My Tascam 4 Track cassette recording has been mastered onto CD. Listening with headphones it sounds flat and dull compared to a Byrds CD. I may have over bounced or made other errors but don't think so. Is it the machine's limitations? is there anything I can ask an engineer do to to create the sparkle and sheen of the Byrds CD? Thanks
Mastering help for dull recording?
- Thread starter jgreen
- Start date
I can't. It is just dull and lacks brightness. It's probably hopeless. An arul enhancer might help a little but I'm searching for a miracle machine. Steve Hoffman mentioned adding ambiance in a thread but how is that done? (He didn't answer when I asked).
Seafroggys
Well-known member
You can't post a sample because its dull? Will the Internet police arrest you?
I don't know how and don't have the equipment (and can't afford to buy anything just for that right now).
That wouldn't need to cause what you'd call 'dull. Missing some 'shimmer', 'air maybe. Could be the balance of tones below 'bright that throws it off. If I recall good top extension came with lower levels to cassettes -or to some extent maybe tape in general, but more so with cassette?
Waltz Mastering
New member
A lot of mid-fi cassette rolls off around 15-16K. Probably a matter of adding a shelf and a little creative eq. gl
rayc
retroreprobate
Yeah, cassettes don't necessarily sound dull.
I assume you cleaned the heads, demagnetized etc before running the mix for mastering.
An enhancer/exciter MIGHT help but I'd try some EQ 1st.
You might just ask the ME to add some sparkle/brilliance/top end and trust in his/her knowledge BUT ONLY IF they happen to be a real ME.
What sounds good from an exciter 1st time through can prove to be annoying or fatiguing soon after.
It'll also depend on the exciter/enhancer and whether you're doing it straight out of the machine or to a digital file etc.
I do have a little magic box that VERY OCCASIONALLY works to add some j'ne c'est qua to very old recordings - an Omnisonic 801 Imager. It's a very Yes or No box and the answer is No much more often than yes BUT it has does some nice things occasionally.
Heaps of VST exciters/enhancers out there even in freebie world.
I assume you cleaned the heads, demagnetized etc before running the mix for mastering.
An enhancer/exciter MIGHT help but I'd try some EQ 1st.
You might just ask the ME to add some sparkle/brilliance/top end and trust in his/her knowledge BUT ONLY IF they happen to be a real ME.
What sounds good from an exciter 1st time through can prove to be annoying or fatiguing soon after.
It'll also depend on the exciter/enhancer and whether you're doing it straight out of the machine or to a digital file etc.
I do have a little magic box that VERY OCCASIONALLY works to add some j'ne c'est qua to very old recordings - an Omnisonic 801 Imager. It's a very Yes or No box and the answer is No much more often than yes BUT it has does some nice things occasionally.
Heaps of VST exciters/enhancers out there even in freebie world.
Farview
Well-known member
The fix for that is generally EQ. The trick is making it brighter without making the tape hiss worse.
That was one of the things that drove me nuts about analog recording in general. I always found the need to add high end on the way to tape in order to have any during mixdown, because adding too much in the mix would bring out the hiss.
That was one of the things that drove me nuts about analog recording in general. I always found the need to add high end on the way to tape in order to have any during mixdown, because adding too much in the mix would bring out the hiss.
