obtuse about it) if you're asking the question "should I put a compressor on the master" then you're not ready to do it.

Mixing in to a compressor is the natural evolution for someone that is a good/great mixer, who always find themselves adding compression to the master after they did it.

So logically, the next step is to mix in to the compressor as you go.

Why could this be bad? Because it changes the way you mix; everything from stray peak management, to dynamics handling to colouration.

Therefore, if you aren't an extremely proficient mixer and can't fully understand from a conceptual point of view what that mix would be like without the compressor on the master, then you shouldn't add one.

If you've been mixing for years, always end up adding compression to glue your parts together doing so has literally got to the point of mindless repetition, then you're ready.

Personally, I just don't understand people's fascination with wanting to make a track mastered by yourself. It's a nuanced skillset required for truly great mastering, and that doesn't even start the discussion on the level of equipment needed.

Just mix as well as you can and pay the $20/$50/$100/$1k to get it properly mastered.

as ever...if it sounds good then no problem.

If you think your track sounds better with MB compression than without, then go for it

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thanks for the replys guys, very helpful.

Just out of interest who do you guys recommend for mastering? I've heard Mark Sherry masters a lot of guys stuff on the scene at the minute. He really the only person I know of that would specialize in mastering trance.

Raphie =O)

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I doubt he can afford someone like Raphie.

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cit. "Back then people danced to a dj set. Nowdays they are recording it with their smart phones."

dont worry about Mastering - worry about Mixing

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quote:

Originally posted by Euginamusic Just out of interest who do you guys recommend for mastering?

Well, here's the problem you're about to have. Any ME worth his salt is going to want you to send him a mix that doesn't have any major processing on the master buss. Once you remove that MB compressor band-aid from your master, you're probably going to have a pretty shitty mix that the ME won't be able to save. So, you're better off killing the MB comp now and fixing your mix before sending it to an ME.

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quote:

Originally posted by TranceElevation I doubt he can afford someone like Raphie.

Depends for what and in what orifice. Snare Tom flam snare tom then bigger Tom then bigger Tom kick and splash choke.

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@DJ RANN thanks for your reply I got reading the older post you provided the link to but they seem to be talking about normal compression.

This post was more aimed the use of multiband compression on the master.

It just seems to glue everything together so much better as it reacts differently to different freq bandwidths.

cryophonik:

"Once you remove that MB compressor band-aid from your master, you're probably going to have a pretty shitty mix that the ME won't be able to save. So, you're better off killing the MB comp now and fixing your mix before sending it to an ME."

Very good point, noted. Thanks

If you make a distinction between mixing and mastering which I don't think you have to, then yes, a multiband serves no purpose other than to fix things you fix at earlier stages.

But other than a particular perspective and skill set, mastering today is mixing sent to a bus which could be done in the mix.

Your answer depends more on philosophy than anything else. If the mastering engineer is usong it for anything that isn't technical, that would b an artistic call and he has stopped mastering and started mixing. Most do both because most were great mixing engineers and care more about the end result than their actual job. A mastering engineer retained by Decca would look at you with absolute contempt if you even said the word . He is probably just senile from old age and the good days when they got to wear white over coats.

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"This is why Superman works alone." GC
old stuff from days gone by (2001-2004)
Mad For Brad's gay little contest