Which one comes first and so on....?? Mastering Techniques

[jerberson12]

Got problem of which one comes first. Different sequence, different sound.

if im gonna apply these effects, what will be the best sequence???
The track will be lead vocal.

-EQ
-Compressor
-Reverb
-Tape Simulation/Warmer(optional)
-Pitch Corrector (optional)
-Limiter
-Gate

[ROBOTQUALITYREC]

well if i was using those things on a track id:

first - gate the signal to clean up the silent parts

second - compress the signal to get a healthy level to work with

third - (optional) pitch correct the track (if needed)

fourth - eq to taste (pitch correction may have artifacts that eq can help)

fifth - add reverb to my new cleaned up vocal

sixth - limit.

the tape sim. "warmer" could be added before or after reverb depending on what youre going for.

[pks]

"warmer" could be added before or after reverb depending on what youre going for

how does the sound differ in each method?

[jerberson12]

Originally posted by ROBOTQUALITYREC
well if i was using those things on a track id:

first - gate the signal to clean up the silent parts

second - compress the signal to get a healthy level to work with

third - (optional) pitch correct the track (if needed)

fourth - eq to taste (pitch correction may have artifacts that eq can help)

fifth - add reverb to my new cleaned up vocal

sixth - limit.

the tape sim. "warmer" could be added before or after reverb depending on what youre going for.

Ok thnx Im gonna try this one.

MORE TOPIC: Whats the best setting for compressing lead vocal? im asking about the ratio, thres, attack, release and so on...

I record vocal and when i playback, my voice sounds too natural. im using MXL2003 condenser.

I run my condenser mic DI into the mixer. Do i need the EQ on the mixer to be flat and then do the EQ on my computer or I can just set the EQ on my mixer first and do the rest on my comp?

[ryanlikestorock]

Now you're talking about mixing! Also, I'd never run an entire song through a noise gate. Rarely would it do any good, and it might ruin the song when it does work.

[rvdsm]

Originally posted by jerberson12
Got problem of which one comes first. Different sequence, different sound.

if im gonna apply these effects, what will be the best sequence???
The track will be lead vocal.

-EQ
-Compressor
-Reverb
-Tape Simulation/Warmer(optional)
-Pitch Corrector (optional)
-Limiter
-Gate

It depends really. If you are applying these to the overall mix, then you should drop the verb, pitch corrector and gate. If you are applying ot individual tracks, then you might want to start with the gate and then try the eq after that. Many people go compressor then eq, but if you have some nasty transients that are causing your compressor to pump pre-maturely, then you can apply subtle eq to help correct those transients. (damn hobos!)

The rest is really subjective. I've used reverb before compression before just to allow the room to breathe a bit. Finish everything off with some limiting and you should be all set. Can't speak for tape simulation or pitch correctors on where that would fit, never used it. Probably best to just experiment.

[starch]

Just to make clear. Mastering is done to a set of completely mixed tracks to make a cohesive album. Mixing is where you would apply the effects you are talking about to an individual (vocal) track to fit into an individual song.

With that in mind, to process a vocal track I would...

- Pitch correct
- Gate
- Compress
- EQ (could be done before compression)
- Reverb

- Limiter - although limiting is compression with a larger ratio (>10:1) and the dynamics should pretty much be dealt with during compression. Unless there are still some transients that need tamed, you may (should) not need limiting.

[ROBOTQUALITYREC]

"The track will be lead vocal."
i knew he was a little misled using the "mastering" term.
i just went along with his question.
starch may be a little confused...
why wouldnt you gate first?
i guess if you want to autotune the headphone noise and clothes moving around...

[philsaudio]

Originally posted by ryanlikestorock
Now you're talking about mixing! Also, I'd never run an entire song through a noise gate. Rarely would it do any good, and it might ruin the song when it does work.

I think a gate is one of those things designed for a single track only. I would never put the mix through one unless it was only one instrument/voice/sound in the mix.

Phil

[starch]

Really, it isn't a big deal whether you gate or pitch correct first. I don't know about others, but I very seldom autotune an entire track. I Only correct the parts of the vocal that need it and I do that in manual mode. (I get much more natural sounding results that way) So I am not concerned at all about pitch correcting headphone noise and clothes moving. Besides, if you are going to gate it, it shouldn't matter anyway. If there is enough noise in the background to make a difference, I think I would be re-tracking those vocals.