quote:

Originally posted by sterilis Anyone use logic for their mastering as well as producing? I used wavelab when i was producing on a pc but until wavelab 7 is released i can't use it on a mac. Or can anyone recommend good mastering software for the mac?

I don't think that Logic really has any advantage over any other DAW for the purposes of mastering. I mean if you are talking about mastering ITB, which it sounds like you are, then the only real requirement is that you can load an audio track and apply plugins, which any DAW will do. many producers simply use a chain of plugins on a master channel or main bus.

http://musicians.about.com/od/music...ingormaster.htm

what about garageband for mastering

does edm really needs mastering at all? your track wont be playd on your car-radio, your Tivoli Pal, nor will it ever see the light on MTV (does MTV even play music anymore???). it wont be on vinyl (and if so, the label will take care of it for you), and it wont show up on a Spotify house-party with shitty stereos. your track might end up in a club, where the soundsystem can handle great dynamics anyway so why not just skip the overcompressed sound all together and keep the good mixdown? problem with mastering is that u need multiple soundsystems to try your mix on. big speakers, small speakers, detailed speakers, crappy muddy speakers. its just not worth it anymore. stick with doing your best mixdown as possible.

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Originally posted by 19503 problem with mastering is that u need multiple soundsystems to try your mix on. big speakers, small speakers, detailed speakers, crappy muddy speakers. .

That isn't a problem most mastering engineers have to deal with. They need one pair they know in a room they know. Your approach to mastering is a little apathetic. Why even bother mixing well if the general population will be listening to your track at 128 kbs. Some people might have standards and want the best for their music. You also seem to think mastering if purely about controlling dynamics.

And some people on here including myself , and Rann do things that have a very physical medium that has very strict guidelines as to overall rms, energy distribution over the spectrum and such. You are also wrong about mastering not being an issue for clubs. Having too much bass can trigger the amp protection scheme and make your track sound incredibly quiet.

You are quite the lazy one. You think theory is stupid, you don't care about the mastering process…. Is there anything you do care about ? Or is it all just Rock and Roll to you.

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Originally posted by Mad for Brad And some people on here including myself , and Rann do things that have a very physical medium that has very strict guidelines as to overall rms, energy distribution over the spectrum and such. You are also wrong about mastering not being an issue for clubs. Having too much bass can trigger the amp protection scheme and make your track sound incredibly quiet.

Are you talking about broadcast equipment?

What are the specifics on those or how would I go about finding them? The reason I'm asking is that I tried out a mix on my new TV, the other day, and it did something eerily similar to what you describe with the amp protection scheme. It was too quiet until the song got to the break and then the volume reverted. I know the mix was fucked but I'd like to be able to quantify just how fucked the mix was so I can avoid that, in the future.

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quote:

Originally posted by Mad for Brad That isn't a problem most mastering engineers have to deal with. They need one pair they know in a room they know. Your approach to mastering is a little apathetic. Why even bother mixing well if the general population will be listening to your track at 128 kbs. Some people might have standards and want the best for their music. You also seem to think mastering if purely about controlling dynamics. And some people on here including myself , and Rann do things that have a very physical medium that has very strict guidelines as to overall rms, energy distribution over the spectrum and such. You are also wrong about mastering not being an issue for clubs. Having too much bass can trigger the amp protection scheme and make your track sound incredibly quiet. You are quite the lazy one. You think theory is stupid, you don't care about the mastering process…. Is there anything you do care about ? Or is it all just Rock and Roll to you.

im not making surround 7.1 soundtracks nor do i make classical compositions or try to get a grammy lol. overall RMS isnt as important as it was anymore, just raise the volume if its not loud enough. too much bass in a club can be fixed with eqing on-site (u know live-engineers, or actually the dj). besides eqing imo is part of the mixing process. mastering is preparing the audio to sound as good as possible on all mediums, but with edm theres basically only one medium: big soundsystems. my point is: u can do everything in logic, u do not need anything else. and yes its "rock and roll" to me whatever that means.

Last edited by Zak McKracken on Jul-23-2010 at 00:54

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Originally posted by EddieZilker Are you talking about broadcast equipment? What are the specifics on those or how would I go about finding them? The reason I'm asking is that I tried out a mix on my new TV, the other day, and it did something eerily similar to what you describe with the amp protection scheme. It was too quiet until the song got to the break and then the volume reverted. I know the mix was fucked but I'd like to be able to quantify just how fucked the mix was so I can avoid that, in the future.

There is really no magic to it. Most broadcast systems have what amounts to a brickwall limiter at the end of the chain to prevent a spike anywhere in the signal from destroying the speakers and other equipment. You'll find this in everything from club sound systems to car radios to TV speakers.

All you need to do to prevent this behavior is have a well balanced mix, with a low end proportionally level with the rest of the track. This is not just limited to the low end mind you, but it is a common cause of an unbalanced mix so its a good place to start looking. Having too much bass is a typical rookie mistake and lots of beginner and even intermediate producers struggle with this for quite some time.

You have a limited amount of headroom, so you want to refrain from taking up any of that room with frequencies that do not contribute to the track. If you have a huge peak at 40 Hz taking up a ton of headroom, then there is not as much room for the rest of your track, so the average (perceived) level is lower.

Last edited by Eric J on Jul-23-2010 at 00:48

quote:

Originally posted by EddieZilker Are you talking about broadcast equipment? What are the specifics on those or how would I go about finding them? The reason I'm asking is that I tried out a mix on my new TV, the other day, and it did something eerily similar to what you describe with the amp protection scheme. It was too quiet until the song got to the break and then the volume reverted. I know the mix was fucked but I'd like to be able to quantify just how fucked the mix was so I can avoid that, in the future.

Pretty much. Also general guidelines which adhere to the K system as a starting point. When you know the final medium and where the audio will be performed, mastering becomes especially important. You have to have strict standards when something will be played in many locations and you want to have some sort of control over the output. This is why engineers calibrate their environment and adhere to the K system and such.

To palm

I have to disagree that EDM's forum is solely the club. If you saw your market as more than just clubs and djs, you might actually be able to make a buck. I have said this so many times on here but limiting your market to just djs is like selling plus size clothing in japan. For a generation of producers that are starving, you'd think this little tidbit of common sense would be "common sense" . The potential for money is there but EDM producers tend to be stuck in the get signed , get a beatport release make 500$ trap. There are way more ways to sell your music.

Last edited by Looney4Clooney on Jul-23-2010 at 01:03

Anyone else sick of all these 'mastering' threads?

Send it to a pro if you're serious about your track.

/thread

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BEATPORT

more analog, more sidechain

or just make a proper mixdown.