Mastering help..

F

FUNKY

New member
Hi

Need an advice for mastering..Is there someone who could help me?
When mixing a track, at the end I make a mixdown wav file in Cubase..Then, when I open it in some wave editor it sound great but there's no big punch in the whole mix.. When I play it thru my spectrum analyzer I see that all of the frequecies are not "Jumping" high as much as the professional recordings.. When I play a "professional"wav file, it's graphicon is fuller, it sounds huge..:(

Then I normalize the file with RMS (15) and it get's bigger,fatter, but I notice a little harshness in the recording and a little distorsion sometimes which isn't the case with the pro's tracks when getting a huge level on the monitors..

I'm happy with the recording ( how it is mixed) but don't know what to do to get good gain of all frequencies in the mix.. I guess it's the thing which is done with mastering..
What should I use?

Multiband compressor for that? Or what? How to encrease all of the frequencies playing in the mix and in what range?

Please help me with advices..
What to do next? Should I have some compression of the whole track and which settings to make?

Think I'm so close..But don't know where to continue..

P.s.I've tried T-RACKS but don't know which presets to use in my case.

Thanx
 
Use spectrum analyser and EQ - set narow Q, boost 6 dB and sweep thru whole audio spectrum to localize harshness.
Then use multiband compressor ( only one band ), set crossover frequencies to target harshness, and adjust compressor.
Try fast attack, fast release with ratio 4:1 - 8:1, and lower the threshold until harshness is gone. Experiment.
Do you normalize in SoundForge ? Try to chain multiband and L1 ultramaximizer and tweak in realtime.
When you maximize audio, some frequencies jump out, so use multiband to push them back. ;)
 
Thanx..Need more info

Thanx Igormeister
it certainly "brightened" some of my thoughts about mastering..

Can you tell me more about this procedure? "Use spectrum analyser and EQ - set narow Q, boost 6 dB and sweep thru whole audio spectrum to localize harshness."
Use EQ with boost of 6db for all frequencies? What will that do? I think that it will result the peaking of some certain frequencies which make the harshness or what? Please point it..

Cause I've got a multiband compressor and don't know much about it, can you clear it up a little ( I have C4 multiband compr.)
"Then use multiband compressor ( only one band ), set crossover frequencies to target harshness, and adjust compressor" How to target harshness on it?

Yes, I normalize in soundforge.. Do you think I should chain them to my master-outputs of the Cubase while mixing? What to do with multiband, and what to do with L1?



Thanx
Waiting for your info
 
Ok. Use EQ and analyser only to FIND problematic frequency - when sweeping thru audio spectrum you will find area which is causing harshness - it will become more noticeable when boosted.
For example - use parametric EQ, boost 6 dB and increase frequency from 0 Hz up - when you hit, say, 1.5 kHz, harshness will incrase - this is problematic frequency.
Now turn of EQ, and insert C4 multiband and L1 ultramaximizer ( try WaveLab - you need it in realtime ).
C4: your problem freq is 1.5 kHz - use one ( middle ) band of C4, put others in bypass mode, and set crossoevr freq - put active band in solo mode and drag lower and upper crossover freq around 1.5 kHz until it affect only targeted freq.
Now play with compressor settings and listen.
L1 ultramaximizer: don't touch anything for start, and after tuning C4 lower the threshold until it start limiting ( right gain reduction meter )
Excuse my english ;)
 
When I sweep for frequencies, I use a Q of about 12. Is that narrow enough?

I boost it about 9-10 dB. Is that too much?
 
dobro - that is really not possible to say, every instant is different.
It depends on the kind of EQ you have got, and what needs boosting or taking out.

Herein the value of a good spectrum analyser, which will show you where you have problems.

All said, if you have to take measures like that, you should go back and think about what you did wrong in the first place, when you recorded the problem. When I started recording, in the '60's, and found in mixing or mastering I had to take extreme measures to correct something to much, or lacking, I didn't rest until I had re-created the scenario which led to the problem, and corrected it by means of acoustic treatment, microphone placement, or microphone choice.

EQ - and ANY processing - should be seen as corrective. The less the better, unless it achieves a desired success.
The above also applies to mastering as a process, all a mastering engineer does is use his specialist skills to make corrections. If the "perfect" mix is presented to a mastering house, all they need to do is run it through a good jitter free conversion.

To get back to the question - the wider the frequency range you want to boost - the wider your Q setting, so it encapsulates the desired frequency band.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top