Need some opinions on this mastering job please

[SittinIdol]

Hey guys, I wrote about this in the mixing clinic as well but it's not really a mixing issue so I thought I'd get some opinions from the mastering gurus...

I've posted a few songs, mastered and unmastered versions here:
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/9/sittinidolmusic.htm

I don't know if I'm being anal, but I think I'm hearing some slight compression artifacts mostly in the kick drum on the mastered versions? I might ask the mastering engineer to drop the volume a few db and get back some of the dynamic range.

I guess it's inevitable when boosting up a song to commercial volume to compress the peaks. Let me know what you guys think of the two versions please?

Thanks
Rick

[Blue Bear Sound]

Well - your mastering engineer did a good job of adding punch and livening-up a mediocre and somewhat lifeless mixes, so I wouldn't worry about it too much. The mastered versions sound quite a bit better than the unmastered versions, IMO.

[SittinIdol]

Thanks I guess...which songs did you listen to by the way?

[Blue Bear Sound]

First couple...

[Marciano]

i think the main problem on this master isn't the master at all...the problem is with the mix. It has no Bottom... Try giving something more bottom to your kick drum. This prés sound mackies,isn´t it??
To mutch high end on the guitars...sounded like metallica in the 90´s.
Give more clarity to your voice track...sounds to closed...remove somthing arround 500, 600 hz on your voice track. To mutch botton mic on the snare. Try another compressor on the snare and a diferent reverb on vocals and snare, that one is just to bad...
You mix on Daw ou analog?
Put your mix material here...´

Marcio Silva

[Marciano]

And the master isn't to loude at all...haved heard things alot louder.The thing that i´m missing is warmth. This mastering was made on analog ou digital?

[SittinIdol]

Thanks for the reply Marciano, just for reference which song are you referring to?

The pre-amps are not Mackies, they are Allen + Heath System 8. I'm mixing digitally with n-track.
Please give a listen to the other tracks, they are all completely different from each other.

Is metal supposed to sound warm?

Thanks again

edit: Just added "Homestead" and "Stray", curious what you think of those?

[ChristopherM]

I'd be very happy with the job done on these mixes.
Your mastering engineer did a good job of livening up the mixes.
I listened to all the songs, by the way.

[masteringhouse]

Weird coincidence, I went to your link and found the banner page pointing to one of my recent mastering projects.

"The Great Escape" Live Not on Evil
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/1/livenotonevil.htm

Very cool tune and band, though the MP3 doesn't do justice to the mastering job!

Oh yeah, and the mastering done on your project is very good.

[kylen]

Originally Posted by SittinIdol

I don't know if I'm being anal, but I think I'm hearing some slight compression artifacts mostly in the kick drum on the mastered versions? I might ask the mastering engineer to drop the volume a few db and get back some of the dynamic range.
Rick

Go for it - the ME can surely drop the loudness a few dB for you if you ask.

I listened to both versions of the first cut named Homestead, I adjusted the rms and crest of the unmastered version to about the same settings the mastered version has using a DAW VST limiter and both versions sound pretty similiar that way. Sometimes bass stuff looses some of it's definition when it's adjusted loud like that - at least some of my commercial releases have that sound - compression artifacts I guess you're calling it.

Good job on the mix and by the ME - it's done!

[SittinIdol]

Originally Posted by kylen

Go for it - the ME can surely drop the loudness a few dB for you if you ask.

I listened to both versions of the first cut named Homestead, I adjusted the rms and crest of the unmastered version to about the same settings the mastered version has using a DAW VST limiter and both versions sound pretty similiar that way. Sometimes bass stuff looses some of it's definition when it's adjusted loud like that - at least some of my commercial releases have that sound - compression artifacts I guess you're calling it.

Good job on the mix and by the ME - it's done!

Thanks guys, I'll keep you posted on how it turns out

[foreverdown]

the mastered version sounds heaps better than the unmastered. I think they did a great job. One thing that doesn't really pertain to the master job, but I don't think you guys are very metal. That's just my opinion though.