Compress AND limit final mix?

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Cheetah

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I own some Waves and Steinberg plugins (RCL, C1, L1,
Freefilter etc.). I am making music for myself and friends
only so I am trying to learn the mastering process by experience.

I was told that on the final mix I should
EQ, Compress and then Limit.
I'm wondering if I should be using a compressor AND ALSO a limiter on the final mix.

Also, I'm not sure if I should use the C1 or the RCL on
the final mix. I use the RCL on individual tracks but I"m not sure which one is better for the final mix. Are one of these more suitable for mastering?

Can someone give me some input on this?
1) Compress AND limit the final mix?
2) Which waves or steinberg compressor is good for
the final mix?


Thank you.
 
The process of mastering is very intricate and I couldnt start to explain it because I have not a clue....but I do know that the mastering processing involves listening to a track and seeing what it needs...there are no musts as far as compression, limiting, and eq...the track may need nothing or it may need it all.....you must first train yourself to hear what a track needs......
 
Ok, thanks.

Allright, that makes sense. I'll just spend more time learning until I'm ready to master I guess.

Take care.
 
Like Gidge, I don't have the slightest idea how mastering really works. At least not enough to do it myself successfully. But I think I know your problem. You're probably recording your own music at home and want it to sound 'pro-like', because you want to play the music to friends or even sell it on concerts or something like that. The main problem about this term 'pro-like' is that it describes something the real pros would hardly ever do, I suppose. The guy that told you to EQ, compress and limit your music is probably caught in that trap, believing that volume levels are everything. Well, that's fine, but I think mastering is more about relistening and doing what is necessary and not about doing it because you can. If a song needs compression, then compress it. If it needs some equalizing, do it. And if you want it to be louder, okay, then limit it. But don't do it just because you possess all those plugins.
It's not a shame if you want your music to be loud. The last recording I did with my band is also QUITE hot signal-wise. Not because I wanted it, but because we talked about it within the band and the others opted for more volume, so that our music is 'comparable' to other, maybe 'pro-like' recordings.
So, (and finally I am going to answer your question) I think that I would use the FreeFilter to EQ the stuff. I don't really know the plug, I only had a demo once, but it seemed to be okay. At the moment I pretty much like the Mastering EQ from sonictimeworks. For compression, I'd say test both and choose the one you like best. And finally, if the signal isn't hot enough, definitely use the L1. It's still the standard and it is that for a reason. You might also want to check some Tape Simulation PlugIn, it can help you to get hotter levels and perhaps a bit of the sound you want to achieve.

Hope that helps, david.

P.S.: rereading it, I feel like I was kind of impolite... So sorry, if I offended you in any way - no intent.
 
Try this, take your final mix and use FreeFilter to compare it to a professional mix (the difference between the two eq curves should be almost a straight line) take note of areas where your eq curve deviates from the professionally mastered song's curve.
Pay close attention to the low frequencies especially.

Compare it to a few more professionally done songs, taking notes all along of how your eq curve deviates from the pro stuff and by how much, etc.

Look for a pattern.

If your stuff has less low end than all the pro stuff you need to add some lows in that area, if there is a hump or a dip in the midrange or highs when compared to all the pro stuff, take note of where and how deep it is.

When you find the 'pattern' use one of the Waves EQs to correct the deficiencies and then use the L1 as the final step.

Through every step listed above, use your ears as well.

THIS IS NOT PROPER MASTERING, it is just a way to get your stuff to sound a little closer to the real thing with the gear and experience that you have.
 
now that Ive discouraged you, I agree with vox....keep a backup of your original stereo mixdown, and just play with different things seeing what does what, what works and what doesnt.....
 
freefilter question

Thanks for the help, everyone. I have a question about
FreeFilter. Why did you suggest using Freefilter
to analyze but not to make actual eq changes and to
do that with a Waves EQ? Is the Freefilter eq not good enough or what?

Thanks again.
 
It's kinda hard to explain, Freefilter is cool for analysis but the curve that it arrives at is going to be very jagged, if your song has very little in a specific frequency range (which is not necessarily a bad thing) FreeFilter will still try to boost that area by a ridiculous amount which will sound unpleasant.

Also remember that you are looking for trends common to several different professionally done songs, not just copying the Eq curve of one of them. Generally smooth EQ curves sound better to the ear than jagged ones, so gather the data with FreeFilter and then use a waves EQ (which I think sounds better too) to dial up a nice smooth curve which corrects the general trends, not all the tiny details.

When you compare your finished, EQed song to the original, Freefilter should arrive at a slightly wavy line that doesnt deviate by large amounts.
 
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Freefilter has a morph slider, or something similarly named, that will let you mix the 2 together if it trys to blast too much of a freq.
Keep in mind that one of the big aspects of mastering is to take a group of songs that may have been recorded months apart and even them out in a way that makes them sound like an album. Where each song is the same level. You dont want to have to turn up the bass on one song, only to find its too much on the next. Same with volume. You dont want to fight to hear and crank it up, and then have the next song blow your speakers. Its kind of an "evening out" of things, the final touch. Its also the most difficult, it seems. Best bet is get it right in the 1st place.
Peace,
Paul
 
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