|
Mastering a track
|
View this Thread in Original format
| chiprognut |
| I buy alot of 320 MP3 off of Beatport and the like, and would like to get a consistent level on all of the tracks. I know I've read somewhere about how to master each track for consistent levels, but I searched and didn't seem to find what I was looking for. I also have Sound Forge 8.0 for mastering. Could anyone recommend what they find works the best for them, or direct me to a link/webpage that I could read up on it? Thanks in advance! |
|
|
| DiscoStew |
Tracks on beatport have all been mastered and normalized. Granted, some are mastered better than others. But they should all peak at 0 dB.
Some tracks have a lot more compression and hard limiting applied to them than others, which will those tracks constantly peak at 0 dB and sound consistently louder. You could run the other tracks through limiter in something like adobe audition; however, I would not recommend that at all because you're robbing the tracks of their dynamics. Most people will agree that there is too much compression applied to EDM tracks these days. (See the "Loudness Wars" threads in the production forum.)
You can and should always tweak the gains in your mixer to get the level even. A little EQing never hurts either. |
|
|
| chiprognut |
| Thanks Stew, yeah I am EQing and adjusting my master as needed watching my levels. I just thought I read somewhere about normalizing or mastering a track so that they could all have close to the same input and level. Also too, you can sometimes tell differences between different tracks. Thanks for the input! |
|
|
| KiNeTiC ENeRgY |
| quote: | Originally posted by chiprognut
Thanks Stew, yeah I am EQing and adjusting my master as needed watching my levels. I just thought I read somewhere about normalizing or mastering a track so that they could all have close to the same input and level. Also too, you can sometimes tell differences between different tracks. Thanks for the input! |
don't use a computer program to "normalize" your music files. It doesn't know what sounds good and will take away alot of the track in the wrong areas. You just have to EQ your mixer. |
|
|
| Stu Cox |
| quote: | Originally posted by KiNeTiC ENeRgY
don't use a computer program to "normalize" your music files. It doesn't know what sounds good and will take away alot of the track in the wrong areas. You just have to EQ your mixer. |
You can do - but choose the settings by ear rather than just using the same preset for everything.
If it's simply a matter of making sure everything's the same loudness, that's what the gains on your mixer are for.
I remaster quite a few tracks before I burn them off because both the standard and balance (in terms of frequencies) vary and I like to make sure that when I mix from one track into another there won't be a sudden increase or reduction in bass, etc - I know you can use EQ on a mixer for that to a certain extent, but sometimes it's not so easy to gauge on your headphones in the middle of a set. |
|
|
| richg101 |
| i would mix my set in my prefered style(cdj+mixer/ableton/etc etc). then run the mix through a limiter like the l2. the tracks that appear quieter will be brought up in volume, while the louder ones should stay the same. |
|
|
| chiprognut |
| Thanks guys for the input. Stu, that is exactly what I'm talking about. That is the procedure I think I've been trying to explain all along. Can I ask your technique that you use, that you prefer? And Rich, that also sounds great. I'll look into the limiter aspect. Sorry for the questions guys, as I'm not new to DJing and programs, but very much n00bness when it comes to production and mastering. Thanks again! |
|
|
| miamitranceman |
| You're probably thinking of mp3gain. Supposedly it doesnt loose any quality while normalizing all of your tracks. I've never felt the need to risk it though. :nervous: |
|
|
| DiscoStew |
| quote: | Originally posted by chiprognut
I'll look into the limiter aspect. |
That is always always an option. Most (decent) clubs have limiters in their chain so whack-ass DJ's don't blow their system. Just be careful with the settings. It will sound pretty good if the limiter barely has any gain reduction on most of your tracks but can kick in if you have one that is suddenly too loud. This is a matter of personal preference, but I would recommend using a tube compressor/limiter rather than a digital one -- just sounds better and more natural to me.
Like I said, there's no replacement for watching your levels and good EQing. Keep in mind that two tracks that technically have the same volume might have it in different ranges. Some are very bass-heavy and some have it all it the mids. |
|
|
| KiNeTiC ENeRgY |
| quote: | Originally posted by DiscoStew
Like I said, there's no replacement for watching your levels and good EQing. Keep in mind that two tracks that technically have the same volume might have it in different ranges. Some are very bass-heavy and some have it all it the mids. |
Thats my take as well. Sure u can open the track and do some mastering but for a newb, they need to learn proper EQ'ing first, then when they get on to producing or editing, then they can tackle mastering. I think its wise not to mess with it unless u really understand frequency ranges and balancing the track out so it sounds proper. The normalizer is gonna make it sound like e. |
|
|
| Stu Cox |
| quote: | Originally posted by chiprognut
Thanks guys for the input. Stu, that is exactly what I'm talking about. That is the procedure I think I've been trying to explain all along. Can I ask your technique that you use, that you prefer? And Rich, that also sounds great. I'll look into the limiter aspect. Sorry for the questions guys, as I'm not new to DJing and programs, but very much n00bness when it comes to production and mastering. Thanks again! |
It does take quite a bit of practice and getting your head round exactly how to use a multiband compressor to its best advantage isn't straight forward!
If you've got Sound Forge, the best course of action is to just get yourself some plugins and have a play around - see what works.
For reference, when I remaster a track I use a VST chain consisting of a 10-band EQ, a 5-band compressor and a limiter, occassionally with a bass enhancer in there if it really needs it (as they tend to warm the bottom end better than I've ever managed to achieve myself with the 5-band compressor)... and basically just tweak them all until I'm happy with how it sounds!
The plugins I use are from the Sonitus:fx suite - they're quite reasonable for the money, but there could well be better ones out there (particularly if you're willing to spend enough to get Waves!) - the Production Forum are the best people to ask really. |
|
|
| idoru |
You just want to adjust the levels of different tracks? Why on Earth would you want to go through all of that trouble when you can just use the gain on your mixer? It's simple, here's how it works:
- Too quiet? Turn the gain up.
- Too loud? Turn the gain down.
Much easier than going through all of the trouble of software and risking a loss in audio quality. |
|
|
|
|
