Order of mastering plugins??

A

art direkt

New member
Hello musicians

I ask myself as a kind of newbie:

In witch order I use correct my mastering plugins: first equalizing, then normalisation then compression or whitch plugins in whitch order do you use?

thanks for helping

greetings
a.direkt
 
I know Im gonna get flamed here, but I tend to think EQ after everything. Compression depletes dynamic range and limiting can bring the apparent volume up. Both of those techniques change the frequency balance. I avoid normalizing or smoothing functions, you can smooth things out by changing the compressors attack and release times. Try Limit, Compress and equalize in that order, sometimes youll need to compress then limit. But there are no set rules, as long as the end result is desireable. Just my 2 cents..

Peace,
Dennis
 
I guess it's partially a matter of taste. When you apply eq, it will often completely change the dynamic content, so that what was once a nicely-compressed signal is now very much un-compressed and clipping all over the place. :) This might force you to have go go back and compress it again, which will ultimately result in an over-compressed and lifeless track. Just trust me on this one, okay? :)
 
EQing affects the overall dynamics way more than compressing affects the frequencies - compressing squashes the dynamics, and leaves the frequencies as they are. So I do EQing first. Then dynamics.
 
The problem with adding EQ after limiting is that you had a perfect level--then you start adding EQ--now you're clipping over 0db. The limiter should be the last thing in the chain.
 
you cant just set a rule to eq before or after a compressor. it depends on how you want it to react.

if there is a lot of bass content in the signal, then this may affect the way the compressor reacts, so you may want to put an EQ before the compressor.

compressing MAY take away some top end if you've managed to squash your mix. you might want to eq after the compressor.


it totally depends.

put the limiter last.
 
I eq, then gate/expand(if), then compress, then group, then limit, then mix with non-drums, then eq, then comress.... then limit.

;)

xoox
 
I dont know if this the correct place, but now that youre speaking of plugins, what does anybody have to say about the waves mastering plugins, are they any good??? I´ve heard stories of people who after forking out a lot of dough for them couldnt install them on their other PC because of copyright protection!!!
 
That happened with me also. I bought some Waves bundle,
I´ve payed for it and I can´t install because their copyright
and authorization software is so secure that no one can
install anything.

alonso said:
I dont know if this the correct place, but now that youre speaking of plugins, what does anybody have to say about the waves mastering plugins, are they any good??? I´ve heard stories of people who after forking out a lot of dough for them couldnt install them on their other PC because of copyright protection!!!
Click to expand...
 
hmm

when i do my mastering plugins, i just put them onto the master bus in logic audio, so they go over everything, so i can have my mix with all the other tracks, and plugs, plus do my mastering all at once. And i can change individual things while im doing it. I have like, 24 plugins running at once, but, it seems to run fine still.
 
ambi, the problem with that is that if you master all in one go, and decide there's too much compression afterwards, you have to go back into logic, sort the mix out again, and do it al again. if you send a mix over to dat or a wave file, then master later, you can do it as many times as you want.

also, i personally coudln't mix and master in the same day. best to master on a fresh day, preferbly, with fresh different ears too.
 
SANRYOKU!!

You need to Contact Waves if you are having trouble installing. They should help you, or refund your money. Myself and many others have success with the Waves.

xoox
 
Wow ambi! What kinda system you running that does all that at once? Is that an eleventy-billion Ghz processor or what?
-kent
 
FWIW, Ozone is a plugin mastering "package" which contains most of the tools you would use in mastering. Although the program allows you the flexibility to alter the normal sequence (which probably says there are exceptions to every rule), the default order of their plugins is as follows:

EQ
REVERB
HARMONIC EXCITER
MULTIBAND DYNAMICS (COMPRESSOR/EXPANDER)
STEREO IMAGER
LOUDNESS MAXIMIZER (LIMITER)

Obviously, this should not imply that you use all of these tools for every mix. You should use only those that the mix itself dictates. Also, this is the "default" order, and I am quite sure (as has been brought out already) that there are occasions where changing the order would makes sense.

Take this as one company's answer to the original question.
 
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