Could someone DEFINE "mastering"

  • Thread starter Thread starter BBB
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Quoting some old profit dude:
"Nothing is useless unless you are unwilling to open your mind to it. Then you yourself are rendering it useless"

Ok, I just made that up.:D

But yeah, maybe this thread should die, cause we are going to be accused of scoring more post counts.


it was fun while it lasted though..:)
 
SJOKO......
I have a question for you........... (This will get this thread back to normalcy (whatever that is)........

Lately when I record Drums... (In Pro Tools)..... I program a sampled bass drum.... Then, I sit down, and play the Hi hat straight through, then the snare, and then the cymbals....... Usually the cymbals and Hi-hat are pretty good.... but the snare needs moving around, cause im a tad early or late on the hit.....

Alot of people just do 4 good hits, and then loop them...... but I like a more live sound.... So I play straight through the song, and the edit every hit by hand and move every single hit around and get it perfectly quantized ... which still retains the fact that every hit is ever so slightly different....rendering a more live feel.....

my question, to you is... in a commercial environment, which way is more commonly used....... ?

Joe
 
Are all the real human drummers dead?

Actually, that technique is kinda cool. Get some good live snare hits to make it sound real. Now I've gotta invest in a decent snare and figure out how to mic the damn thing...


Uhh... What was the final definition of "mastering?"
 
I have to assume that most of the time in the major studios songs are tracked live using a drummer.



the technique for drum from loops is very popular though, no sense in setting up drums and micing them up and taking all night to get them sounding right , building the drum room and paying the drummer.while alot of drum loops are on the market for cheap.

and wax and polish for that second question..
 
Techniques vary enormously, depending who you are working with, and what kind of music you are recording.
I've done albums where you'd swear there is a live drummer, but everything is sequenced samples, as I've done live stuff and people swear its samples.

There are a couple of things I always do:
- When I've "got the sound" for a song I will take individual samples of each piece of a kit and store them.
- I like using triggers in addition to mics, and store the MIDI data.

By doing both the above I know I can replace thing should I have to, I can add, take away, and I can do it using the kit's own sound or replace the sound. Max flexibility.

Vox? Which version of PT have you got? You can get the same live "feel" using samplers and sequencers, just depends on how you set the system up - add a bit off shuffle and you're off!
Also, its easier to just get one shot sounding right, sample it and sequence it, rather than playing a couple of bars and loop them.

So the answer is - there is no set routine, but just give me a damn good drummer every time! If you'd ever experience tracking with someone like Jota Morelli - its just the best thing ever, really gets me wound up.:)
 
Im using PT LE 5.1

Yeah, I have done it both ways, and was just wondering which methodwas more regularily used......

What I like about plying the snare live, is I can do fills that sound real.... and stuff like that....

All my samplers are old....

I have 2... Emulator II+HD's and an old ensoniq EPS-16

Can I sequence with real sounds in protools?

For instance, could I make one snare hit then tell protools, repeat it quantized to the quarter note..or would I be better off doing this with the duplicate feature, and repeating it manually?

BBB
Im using a yamaha snare, with an sm57..... I don't even know what the model is, but It was about$700 new..... It's really good......

(I think it says custom studio series, or some shit like that....)
 
Of cause you can do that in PT, that's why I asked which version you had. Manual repeats are pretty easy to hear.
If you want to make your snare sound even better, use 2 mics, put one top and one bottom, reverse the phase of the bottom one
 
Just musing on another post and I realized something about the definition of "mastering."

Depending on the results desired, lots-o-home studios burn their own CD's. Decent home equipment has become relatively cheap as has CD burners. Thus, a lot of questions are posted here about "mastering" because the hobbyist wants to understand some of the techniqes used in translating a final mix to CD. These hobbyists are going to burn their own CDs regardless of whether they employ low level mastering techniques.

The "take it to a mastering house" statement still applys in the to situations that require a perfect result. However, the "wax and polish the fucker [for my home CD burner]" statement generally applies to most hobbyists asking these mastering questions.

[Muse mode off.]


Matt


Mastering Disclaimer (from that speaker post):

I am using the term "mastering" loosely to mean "waxing and polishing the fucker." I am not using the term to imply obtaining results similar or even remotely close to a mastering house. This post is not meant to be legal advice. Please consume alcoholic beverages before reading this post. Side effects from post may include nausia, drowsiness, or flame wars. Do not read this post before operating heavy equipment. If reading this post causes bean sprouts to grow out of your ear, immediately consult a physician.
 
we did a very good and informative thread on mastering not to long ago............
Anyone remember where it was? Just so somebody with a serious interest can read at least something worthwhile.
 
VOXVENDOR said:
BBB
Im using a yamaha snare, with an sm57..... I don't even know what the model is, but It was about$700 new..... It's really good......

(I think it says custom studio series, or some shit like that....)
Click to expand...

Oof. Thanks. Man that's a great way to "realisticize" your drums. Too bad I'll have to stick to tweaking drum samples for cost and noise reasons (for now...).


Matt
 
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