Going to the mastering studio

[InTheFire]

I'm starting to master my record with a talented guy in town. He and I are becoming friends quickly. I've never worked with him but, I know we enjoy the same types of music. He claims to do mastering/mixing as a hobby but, musicians everywhere are hiring him to master and/or mix their records.

What kinds of things should I be listening for? He's clearing up the mix but, we don't want it to "thin out". Do pros use subharmonic generators or something like to keep warmth and clarity? What are common techniques to maintain this?

I did the record at home and most of the mixes are pretty good. An example would be a track called "I Am Still" at www.garageband.com/artist/inthefire/songs

This is one of the weaker tracks that I engineered but, it's pretty decent.

[Blue Bear Sound]

If he's talented and knows what he's doing, why are you worried about it???? Just let him do his thing..........! No?!




And no, subharmonic generators would not be commonly used, except as a special effect by request.........

[masteringhouse]

Checked out one track "In the Fire"? It does sound pretty good, though it's hard to tell totally what's happening from an MP3.

I would be more concerned with de-essing the track than sub-harmonic generation. A "mastering engineer" who starts by putting a BBE on your tracks is someone to run away from.

[InTheFire]

Well, I'm not worried. I know that it will sound great. He told me he likes to give clarity to the mixes before any other treatment. He wants me to be an active listener and mention any feelings I might have about the sound. I'm afraid I can't communicate what I want from this process. I can tell him what I would like to hear and he will try to create that as best he can. I was only able to do 16 tracks on each recording so, there are environments that I couldn't create with my tracking. I assume that in mastering things like depth, power, tightness, and clarity can be exaggerated where they weren't possible in the original stereo mix.

The bottom line is, he knows what he likes a mix to sound like and I have a vision. I think we will agree on what comes of this but, if there's a time when we don't, I would like to be able to be constructive with my criticism.

[APP]

Originally Posted by InTheFire

Well, I'm not worried. I know that it will sound great. He told me he likes to give clarity to the mixes before any other treatment. He wants me to be an active listener and mention any feelings I might have about the sound. I'm afraid I can't communicate what I want from this process. I can tell him what I would like to hear and he will try to create that as best he can. I was only able to do 16 tracks on each recording so, there are environments that I couldn't create with my tracking. I assume that in mastering things like depth, power, tightness, and clarity can be exaggerated where they weren't possible in the original stereo mix.

The bottom line is, he knows what he likes a mix to sound like and I have a vision. I think we will agree on what comes of this but, if there's a time when we don't, I would like to be able to be constructive with my criticism.

well, i think the greatest part of this situation which you should absolutely take advantage of is that you are familiar with and trust this person, as a set of ears and otherwise. correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems that what you're most afraid of is not being able to communicate. let me tell you a little story about a boy who had trouble communicating...

i went into canada's finest mastering house years ago and had my music come out sounding all "wrong"...(a very expensive lesson i learned that day). canada's finest mastering engineer wasn't familiar with the type of music i gave him, wasn't familiar with what i was trying to do, and we really didn't agree on what it should sound like (with all due respect, it really wasn't his specialty). as one example, his main priority was to take out the hiss, and i didn't know how to communicate to him that the hiss was a meaningful component in the sound, (i dunno, isn't hiss bad? ok, get rid of it...wait, that sounds like crap now) so i ended up mastering it myself - haha! of course it could have been done better...but i had to learn to trust my own ears first. while in the mastering house, i couldn't say that it sounded wrong cause i figured he knows best (my problem). i was wrong. the last thing you want is to go into an expensive place where you're watching the clock, and you're unable to say "that sounds like crap" because you don't want to challenge a professional (or worse, you figure he must know your music better than you do because he knows sound better than you do). as an artist i learned you must first and foremost be able to trust yourself, even if down the road you disagree with yourself. go with your feelings now. go with your man. your ears will improve greatly, and you'll learn to become a more communicative person. and after all, it is a great luxury to be able master a record at a leisurely pace!

if sometime down the road you think your record sounds like crap and wish you had had it mastered somewhere else, then you'll have something in common with millions of other great artists of our time. it is a very common thing to feel. because we do get better over time, with careful listening habits. for now, i say trust what opportunities you have and save your money (unless the label is paying for it of course!!!)

have fun!

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[InTheFire]

Originally Posted by APP

well, i think the greatest part of this situation which you should absolutely take advantage of is that you are familiar with and trust this person, as a set of ears and otherwise. correct me if i'm wrong, but it seems that what you're most afraid of is not being able to communicate. let me tell you a little story about a boy who had trouble communicating...

i went into canada's finest mastering house years ago and had my music come out sounding all "wrong"...(a very expensive lesson i learned that day). canada's finest mastering engineer wasn't familiar with the type of music i gave him, wasn't familiar with what i was trying to do, and we really didn't agree on what it should sound like (with all due respect, it really wasn't his specialty). as one example, his main priority was to take out the hiss, and i didn't know how to communicate to him that the hiss was a meaningful component in the sound, (i dunno, isn't hiss bad? ok, get rid of it...wait, that sounds like crap now) so i ended up mastering it myself - haha! of course it could have been done better...but i had to learn to trust my own ears first. while in the mastering house, i couldn't say that it sounded wrong cause i figured he knows best (my problem). i was wrong. the last thing you want is to go into an expensive place where you're watching the clock, and you're unable to say "that sounds like crap" because you don't want to challenge a professional (or worse, you figure he must know your music better than you do because he knows sound better than you do). as an artist i learned you must first and foremost be able to trust yourself, even if down the road you disagree with yourself. go with your feelings now. go with your man. your ears will improve greatly, and you'll learn to become a more communicative person. and after all, it is a great luxury to be able master a record at a leisurely pace!

if sometime down the road you think your record sounds like crap and wish you had had it mastered somewhere else, then you'll have something in common with millions of other great artists of our time. it is a very common thing to feel. because we do get better over time, with careful listening habits. for now, i say trust what opportunities you have and save your money (unless the label is paying for it of course!!!)

have fun!

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Now that's what I'm looking for! Thank you so much.

Micah