grimtraveller
If only for a moment.....
A quick question to all of you that have music uploaded onto the various pages and sites that we can link to. Are your songs mastered or unmastered ?
R
RAMI
Guest
I guess that depends on what one's definition of "mastering" is. After my mix is finished, I put it through a limiter to get my song up to an average of about -12db rms. That's the extent of my "mastering". 
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dintymoore
Guest
Mine are demastered.
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Greg_L
Banned
Mine are masturbated.
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dodgeaspen
New member
Unmastered.
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dintymoore
Guest
Non silly answer (I know, no fun 
):
My computer plays back the tracks and triggers MIDI, all that goes out of my computer into a mixer and then into a T.C. Finalizer, which is a rack mounted mastering tool. It has eq (that I don't use), some other tools, but I mostly use the multi band compression and limiting. The settings on that have evolved over the last 15 years or so, and I always play through it. From that the sound goes back into the computer via S/PDIF.
So I program and lay down tracks through the multi band compression/limiting, so when I'm finished laying down stuff and tweaking, I record the whole thing back into the computer onto 2 tracks and that's my master.
Then when I have several songs completed for a project, I put them all up on Cubase and solo them and jump around to see if certain ones are hot or dull or just plain grumpy!
If some don't gel I'll tweak and resave them. That's it.
):My computer plays back the tracks and triggers MIDI, all that goes out of my computer into a mixer and then into a T.C. Finalizer, which is a rack mounted mastering tool. It has eq (that I don't use), some other tools, but I mostly use the multi band compression and limiting. The settings on that have evolved over the last 15 years or so, and I always play through it. From that the sound goes back into the computer via S/PDIF.
So I program and lay down tracks through the multi band compression/limiting, so when I'm finished laying down stuff and tweaking, I record the whole thing back into the computer onto 2 tracks and that's my master.
Then when I have several songs completed for a project, I put them all up on Cubase and solo them and jump around to see if certain ones are hot or dull or just plain grumpy!
If some don't gel I'll tweak and resave them. That's it.
K
K Road
New member
I try to get it there in the mix - say 95% there. Then I will add light compression 2:1 across the entire mix to add a little sparkle. I'm not too interested in the loudness wars, though I like my mixes to "tickle" the red. Multi-band compression can seriously do your head in if you don't know what your about. I'm thinking of using mastering pre-sets to avoid this, such as those found in garage band - but I probably wont.
I think way too much is made of mastering by home-recordists - I mean that last 5% can end up taking 50% of the time. Nail it in the mix, I say & keep what mastering you do reasonably managable. Multi-band compression is uncharted territory, kind of like getting lost in a maze (for me).
K.
I think way too much is made of mastering by home-recordists - I mean that last 5% can end up taking 50% of the time. Nail it in the mix, I say & keep what mastering you do reasonably managable. Multi-band compression is uncharted territory, kind of like getting lost in a maze (for me).
K.
kcearl
I see deaf people
the few i have up are finished to the best of my abilities...they are all of a relative loudness (except one i think), and nothing like stereo image etc would change if they were all put together...I wouldn't call it mastering but I suppose if they were all finished together it would be described loosely as that
thing is electronic music isnt involved in the loudness wars...most dance tracks are finished at a lower perceived loudness than rock music...means I dont have to squash the crap out of a track
thing is electronic music isnt involved in the loudness wars...most dance tracks are finished at a lower perceived loudness than rock music...means I dont have to squash the crap out of a track
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Greg_L
Banned
I want "loud" to win the loudness war, so I squash everything on every track to max loudness and then squash the whole mix.
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dintymoore
Guest
I go for as loud as I possibly can and still sound right.
The same as when I drive - I drive as fast as I possibly can..........safely. Which around here is about 40.
The same as when I drive - I drive as fast as I possibly can..........safely. Which around here is about 40.
matttheaxe
New member
Limiter only
suprstar
It aint ez being green
I throw a little compression / limiter across the master bus, that's the extent of my "mastering". Some of my tracks end up louder than others, so if I was to ever make a cd / demo, I might re-check em and try to get levels to match a little better.
Dogbreath
Im an ex-spurt
yeah...that sounds about right. I go from multi track to a 2 track, take the 2 track and throw a light (ish) limiter across it, burn that as my new 2 track and call it good.
rayc
retroreprobate
With regard to the tracks I have on Soundclick/Myspace/Facebook and so forth:
as part of the mix I use the Classic limiter & Glaceverb on the stereo bussssss but from there's it's Porky Pig's refrain I'm afraid.
I don't, as a rule, bother trying to treat the stereo track that results from mixing with anything because I'm too close to Gumby to get it anywhere near good as I don't know how to master & don't have the ear for it.
I did beg, harangue & harrass a famous/infamous MP3 clinic denizen into "mastering" a track for me. It was someone who has an excellent ear for detail as well as a subtle/deft touch with EQ, (unbeknown to those who are only casually acquainted with his/her songs), and the result was amazing: the track sounded "Mastered" in that it was coherent, had no mud/crud issues, (other than those inherent in my concept of my own sound), seemed "balanced" and was respectably loud.
as part of the mix I use the Classic limiter & Glaceverb on the stereo bussssss but from there's it's Porky Pig's refrain I'm afraid.
I don't, as a rule, bother trying to treat the stereo track that results from mixing with anything because I'm too close to Gumby to get it anywhere near good as I don't know how to master & don't have the ear for it.
I did beg, harangue & harrass a famous/infamous MP3 clinic denizen into "mastering" a track for me. It was someone who has an excellent ear for detail as well as a subtle/deft touch with EQ, (unbeknown to those who are only casually acquainted with his/her songs), and the result was amazing: the track sounded "Mastered" in that it was coherent, had no mud/crud issues, (other than those inherent in my concept of my own sound), seemed "balanced" and was respectably loud.
L
leaningpine
New member
I've used a couple of mastering program's, ozone and t-racks and unless my ears are fucked, I think propellerhead's "Record" mastering suite sounds amazing. It has master class EQ, stereo widening, compression and limiting. I use the EQ sparingly, barely more than +/- a decibel, skip the stereo widening, very light compression around 2:1, then limiting to get as close to 0 without pumping. That's the extent of my mastering.
It just seems to me that ozone and t-racks have alot of useless processing that can cause people to over-process. They actually want you to throw in extra compressor's and eq's non adjusted because they can contribute a certain "Sound". I'm not into any of that. As little processing as possible is my belief.....
It just seems to me that ozone and t-racks have alot of useless processing that can cause people to over-process. They actually want you to throw in extra compressor's and eq's non adjusted because they can contribute a certain "Sound". I'm not into any of that. As little processing as possible is my belief.....
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dintymoore
Guest
As much as you can, try not to complete your songs and then afterwards "fix them".
That seems like the norm.
I'm always playing through my mastering device (T. C. Electronics Finalizer). I cannot mix a song without mastering. Every kick, every musical decision is made through the final mastering chain from the first second I start working on a song. Everything is based on the final mastered sound, not some bogus sound I'll never hear in the end.
I think it's better to set up whatever your mastering trip is and always be playing through it than to finish your songs and then change the daylights out of them. If something needed to be done all along you should have heard it from the first kick drum hit, from the first note of the song.
That seems like the norm.
I'm always playing through my mastering device (T. C. Electronics Finalizer). I cannot mix a song without mastering. Every kick, every musical decision is made through the final mastering chain from the first second I start working on a song. Everything is based on the final mastered sound, not some bogus sound I'll never hear in the end.
I think it's better to set up whatever your mastering trip is and always be playing through it than to finish your songs and then change the daylights out of them. If something needed to be done all along you should have heard it from the first kick drum hit, from the first note of the song.