sonusman
Banned
How do the mixes sound after you compress them?
Ed
Ed
M
Matt
New member
I'm mastering my stuff with Cool Edit 96 and I'm looking for a suggested Cool Edit compressor setting for the overall mix. Currently I'm using 2:1>20db. I just want to make sure I'm not over doing it or underdoing it. The Cool Edit Forum has been NO help. Thanks!
M
Matt
New member
They sound pretty good. I know where you're going with that question and I understand that if they sound good then I have arrived at an acceptable setting. However, since I'm new to this mastering game, I'm looking for some CEP specific help from others who use CEP96.
S8-N
..|.. Part-time Antichrist ..|..
It is doubtful that you will ever find help on the pixelite forum on Cool Edit. Bunch of pigfuckers, those guys...
sonusman
Banned
Excuse me if I am missing something here. And I don't want to sound like I am picking a fight where one isn't neccesary. But ultimately, isn't the goal to acheive a great sounding finale product when mastering? Regardless of what you are using, and what settings, etc., if it sounds great, why you must have at least did the right thing for that song.
If a 2:1 compression ratio at -20dbm works for a song, well then it worked. On the next song though you may need to adjust things a bit. That is why mastering is an art. When I master with GoldWave, I end up using very different EQ and maximizing settings for every song, even though they were all mixed in the same studio by the same engineer, and trying to get a consistent sound at mix. The point of mastering is to give each song a similar sonic quality, and to make each song sound about the same relative volume. I can assure you that if you are just looking for a "one setting fits all" approach, then your mastered product will suffer from it.
Often, I find it helpful to have another engineer master my finals. In this way, objectivity is acheived. They also tend to hear things that my ears have been over looking for some time. This has to do with the brains ability to kind of filter out stuff that it finds objectionable. After listening to a mix over 200 times or so, you begin to get used to what it sounds like, whether it sounds that great or not. This is where mastering comes into play.
Compression and EQ are tools to apply when appropriate. But as Bob Ludwig, who is a legendary mastering engineer, likes to say, "Sometimes I don't need to do anything to the mix, it already sounds good. I would just be trying to justify my fee by doing anything to it". So, people pay him to just listen, then fix if needed a mix. They don't mind paying him to just say that it doesn't need anything done to it because he is THE authority in mastering. You get what I am saying here?
So, when you go to master, try to keep away from any set thing. If you understand how your tools will affect the mix, then you will figure out very fast how to apply those tools to create a CD where every song sounds like it was done at the same place.
I will tell you this though, I have never seen a 2:1 ratio being used with the people that I master with. More times than not, a 1.5:1 setting is used. Peaks are taken care of with a Peak Limiter. Also, you will find that a touch of the right kind of EQ will really take care of some of the nasties in a mix.
You would also need to think about whether you should compress first, then EQ, or vice a versa. They have very different affects. Peak limiting should be the very last thing you do regardless.
Too much compression on Program material (a song) can really take all of the life right out of it. I see CD's all of the time that don't use up the whole dynamic range. The normal program level hovers around -6 through -10 dbm for the whole CD. But, always, the maximum will be reached at some point. You will have mixes that are much more enjoyable to listen to if you don't try to fill out the meters at all times. Now if it is a death metal tune with absolutely no dynamics, then go for it, but if your song has some dynamics, then you need to let that happen. It just sound more natural to the ear. That is not to say that most stuff can't benefit from a bit of compression, it is just something though that is easy to over do. Mostly, I hear mixes that really contain way to much low end in them.
Anyway, try to be objective about how your product sounds while mastering. Remember that you really can't make it sound too much different than it already does without really making it hard to listen to. Every tool you apply to the mix is going to have pro's and con's.
Good luck.
Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
If a 2:1 compression ratio at -20dbm works for a song, well then it worked. On the next song though you may need to adjust things a bit. That is why mastering is an art. When I master with GoldWave, I end up using very different EQ and maximizing settings for every song, even though they were all mixed in the same studio by the same engineer, and trying to get a consistent sound at mix. The point of mastering is to give each song a similar sonic quality, and to make each song sound about the same relative volume. I can assure you that if you are just looking for a "one setting fits all" approach, then your mastered product will suffer from it.
Often, I find it helpful to have another engineer master my finals. In this way, objectivity is acheived. They also tend to hear things that my ears have been over looking for some time. This has to do with the brains ability to kind of filter out stuff that it finds objectionable. After listening to a mix over 200 times or so, you begin to get used to what it sounds like, whether it sounds that great or not. This is where mastering comes into play.
Compression and EQ are tools to apply when appropriate. But as Bob Ludwig, who is a legendary mastering engineer, likes to say, "Sometimes I don't need to do anything to the mix, it already sounds good. I would just be trying to justify my fee by doing anything to it". So, people pay him to just listen, then fix if needed a mix. They don't mind paying him to just say that it doesn't need anything done to it because he is THE authority in mastering. You get what I am saying here?
So, when you go to master, try to keep away from any set thing. If you understand how your tools will affect the mix, then you will figure out very fast how to apply those tools to create a CD where every song sounds like it was done at the same place.
I will tell you this though, I have never seen a 2:1 ratio being used with the people that I master with. More times than not, a 1.5:1 setting is used. Peaks are taken care of with a Peak Limiter. Also, you will find that a touch of the right kind of EQ will really take care of some of the nasties in a mix.
You would also need to think about whether you should compress first, then EQ, or vice a versa. They have very different affects. Peak limiting should be the very last thing you do regardless.
Too much compression on Program material (a song) can really take all of the life right out of it. I see CD's all of the time that don't use up the whole dynamic range. The normal program level hovers around -6 through -10 dbm for the whole CD. But, always, the maximum will be reached at some point. You will have mixes that are much more enjoyable to listen to if you don't try to fill out the meters at all times. Now if it is a death metal tune with absolutely no dynamics, then go for it, but if your song has some dynamics, then you need to let that happen. It just sound more natural to the ear. That is not to say that most stuff can't benefit from a bit of compression, it is just something though that is easy to over do. Mostly, I hear mixes that really contain way to much low end in them.
Anyway, try to be objective about how your product sounds while mastering. Remember that you really can't make it sound too much different than it already does without really making it hard to listen to. Every tool you apply to the mix is going to have pro's and con's.
Good luck.
Ed Rei
Echo Star Studio www.echostarstudio.com
M
Matt
New member
Yeah, I do understand what you're saying. I'm not totally unfamiliar with the concept of if it isn't broken don't fix it. I appreciate your input & help. I guess it's just I'm so new to this (believe it or not this is the FIRST time I've compressed entire mixes!) and the effect is so subtle that I wasn't sure if I was doing it right.
Anyway, Thanks!
Anyway, Thanks!