Really Basic Mastering Question

G

gitlvr

New member
Hi there, got a few questions.
I hear and read all the time that a big part of mastering is just things like getting the volume levels equal across all tracks.
How in the world does one achieve this? I'm not even sure where you would start.
Can it be done inside a single DAW. I find it difficult to understand how to work on an albums worth of songs as a whole within a single DAW, at the same time.
Or is this done in another program once all of the tracks are rendered down to individual stereo files?
Same for things like the (esoteric, to me) idea of "glueing all the tracks together" so that the album has a "common feel". I realize that one there might take some time to develop an ear for, I guess. But I'm curious how one would even start on things like this. Thanks.
 
Most people do one multitrack project/session per song then export each one as a stereo file. Then it's typical to import those files into one project for mastering. There they'll make adjustments to levels, eq etc. to make them all work together. Sometimes it's necessary to go back to the multitrack projects to fix things that can't be fixed on the stereo audio file.
 
^^^ I'll go along with that...

Keep in mind you're not looking for "equal" -- You're looking for "proper in the context of the project as a whole." You need to find/ride that fine line between doing what flatters each particular track while doing what flatters the whole thing. Tone, density, flow, gapping, volume - and all that other (esoteric is a good word) stuff.
 
Massive Master said:
^^^ I'll go along with that...

Keep in mind you're not looking for "equal" -- You're looking for "proper in the context of the project as a whole." You need to find/ride that fine line between doing what flatters each particular track while doing what flatters the whole thing. Tone, density, flow, gapping, volume - and all that other (esoteric is a good word) stuff.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I was going to say that it's not so much about "matching" the various tracks as making the whole thing "feel like an album". It is always better if there has been some thought and attention put into this "album coherence" during the earlier stages of tracking and mixing, but the mastering stage is where it all comes together, and sometimes your first chance to really get a perspective on the overall project as whole.
 
do you want all the instruments to be the same spl ? do you want the vocals louder than the instruments ? do you want the volume of the bass low in the mix or really loud ? knowing what you want the finished product to sound like is the starting point. i like the snare drum to be a tad louder than my other drums. i like the vocals to be a tad louder than everything else. get the instrument sound i want on the multitrack and eq anything that needs to be eq. when i mix down to the 2 track stereo master i dont use any eq. you also need to decide what instruments you want in the left and right channels for the stereo effect. i put the drums and bass guitar and lead vocals in both channels. the lead guitar is panned about 75% in the right channel and the keyboard or rhythm guitar is panned about 75% in the left channel. experiment around with it and you'll get the hang of it.
 
jawbreaker said:
do you want all the instruments to be the same spl ? do you want the vocals louder than the instruments ? do you want the volume of the bass low in the mix or really loud ? knowing what you want the finished product to sound like is the starting point. i like the snare drum to be a tad louder than my other drums. i like the vocals to be a tad louder than everything else. get the instrument sound i want on the multitrack and eq anything that needs to be eq. when i mix down to the 2 track stereo master i dont use any eq. you also need to decide what instruments you want in the left and right channels for the stereo effect. i put the drums and bass guitar and lead vocals in both channels. the lead guitar is panned about 75% in the right channel and the keyboard or rhythm guitar is panned about 75% in the left channel. experiment around with it and you'll get the hang of it.
Click to expand...

Well, yes. However, all this stuff precedes the mastering stage, which was the essence of the question, i.e. from the work that follows after you've got the 2 track master.
 
jawbreaker said:
do you want all the instruments to be the same spl ? do you want the vocals louder than the instruments ? do you want the volume of the bass low in the mix or really loud ? knowing what you want the finished product to sound like is the starting point. i like the snare drum to be a tad louder than my other drums. i like the vocals to be a tad louder than everything else. get the instrument sound i want on the multitrack and eq anything that needs to be eq. when i mix down to the 2 track stereo master i dont use any eq. you also need to decide what instruments you want in the left and right channels for the stereo effect. i put the drums and bass guitar and lead vocals in both channels. the lead guitar is panned about 75% in the right channel and the keyboard or rhythm guitar is panned about 75% in the left channel. experiment around with it and you'll get the hang of it.
Click to expand...
That has nothing to do with mastering. You're talking about mixing.
 
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