starbuck26
New member
We just took our first EP to a world-class mastering facility. Our ME was nothing short of an artist.
Through about a six hour session, I learned a great deal. He encouraged us not to slam the shit out of our mixes and ruin our record... and gave a pretty great insight into the 'loudness war,' we've all been talking about.
He was encouraged, I think, by working with an independent band that had no labels, producers etc. to worry about... no one demanding him to squash it to hell. He liked our music, and wanted it to remain 'music.'
To be honest, though, when he said that he was mastering it quieter than other records, we got a little antsy... I guess when you're a band trying to get going you're worried about your music seeming 'worse' sounding than real bands in professional studios...
but then he encouraged us even further... we didn't record with class a technology, we didn't have professionals behind the board... what we end up with is a lo-fi sound. but he qualified that by insisting music is music. what green day does on their records should have no influence on what we do... they're terribly different animals.
But it wasn't until I sat in his chair and listen to the mixes and watch the waveforms generate that I truly understood... Without compressing it so much, all of the minute swells in volume remained... we compared it to a squashed master (he actually said that compression was 'evil') and those were all... gone.
In the end... if you pop it into your ipod and it's a bit quieter than a commercial rock record... and you want to blast it while bopping around town... just turn up the volume.
It was encouraging to see a true artist at work... and working on our mixes, our sound. It will no doubt change the way we approach our next record, which will be recorded in houses, basements, garages—all over the place. Rather than trying to sound overly 'professional,' we'll aim to use the charm and life and dynamics and freedom of our independence more than compare everything we do to someone else.
Through about a six hour session, I learned a great deal. He encouraged us not to slam the shit out of our mixes and ruin our record... and gave a pretty great insight into the 'loudness war,' we've all been talking about.
He was encouraged, I think, by working with an independent band that had no labels, producers etc. to worry about... no one demanding him to squash it to hell. He liked our music, and wanted it to remain 'music.'
To be honest, though, when he said that he was mastering it quieter than other records, we got a little antsy... I guess when you're a band trying to get going you're worried about your music seeming 'worse' sounding than real bands in professional studios...
but then he encouraged us even further... we didn't record with class a technology, we didn't have professionals behind the board... what we end up with is a lo-fi sound. but he qualified that by insisting music is music. what green day does on their records should have no influence on what we do... they're terribly different animals.
But it wasn't until I sat in his chair and listen to the mixes and watch the waveforms generate that I truly understood... Without compressing it so much, all of the minute swells in volume remained... we compared it to a squashed master (he actually said that compression was 'evil') and those were all... gone.
In the end... if you pop it into your ipod and it's a bit quieter than a commercial rock record... and you want to blast it while bopping around town... just turn up the volume.
It was encouraging to see a true artist at work... and working on our mixes, our sound. It will no doubt change the way we approach our next record, which will be recorded in houses, basements, garages—all over the place. Rather than trying to sound overly 'professional,' we'll aim to use the charm and life and dynamics and freedom of our independence more than compare everything we do to someone else.
).
But that would be cruel.