I run Pro Tools to mix and master. I do mostly acoustic recordings, and when you're working with 12 or more songs on a CD, it's more efficient to keep the mixing to just that (a little compression on each instrument or vocal, and EQ on each, getting each song as good sounding as possible without putting compression, eq, or anything else on the master fader for the mix. I usually keep the mixes consistent with equal headroom for the master session by using a mixing limiter/maximizer set to -6 dB or so.) That way each mix is consistent in sound, volume, tone, etc.. It's also easy on the CPU.
Then the master session. I import all the mixes in order onto an audio track. I create 4 auxillary inputs. Then a master fader.
Aux input 1 = reverb
Aux input 2-4 = lows, mids, highs for my own homeade multi-band compressor (I talked about it earlier somewhere on this site)
I have 4 stereo sends off of the audio track, one for each of the aux inputs. I'm sure to shut off the output of the original audio track. So, the master fader is getting it's signals soley from the 4 aux outputs.
On the master output I usually use some width, analog saturation, and a maximizer with high bit dither. The compression comes from working the lows, mids, and highs individually. After separating the frequencies on Aux 2-4, I compress the lows and highs a bit more than the mids, using a Waves Renassaince set to a fat warm mastering opto on each. For EQ, I adjust the volume of each of those same aux outputs.
Then I bounce to disk, and each song sounds the same, if that's what you're looking to do, and are consistent in headroom or volume. I burn using Steinberg's Wavelab Essential 6 and just use the internal 16 bit dither, and burn with this program also.
I've had really good results. Most of this stuff I come with playing off of a mentor who remixes in Pro Tools for many big name Nashville acts. He let me watch as he mixed and mastered one of my tunes, and I was busy writing things down, and saving the settings off the session dvd when I got home. So I owe a lot of credit to my friend for giving me flexible ideas.
Doug
Then the master session. I import all the mixes in order onto an audio track. I create 4 auxillary inputs. Then a master fader.
Aux input 1 = reverb
Aux input 2-4 = lows, mids, highs for my own homeade multi-band compressor (I talked about it earlier somewhere on this site)
I have 4 stereo sends off of the audio track, one for each of the aux inputs. I'm sure to shut off the output of the original audio track. So, the master fader is getting it's signals soley from the 4 aux outputs.
On the master output I usually use some width, analog saturation, and a maximizer with high bit dither. The compression comes from working the lows, mids, and highs individually. After separating the frequencies on Aux 2-4, I compress the lows and highs a bit more than the mids, using a Waves Renassaince set to a fat warm mastering opto on each. For EQ, I adjust the volume of each of those same aux outputs.
Then I bounce to disk, and each song sounds the same, if that's what you're looking to do, and are consistent in headroom or volume. I burn using Steinberg's Wavelab Essential 6 and just use the internal 16 bit dither, and burn with this program also.
I've had really good results. Most of this stuff I come with playing off of a mentor who remixes in Pro Tools for many big name Nashville acts. He let me watch as he mixed and mastered one of my tunes, and I was busy writing things down, and saving the settings off the session dvd when I got home. So I owe a lot of credit to my friend for giving me flexible ideas.
Doug
