Mastering

[tappmusic]

I've studied books explaining mastering, but I'd like someone to give me a brief description of their "mastering process" with basic digital home studio equipment (computer, studio software, etc.). I'd like to develop a good process of my own and my second step (I consider studying my books to be the first step) in doing that is to find out what other people do to achieve a great finished product (sound) from their music. Assume that I've already laid down great quality tracks and have mixed them accordingly. Thanks in advance.

[notbradsohner]

if I were in your position, i would send my tracks to Massive Master!

[Massive Master]

Thanks, notbradsohner!

Seriously - If you've got great sounding mixes, the last thing you want to do is master them on the same gear using the same ears that mixed them.

I don't mix very often anymore, but one thing I almost never do is master my own mixes. I used to do it often. Then I got into mastering more seriously and realized VERY quickly that it's a bad idea. Mastering anything that you're really familiar with takes away your objectivity. You'll notice details you don't need to while ignoring others that require attention.

Mastering skill don't develop overnight - It's a fairly involved process. One thing I would HIGHLY recommend is getting your hands on music you've never heard before and taking a whack at THAT. This is the same reasoning with not mastering your own mixes. Even if it's just another engineer in the same position as yours, maybe do a little "trading" of mastering services for each other to help develop your technique.

On the question of "what to do" - That's going to change for every single mix you work on. You need to listen to the mix for only several seconds and "visualize" what the finished product should sound like. Then, shut it down, set up whatever you need to get the result you're after, get the controls where you think they should be as a good starting point, restart playback and tweak away.

[tappmusic]

Thanks John. I listened to your work and I'm very impressed. I've been studying the books and producing a few of my mother's demos to gain experience (she's a Christian songwriter - "Thou Art A Shield For Me"). I understand stereo imaging, compression, etc., but I really want to optimize their application. If you have any additional tips, I'd appreciate it.

My dream is to professionally produce music in roughly ten years, so right now I'm trying to gain as much knowledge and experience as possible, not to mention, build my studio. I'm in the Air Force, so I can't just head off to a formal school for training. But I'm constantly looking for opportunities to learn. Thanks again!

Micah