reccommend me some directx mastering plugins

[treymonfauntre]

its obviously not going to be a pro result so i'm not gonna pretend thats what i want. i just want some (trials) to play around with on this mix to see if i can get a result i like. i've got a mix that sounds like it could use a decent deal of clarity and some of the lowend needs to be tightened up. i've done some work with eq but it just seem like something is missing that i can't figure out using basic plugins. i used the izotope ozone trial and it gave me pretty good results, but now the trials over and i'd like to try out some other plugins before i came upon a decision.
any suggestions on trials i can try out?

[jgourd]

I like Ozone for Mastering. I don't use all of its modules though. I tend to use the exciter and the stereo enhancer while I let my LA2A plugin handle the limiting.

[JazzMang]

'mastering plugins' is an oxymoron.

[XLR]

Ozone's good. I liked some particular things about it - the EQ's digital filters, the limiter with quick release. Didn't like the sound of the multiband filters, thought the digital filters were better than the other. Beyond that the mb compressor worked well. Didn't care for the sound of the exciter, reverb or stereo widening sections. The spectrum viewing graph is really good.

The Waves Masters Bundle is a little more than twice the cost of Ozone, but it's about 10 times better, so worth the $ to me. Gotta try the demo even just to know what the high end plugs sound like compared to the lower.

The Dave Brown DX plugs are good and pretty cheap. The multiband limiter is the best of the bunch IMO. The filters sound good and the graphics show really well what's happening with levels and gain reduction in each band. The mastering limiter didn't sound good to me. The broadband comp is pretty good sounding if you don't use the brickwall limiter that's tacked onto it. The whole set is worth buying just to get the mb limiter.

If you can use a DX wrapper for VST plugs, the multiband compressor by slim slow slider is good, and freeware. An amazing plug that sounds really good if you use its digital filters. And the Blockfish freeware limiter sounds more transparent than most other limiter I've used except the Waves L2.

Tim

[mattamatta]

If you're looking for clarity and low end tightness, I think the place to fix that is in the tracking and in the mix, rather than with mastering.

[Massive Master]

First, I'm with mattamatta... If you have access to the mix, fix it there. This is one of several reasons that mastering your own recordings is somewhat self-defeating** (but that's for another thread).

Other than that, I'm a former Waves / current UAD fan. IMO, their EQ's and to a lesser extent compression*, are the ones to beat.


*I still think their compressors are the bomb as far as plugins go - I'm just not a plugin guy when it comes to compression at the mastering stage.

**Spelling error noted. Thanks!

[XLR]

treymonfauntre, have you read the Ozone mastering guide pdf? Excellent info there on processing in general.

Tim

[michaelst]

I like the WaveHammer found in SoundForge. Nice. smooth. clean compression and volume maximizer.


Also.. (and I know I'll probably catch hell for this one), BBE Sonic Maximizer DX plugin, used judiciously, can really add substance and shine to a mix.

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by michaelst

Also.. (and I know I'll probably catch hell for this one), BBE Sonic Maximizer DX plugin, used judiciously, can really add substance and shine to a mix.

big fuckin' yikes....................................

[Massive Master]

That's funny, Bruce - I was going to say the same thing about WaveHammer...

[JazzMang]

Wave Hammer is awful. Like an awful, anal excuse for a VCA-based compressor.

[Farview]

Wavehammer is great as long as you have never heard a real mastering compressor/limiter. a lot of this stuff sounds great if you don't know the difference.

[JazzMang]

Originally Posted by Farview

... a lot of this stuff sounds great if you don't know the difference.

Should read: a lot of this stuff sounds great if you are deaf and have no idea what musicality is.

Farview, check your rep for details.

[Bartman]

I think Farview and others make an outstanding point for all to consider.

The experience levels, training, equipment, physical plant and time to dedicate to recording/mixing/mastering of forum members is incredibly diverse therfore perspectives are diverse as well.

I'd guess Farview is correct in that most folks on this forum really don't know what a great mastering compressor/limiter sounds like compared to pickafreeware soft plugin.....I'm sure I don't.

Only recently did I purchase an RNC compressor....by no means a high end piece of outboard gear, but a nice box and seemingly great value nonetheless. To my ears.....it absolutely kills the plugins included with Adobe Audition. I'm sure that a real pro quality high end compressor would kill the RNC. Again, my perspective/reference point is limited to MY own limited experience.

You can't expect a Hobbyist to be as savvy as true professionals in the same discipline? Not an indictment of anyone....just is what it is.

Bart

[Farview]

Originally Posted by Bartman

You can't expect a Hobbyist to be as savvy as true professionals in the same discipline? Not an indictment of anyone....just is what it is.

Bart

And you cannot expect to get the same results as the pros do without the experience and gear, etc... It doesn't make anything better or worse, good or bad. But it doesn't do anyone any good when you bullshit yourself into thinking that a freeware plugin is doing the exact same thing that a $9000 compressor is. Or that your behringer truth monitors are just as good as a set of Genelecs for tracking and magicly turn into mastering monitor that are just as good as B&Ws. It is possible to get great results on not so great gear, but it takes more skill, patience, luck, etc... than on great equipment.

[XLR]

Well said Bartman.

I think that we learn a lot and gain listening perspective by tinkering with a gamut of bad, mediocre and good processing - and that the categories are subjective based on sophistication and application.

Tim

[michaelst]

Hmmm... I guess all the 'professionals' here on the HOME recording.com bbs are correct.

Trey...

You must buy $20k worth of software(to start) to come anywhere close to having anything sound descent. You must also buy about $100k worth of hardware(monitors, mixers, outboards). You have to sonically treat your listening room with basstraps, difussers and absorbers.

You cannot trust the people at BBE, or Sony(SonicFoundry) to produce any kind of software that would give you a result that could possible compare to what the 'professionals' on the HOME recording.com BBS can do. Anything except what the 'professionals' use is worthless garbage, which, if ever mentioned, will cause thier eyes to roll and thier tongues to wag at the possiblilty of crushing another HOME recordists with displays of thier superior knowledge.
After all, compared to them, we amatuers "are deaf and have no idea what musicality is."

Isn't ironic that on the HOME recording.com bbs, we HOME recordists are constantly told that we can never compare our work to "Real" professional recordings. That we DON'T know how to master, we DON'T know what good equipment is, and we DON'T know how to use the resources we have at our disposal.

Which in a way, only makes sense. By trying to create and produce music on our own, we are causing them to lose business. It's gotta hurt, seeing people with little or no training, education or background, have access to tools which took them years to master.


Fire away

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by michaelst

Which in a way, only makes sense. By trying to create and produce music on our own, we are causing them to lose business. It's gotta hurt, seeing people with little or no training, education or background, have access to tools which took them years to master.

What a crock of shit.............

[JazzMang]

Originally Posted by michaelst

Which in a way, only makes sense. By trying to create and produce music on our own, we are causing them to lose business. It's gotta hurt, seeing people with little or no training, education or background, have access to tools which took them years to master.

Fire away

Once again, let me (and the other 200 of you that actually respect our recording peers) reiterate.

*THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTION FOR HARD WORK AND TECHNIQUE.*

There is no miracle plugin or miracle rackmount gear.

The only thing that separates the boys from the men is knowledge, know-how, and experience.
Dont let anything or anyone tell you otherwise. Remember: There is no lazy-man's excuse for know-how or technique.

Your notion that with the availability of the various types of gear, anyone can make a 'decent' recording is completely ass backwards. Its like me saying this 40 years ago: that an electronic keyboard will instantly make you a musician, just like the pros, b/c now you can have something that emulates a really expensive piano/organ/etc...

Ass-backwards, my friend, ass-backwards.

[XLR]

I think the meaning of the word "mastering" is different to different people. Personally I prefer the meaning it had before processing plugins and retail copy writing started changing it, when it meant the combination of very high expertise, pristine listening environment and ultra high end processors. So I just prefer "processing", or "final processing" when I think about my own stuff. I can understand why it's aggravating to experienced mastering engineers to have the meaning altered. There's medical, legal and accounting software that many of us use but I don't think there's a similar problem with the names used to represent them.

Tim

[Farview]

I use Sound Forge on a daily basis. Sony(sonic foundry) makes some wonderful things. The wave hammer isn't one of them.
The advantage that a home recordist has over a commercial facility is, the home recordist doesn't have to have any equipment that doesn't pertain to their specific situation. The mbox is the same quality as the TDM version of protools, it just doesn't have as many inputs.
Commercial studios have to be able to handle a 20 piece drumset, a horn section, and a plethora of different singers. If a hobbiest finds the perfect vocal mic for them, they can stop buying vocal mics. You don't need $1,000,000 worth of stuff, you just need a few choice things.

I am making a pretty good living just mixing stuff that was recorded in home studios and recording drums for these bands and transfering the tracks to a siab so they can do the rest at home.

[Bartman]

farview said:

And you cannot expect to get the same results as the pros do without the experience and gear, etc... It doesn't make anything better or worse, good or bad. But it doesn't do anyone any good when you bullshit yourself into thinking that a freeware plugin is doing the exact same thing that a $9000 compressor is. Or that your behringer truth monitors are just as good as a set of Genelecs for tracking and magicly turn into mastering monitor that are just as good as B&Ws. It is possible to get great results on not so great gear, but it takes more skill, patience, luck, etc... than on great equipment.

Bartman's reply:

Farview, I agree with you. I thought my post supported, not refuted your initial post.

[michaelst]

Bruce/Jazz...

It's not bullshit that HOME recordists today have access to tools which you have learned and mastered. In one generation, the analogue devices which took vast amounts of money to possess have been digitized and made available to the masses. You can't tell me that if none of these HOME recording devices and softwares were not available, your businesses wouldn't be more lucritive.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying any idiot can use these tools, without any knowledge, to produce recordings as good as someone with your experience. I agree, there are no 'magic bullets' to instantly polish a turd into a gold record.

The point I was trying to make is that HOME recordists, by its very definition, DO NOT have the knowledge and resources to do what you, as professionals, do. Belittleling and critisizing those who's knowledge, or resources, is limited, does not garner the respect which your opinions deserve.

If WaveHammer isn't up to your standards, state WHY it isn't! If BBE Sonic Maximizer is a piece of crap, explain to those of us without your years of experience, WHY it is.

We're here to learn, not be flamed.

[Bartman]

I personally like the more emotionally charged posts from the pro's in this forum.

As far as crticism.....it's virtual criticism. Blow it off man. Maybe they had a bad day, maybe they feel you (or I) deserve it, maybe they answered the same stupid question 6 bazillion times.

My learning in this area has tons of headroom so I will read and (try to) absorb everything I can from the seasoned folks on this forum. The MP3 clinic is a good place to get a bead on the folks who really know their trade and those who are pretending.

I don't even know enough yet to pretend....but I do know how to learn.

Bart

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by michaelst

If WaveHammer isn't up to your standards, state WHY it isn't! If BBE Sonic Maximizer is a piece of crap, explain to those of us without your years of experience, WHY it is.

We're here to learn, not be flamed.

A little forum searching goes a long way, because the evils of sonic maximisers has been done to death, but anyways, I suppose it bears repeating.......

The one thing that separates amateur from pro is the recognition that tight song arrangement and proper recording technique eliminates much of the need for extraneous processing after the fact. Amateurs tend to disregard recording technique in favour of more boxes... thinking that it's the gear, not the process that gives them "that sound"........

Get your recording technique sharpened up, and you won't NEED sonic maximisers. Same with just about any other type of processing....

Pros worry about how it sounds right at the beginning -- amateurs reach for gear first, and worry about how it's going to sound or sit in the mix later - often then finding tracks aren't working and they have to reach for more gear in a vain attempt at getting the sound they could have had by simply recorded properly in the first place.