in general, if I'm using programs like cool edit pro and audacity (what I consider cheapy/old/beginner) - should I not even attempt to master my recordings? I've tried in the past, and I was somewhat pleased, but I'm thinking with cheap/free/old programs it's probably just going to actually hurt the song rather than help it. OK, so my song might not be as loud as a real CDs, but at least I didn't wreck a potentially good mix, right? Or is it one of those things where I should at least attempt home-mastering as the final step in my recording process. It just doesn't feel like I'm really mastering when I attempt it. For me to try and master using my crappy set up seems a little pointless, plus it generates another step where the overal audio quality might actually be lessened from another save/mixdown.
should I not even bother mastering?
- Thread starter GreenDank
- Start date
If you're not going to send it out to a mastering house, I say what the hell, why not....as long as it sounds better than your "unmastered" mix.
I noticed a couple of places online that perform mastering for $75 or so per song...so its not that great of an expense if you decide to do it.
Just remember: shit in = shit out. Get the best chain you can get....get the best guitar sound/bass/drums/vox etc. If you mix sounds bad, your mastered mix probably won't sound much better. I believe the old adage is "you can't polish a turd".
Just my opinion.
6
I noticed a couple of places online that perform mastering for $75 or so per song...so its not that great of an expense if you decide to do it.
Just remember: shit in = shit out. Get the best chain you can get....get the best guitar sound/bass/drums/vox etc. If you mix sounds bad, your mastered mix probably won't sound much better. I believe the old adage is "you can't polish a turd".
Just my opinion.
6
scrubs
Not of sound mind
IMO, if you don't plan on sending out for mastering, get your mix as good as you can possibly get it, but still below peaking. Then, just strap a limiter across the master bus to get it a little louder. Most mixes will crap out before they get to commercial loudness, but you can get closer without too much damage. I'd save the un-limited file separately, so you can revert to that if needed.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
You're running into the same wall that basically everyone runs into - Or *should* run into (which is why most M.E.'s I know won't master their own mixes).
Your situation could be a little more sketchy than some, with your... (words... words...) lack of confidence.
But it's certainly not an unusual situation - You've made it sound as good as you feel you can. Then all of a sudden you're going to try and change it...? And if you'd change something, why wouldn't you just go into the mix and change it?
But I digress, and you already understand that. It's a good thing.
That said, I'm with Scrubs to a point also - Always keep your original mixes - But if you need to hear it "loud" and you don't feel you have the capability to make adjustments to it, strap a limiter across it and go.
One thing you'll probably catch on to is that the better the mix and to a point, the more headroom at every previous stage, the more "abuse" it will take (most "quieter" - a.k.a. "normal" mixes that were tracked using "lower" a.k.a. "normal" levels and mixed at "lower" a.k.a. "normal" levels will wind up being the ones that leave the most intact when "smashing" them).
Your situation could be a little more sketchy than some, with your... (words... words...) lack of confidence.
But it's certainly not an unusual situation - You've made it sound as good as you feel you can. Then all of a sudden you're going to try and change it...? And if you'd change something, why wouldn't you just go into the mix and change it?
But I digress, and you already understand that. It's a good thing.
That said, I'm with Scrubs to a point also - Always keep your original mixes - But if you need to hear it "loud" and you don't feel you have the capability to make adjustments to it, strap a limiter across it and go.
One thing you'll probably catch on to is that the better the mix and to a point, the more headroom at every previous stage, the more "abuse" it will take (most "quieter" - a.k.a. "normal" mixes that were tracked using "lower" a.k.a. "normal" levels and mixed at "lower" a.k.a. "normal" levels will wind up being the ones that leave the most intact when "smashing" them).
Uladine
New member
I say if you're mainly recording for yourself and/or a small audience (not a major public release), then by all means experiment. Keep your original unchanged mix, but you can sometimes do some subtle changes to the mix to make a bit punchier, brighter overall, whatever. I believe most people refer to this as "pseudo mastering" or something.
It may be better to try to fix any problems in the mixing stage, but if you can do something to it after mixdown that makes it sound more pleasing, go for it. Afterall, engineering is all about getting things to sound "good", right? Sometimes we rookies have to take advice from the pros and follow it with respect as they have more experience and know more than us, but somethings can't be learned if we don't occasionally dive in and start experimenting.
So after all that mumbo-jumbo, my advice is to just get that final mix sounding as sweet as you can with what you have. If that means "mastering" it, "master" it. If that means leaving it alone, leave it alone.
It may be better to try to fix any problems in the mixing stage, but if you can do something to it after mixdown that makes it sound more pleasing, go for it. Afterall, engineering is all about getting things to sound "good", right? Sometimes we rookies have to take advice from the pros and follow it with respect as they have more experience and know more than us, but somethings can't be learned if we don't occasionally dive in and start experimenting.
So after all that mumbo-jumbo, my advice is to just get that final mix sounding as sweet as you can with what you have. If that means "mastering" it, "master" it. If that means leaving it alone, leave it alone.
Agreed, but just to add, there's a least a few ways to get one leg up on this particular aspect. Assemble you songs as the album, fix the relative song to song loudness (we're going for the basic here not reinventing the mixes nor worrying about LOUDness for now.)Massive Master said:
Then get some time away from the project. How long? You'll never get to hear it 'for the first time' like a second party will. But long enough to get some of that angle back.
Now slip it back in to your listening -preferably casually (other non-studio settings) as 'this is my album/songs.
Now what would you change? How do they fit together?
If nothing else it helps to get out of microscopic mode.
SonicAlbert
Super-Sonic "Herb" Albert
You can always re-mix or re-master it at that point, several months later.
You've brought up what I consider one of the big potential pitfalls of home mixing and home mastering: being overly familiar with the material and not objective enough. It's almost inevitable that after spending countless hours writing and recording something you will be accustomed to the way it sounds, and your ear will have accepted the way it sounds in ways that you perhaps shouldn't. It's easy to get locked into whatever the way it is now, in other words.
Taking some time away and coming back into it fresh can be a great thing if you are mixing your own material. The time away allows you to come back with a new perspective. Same goes for home mastering.
You've brought up what I consider one of the big potential pitfalls of home mixing and home mastering: being overly familiar with the material and not objective enough. It's almost inevitable that after spending countless hours writing and recording something you will be accustomed to the way it sounds, and your ear will have accepted the way it sounds in ways that you perhaps shouldn't. It's easy to get locked into whatever the way it is now, in other words.
Taking some time away and coming back into it fresh can be a great thing if you are mixing your own material. The time away allows you to come back with a new perspective. Same goes for home mastering.