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Forums - Music techology
Subject: Mastering Tracks ??
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Original Message 1/7 16-Jul-98 @ 03:12 AM - Mastering Tracks ??
What exactly is done when you get your stuff mastered??
Is there any software out there that will allow me to master my stuff at least at a semi-pro level.
Everbody tellin get your stuff mastered it will sound better. but it costs so much!!!
What is really done. And how can do it myself??
Is there any software out there that will allow me to master my stuff at least at a semi-pro level.
Everbody tellin get your stuff mastered it will sound better. but it costs so much!!!
What is really done. And how can do it myself??
Message 2/7 21-Jul-98 @ 05:22 PM - RE: Mastering Tracks ??
Mastering is a rip off. The best thing to do is get a copy of Soundforge and that new Steinberg plugin called Free filter. It can copy the eq characteristics from one track and apply them to another. It would be worthwhile getting the De Noiser plugin also.
Message 3/7 22-Jul-98 @ 12:52 AM - RE: Mastering Tracks ??
A mastering engineer told me that is better to convert your files to 24 bits before any processing cause some reasons I dont understand at all but was something to do with digi-headroom .
The only thing is that when you master (semipro level like you said) your tracks is better to be very careful than try to make it sound artificial ... I mean not to process it a lot ( I used to do that allways compressing very much all :-)
My opinion
The only thing is that when you master (semipro level like you said) your tracks is better to be very careful than try to make it sound artificial ... I mean not to process it a lot ( I used to do that allways compressing very much all :-)
My opinion
Message 4/7 22-Jul-98 @ 11:31 AM - RE: Mastering Tracks ??
Sorry to tread on anyones toes a bit, but mastering isn't a rip off. It is expensive, perhaps too much. But it generally rescues a slighrly weak mix . the other side of mastering is preparing it for the format onto which it will go. Vinyl, for example needs some very careful mathematical/sonic treatments before it is pressed. Without them many things may happen, the needle may not sit in the "groove" or there may be no top end of bottom end response at all. The frequency response/gamut of vinyl is very different from say Tape or CD (or whatever !). Different mediums require different mastering so that at the end each of the products will at least sound similar.
As for freefilter, it's quite good fun, but there is no way your going to be able to take an Alex Reece track and just by adding his EQ to yours, make it sound sonically similar/as good/better. For example there's no point in boosting frequencies at 100hz if your origianl mix contains nothing in that region !! Still , it is quite good at covering overall frequencies from similar music that has been well mixed. Can't argue with denoiser though Dart is better.
A good mastering engineer is worth his weight ..etc, but check out what you can do yourself with the EQ and compression on things like Wavelab or Soundforge first. If you think you get a substantial improvemtn, then a remix is in order. If you get a slight imporvment but the music somehow seems much more exciting then you've cracked it. You'll get even more of this from a pro, but make sure that your track is well mixed in the first place.
I hope that is of some use.
cheers
As for freefilter, it's quite good fun, but there is no way your going to be able to take an Alex Reece track and just by adding his EQ to yours, make it sound sonically similar/as good/better. For example there's no point in boosting frequencies at 100hz if your origianl mix contains nothing in that region !! Still , it is quite good at covering overall frequencies from similar music that has been well mixed. Can't argue with denoiser though Dart is better.
A good mastering engineer is worth his weight ..etc, but check out what you can do yourself with the EQ and compression on things like Wavelab or Soundforge first. If you think you get a substantial improvemtn, then a remix is in order. If you get a slight imporvment but the music somehow seems much more exciting then you've cracked it. You'll get even more of this from a pro, but make sure that your track is well mixed in the first place.
I hope that is of some use.
cheers
Message 5/7 22-Jul-98 @ 01:31 PM - RE: Mastering Tracks ??
agree with above...if the track is well mixed then the process will probably just be some mild compression some slight eq change and normalising the volume of a set of tracks eg on an album...what they are really looking for is frequencies with levels outside 'safe' limits...New Orders 'In a Lonely Place' (b-side of Ceremony) used to make my speakers buzz and creak whenever Hooks bass came in...scared the shit out of me and did my speakers no good...if you get the chance go through the mastering process in a world class mastering room...I guarantee you will NEVER experience sound like it...you just get a stupid smile on your face...then you go home and kick several kinds of shit out your hifi...
~:¬)
~:¬)
Message 6/7 22-Jul-98 @ 03:35 PM - RE: Mastering Tracks ??
I've had a few bad experiences where mastering engineers have made a mess of my tracks or friends tracks that I've programmed. I realise there are different techniques required for vinyl, but as there are no vinyl pressing plants where I'm from it's not really an issue.
Another disadvantage of mastering suites is that what may sound good in their big luxurious studios can sound like garbage when you listen to it at home or play it in the car. It really pisses you off and leaves you thinking, damn, there's a few hundred dollars down the drain and the cd sounds crap. So far Free filter is the best solution I've come accross. So far the results I've got are a hell of a lot better than anything I've had professionally mastered in the past.
As for it not reproducing regions that don't exhist....well, all the tracks I've tried so far have been from cassette and probably don't have anything happening above 14khz apart from tape hiss. I don't know how it does it, but it seems to add extra harmonics or something, because I always end up getting an extremely nice sparkling top end. It improves the bottom end a lot also.
Another disadvantage of mastering suites is that what may sound good in their big luxurious studios can sound like garbage when you listen to it at home or play it in the car. It really pisses you off and leaves you thinking, damn, there's a few hundred dollars down the drain and the cd sounds crap. So far Free filter is the best solution I've come accross. So far the results I've got are a hell of a lot better than anything I've had professionally mastered in the past.
As for it not reproducing regions that don't exhist....well, all the tracks I've tried so far have been from cassette and probably don't have anything happening above 14khz apart from tape hiss. I don't know how it does it, but it seems to add extra harmonics or something, because I always end up getting an extremely nice sparkling top end. It improves the bottom end a lot also.
Message 7/7 22-Jul-98 @ 03:52 PM - RE: Mastering Tracks ??
Agreed about mastering studios sounding TOO nice, then they hand you a cd & a dat, and you don't get to hear how it REALLY sounds till you're home.
I'd like to try a real old-school primarily analog mastering facility some day, has anyone seen a difference?
What's the deal w/ imaging & s/w?
I'd like to try a real old-school primarily analog mastering facility some day, has anyone seen a difference?
What's the deal w/ imaging & s/w?
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