mastering?

[Ding Dong]

Ive have heard people say "if you want your demo to sound professional, get it professionaly mastered"
what exacly goes on in the mastering process besides changing track order, normalizing volume, EQ, and all the other things I could just as easily do on my computer? what equiptment is involved?

[Farview]

Well, you would need a mastering compressor/limiter. These act differently than the compressors that you use for mixing. As well as everything else in a mastering chain is very high quality (and extremely expensive). The speakers that a real mastering house will have are quite different from the speakers (even the expensive ones) that you would track with. The other thing you get is a fresh set of ears. You can do it yourself, but you won't get the results.

[Massive Master]

It's a completely different step that should in theory be done in a completely different place by someone who's completely detached (unfamiliar) with the project. Mastering your own recordings is basically self-defeating (there, I said it again). I don't even master my own mixes (niether does *any* M.E. I know). I have in the past (and I've been called on it more than once) and still consider it a mistake. It's more than just gear...



Although, with most compressors, a slow attack time is 40 milliseconds...

With good mastering gear, a slow attack time is a week from Tuesday...



Thanks, I'll be here all week!

[tubesrawsom]

woa thts long

[jrod418]

they are all right a fresh set of ears will tell you what parts of your song are crap

[ethos]

around how much will a mastering house charge you per song?

[Rokket]

Originally Posted by ethos

around how much will a mastering house charge you per song?

I think most of them charge for the whole album. I don't know if it makes sense to master one song. I've heard people saying things like that, but I don't know if they were referring to mastering or just mistaking it for something else...

[ethos]

yeah, i figured you would probably send them the whole album, i just though it
would make sense for them to charge per song on the album.
Otherwise, they would make as much money off a 12 song album as a 20 song album.
even though its near twice the work. eitherway, how much on average for an entire album?

[Theros]

Hmmm, alot methinks...

Ive heard it said, to get an album decently mastered you should budget the same amount as you would for the entire recording process...

Might be just what I heard tho, so dont quote me

[Rokket]

Originally Posted by Theros

Hmmm, alot methinks...

Ive heard it said, to get an album decently mastered you should budget the same amount as you would for the entire recording process...

Might be just what I heard tho, so dont quote me

That sounds about right. Especially if you are expecting miracles...

[Theros]

I figure, when you get things mastered, you're paying for talent and experience in the field... Gear, like the compressors and the like, can easily be bought... the experience can't... So someone has worked real hard to get that ability... then again, the gear is damned expensive too

[Rokket]

Originally Posted by Theros

I figure, when you get things mastered, you're paying for talent and experience in the field... Gear, like the compressors and the like, can easily be bought... the experience can't... So someone has worked real hard to get that ability... then again, the gear is damned expensive too

Which was my point. I think a lot of people will take their home recordings to a mastering house and expect it to sound like their favorite band's CD which was done on high end equipment from start to finish. You can't compete with that. If you are using consumer gear, it may sound close once it's mastered, but there are a lot of variables there too: was it tracked right? mixed right? What medium was it recorded on? If digital, what bit rate? Too many things in the stew pot that can be off, and the results will show.

Of course, this is only my opinion...

[ethos]

^very true.

are there "mixing houses"?

[Blue Bear Sound]

Originally Posted by ethos

^very true.

are there "mixing houses"?

Sure are -- for example, yours truly.

I have specially-priced mixing packages for home-recordists.........

[Rokket]

Originally Posted by Blue Bear Sound

Sure are -- for example, yours truly.

I have specially-priced mixing packages for home-recordists.........

Was I far off on what I was saying about proper tracking, etc? It sounded good to me, but I don't want to blow smoke up someone's backside.

[Farview]

Originally Posted by ethos

^very true.

are there "mixing houses"?

I do it too.

BTW mastering houses (the ones I've used) charge by program minute. If they charged by song, someone would send them an 80 minute song and expect to pay $100.

Check here: http://www.massivemastering.com/html/rate_sheet.html

[Massive Master]

Or 35 2-minute punk songs... That'll make 'em puke.

I do a program-time based "indie package" schedule based on a discounted version of my standard hourly rate. Sometimes a project comes in that doesn't take nearly as much time as others - Especially those that strictly want little more than a quality transfer and a proper and verified burn. So, if the hourly rates winds up actually being less, I'll just charge that.