Online Mixing and Mastering engineers? (Legit or bullshit?)

Well then, that is just my point. People that come to my studio to record, do not know how to record themselves. They did not jump in and learn themselves. That is why they pay me.

I have, and can do it all myself. Am I going to place all of my projects into the MP3 clinic here for approval? Hell no. Will I pay an ME and sit in his studio to fine tune the mastering? Hell yes.

Insinuating that a mastering engineer useless, is just one persons belief. Not fact. Opinions are like...........
 
jimmys69 said:
Well then, that is just my point. People that come to my studio to record, do not know how to record themselves. They did not jump in and learn themselves. That is why they pay me.

I have, and can do it all myself. Am I going to place all of my projects into the MP3 clinic here for approval? Hell no. Will I pay an ME and sit in his studio to fine tune the mastering? Hell yes.

Insinuating that a mastering engineer useless, is just one persons belief. Not fact. Opinions are like...........
Click to expand...

The topic is online mixing/mastering, not going to a brick-and-mortar studio to record tracks.

No one said a ME is useless. If you wanna pay some shmoe to put his "stamp" on your album while having NOTHING to do with your music, then that's on you. I'm saying it's not necessary with today's technology if you have half a brain and the willingness to experiment and learn. Or just pay someone and accept what they give you. If the OP is asking this in here, I have to assume he's interested in or at least capable of home recording, therefore also not interested in going to a brick and mortar studio. You also have to keep in mind that most likely no one outside of one's friends and family is even gonna listen to your recordings. Paying for professional mastering puts the average joe-nobody in a hole that they will never, ever crawl out of if making cash is a concern..
 
jimmys69 said:
Insinuating that a mastering engineer is useless, is just one persons belief. Not fact. Opinions are like...........
Click to expand...
I'd never do that. I don't think they are useless. Not even close to. I have a friend that's a mastering engineer and because I've helped him in other areas, he's said he'll 'master' my hobbyist stuff at some point. Now, I haven't a clue what I'd be listening for so that suits me fine.
But when I first saw a multitracker back in '90, I could switch it on. That was it. Didn't have a clue how it worked. Once I did, I didn't know how to mix. Bit by bit, I've discovered little bits of knowledge that enable me to have fun. I long wanted to play. I long wanted to write. I long wanted to record. I long wanted to mix. I never even considered there was such a thing as mastering {or at least, it's possible importance} until I read through the debates here at HR. I have no desire to get into it.
I don't pretend that a hobbyist in their initial attempts is going to be at the same level as someone that does the biz day in and day out in something technical like mastering. But it is noticeable that little by little, the areas that were deemed to be out of the realm of competence of the average home recorder have become more accesible as people dip their toes further in the water.
Perhaps not many home recorders are interested in doing their own mastering.
 
Agreed there. I myself would not trust any online mastering service. But that does not necessarily mean that it is not a benefit for some. Joe shmoe, and his bestest band recording, may need some help when it comes to making a record work. Will it fix it? no. Is it the best route? no. Do I want them calling me to help? No.

There are bullsh**t scams all over the web. Do we really know that all of the online mastering places are scams? I do not think so. Judging all of them as crap, is just not cool. In fact, it is kind of disrespectful to some of them that are members here.

Maybe I am just in a bad mood, and need to go fishing. Actually, I'm gonna do that....
 
Yeah I don't know who or what is a scam, and don't care. I'll never use these online "pros" and I generally encourage others not to as well. IMO, actual studio = good, online "engineer" = probably a hack. Probably more often than not though, these online "pros" are just dudes with cracked and/or legit plug-ins that anyone can get themselves. Or....their shit doesn't sound any better than what could easily be achieved with free plug-ins and consumer level gear.

Go fishing. Fishing is always better than the internet. :D
 
Almost all Mixes I get sent for me to Master, are in definite need of Mastering in my opinion. A lot of the time it is small changes I make, 1dB cut here, 1dB boost here, a few dB compression etc, but it really does make a huge difference in the final product and thus well worth paying for. All my clients hear the changes made and are happy with the results, so I feel I am providing an essential service.
The only way I believe someone can master their own Mixes is to add a little compression maybe and slap a limiter on it. No point eqing your own mixes it doesn't make sense to me.

G
 
You guys may want to check out AirGigs.com - Ive used the site for sound design (so far...) but have seen interesting mixing and mastering gigs there.
 
jimmys69 said:
This is coming from a guy who 'home' masters most of the bands that I record. If it were my baby, I would send it to a pro. I recommend it every time, but most are just not listening.
Click to expand...

So much this. I don't understand why people want their mix engineer to also be their mastering engineer. :facepalm:

Damn it, why is this thread old.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top