DIY Mastering Clinic #1!!!!!

[caryindy]

No, let's not do that, in the beginning I asked as a minimum that people state their objectives and methods. You don't have to go into great detail on your methods, but a general approach, for example your chain, and areas you were trying to hit with EQ would be nice.

Yours sounds very bright in the presence range, which is an area most people have been moving away from Did you just focus on the lows first? Cause that sounds OK, maybe even good, hard to tell under the highs though.

Oops, OK. Sorry to derail (if I did)

My treatment was EQ, a little M/S processing in the bass,d-essing, and limiting.

What struck me on first listen (best time for me to hear problems) was too much bass, lots of mud around 100-200, not much air and presence.

I did alot of searching around 60 to 100 looking for the area between the kick and the rest of the instruments all fighting for the same space. (In a perfect world, I would have asked for a re-mix with less fundamental on the bass). Couldn't do that, so I scooped at a point which I felt was just above the kick. I cut most of the side info below 100hz and that seemed to bring out the kick a little more.

I tried to brighten this up and found myself wishing the vocals were not so hyped. The vocals are a bit too crisp but I felt like the overall product was still better after some d-essing.

I just re-listened to my submission and if I had time, I think I'd like to cut a little 3k. My master has a little plastic sound. I'm very busy for the next 3 days and won't have time to play with this until then.

 

[mshilarious]

Here's my final shot:

msh final

I think I might play with MS, that sounds educational, but I'm not going to post another version.

I tried the automated compression thing, didn't work at all. It was just distracting to have the guitar drop in volume from the intro to when the other instruments enter. So instead I just ratched back the compressor to reduce the distortion on the track. This version also has my swipe at the low-mids, and I hit the de-esser a little harder too.

 

[Dogman]

Im having problems uploading the submissions cause im behind a proxy at work and i cant download the submissions for the same reason.

Any tips guys.


I have a master to submit. i could maybe email the yousendit link to somebody.

Cheers

Pingu, nice job. Do you want this posted so everyone can hear it?

 

[pingu]

Pingu, nice job. Do you want this posted so everyone can hear it?

Thanks Dogman



Yes please.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Dogman]

Thanks Dogman



Yes please.

Thanks for your help.

I'll PM you the link when it's uploaded, and you can post it, and give any comments you wish then.

 

[giraffe]

The intro seems to go a bit beyond mastering, I think.

in a pay for situation (not that i master) i would have never done that, but having said that, i like it better this way.

Yeah, the synth part is highly stereo, isn't it? Guitar is too. I don't think that bothers me too much.

i have literally had stuff returned from mastering studios for much less.
(with instructions to fix and return)

As for the volume, yeah, it's loud. I don't know if we can presume our client wants that much volume at the cost of that much clipping. If the D-Man isn't screaming for loud, I think we should keep it clean.

yea, there was no need fot that, just did it for fun..... i'm actually running the entire song thru a distortion, so that's probably most of the clipping.
i just kinda got to the end and, what the hell ya know....... it seemed to have the capibility.

Other than those thoughts, I thought you did some nice things. I like the fade at the end--I need to go work on my fades

thank you

dog, did you like the intro at all?
tom, if you have the time could i get your 2 bits on mine?

 

[masteringhouse]

Gave it a quick listen.

I agree that the treatment that you have given it would require an agreement from the client and lends itself a bit to a production decision.

I once did work for a band called Eastcide that also ran their mix through a distortion pedal for effect, while not what I would call an audiophile technique it was interesting for their style of music.

Just got a client in the door as I'm writing this and will need to get back.

In general I kinda like it, but I would back off the limiting a bit. It's clipping, however this may have been caused by the conversion to MP3.

One of the more "fuller" sounding versions I've heard so far at first aural glance.

 

[Dogman]

Sorry giraffe...I can't listen right now. I can't get anything from NL's site right now. I can't even get a ping response.
Something is screwy here.

 

[NL5]

Sorry giraffe...I can't listen right now. I can't get anything from NL's site right now. I can't even get a ping response.
Something is screwy here.

Hey - I went ahead and sent a ticket to my hosting service to make sure your IP hasn't been blocked by the server.

BTW - Where can you get a monkey for $10?!?!?!?!?!!??????

 

[Dogman]

Hey - I went ahead and sent a ticket to my hosting service to make sure your IP hasn't been blocked by the server.

BTW - Where can you get a monkey for $10?!?!?!?!?!!??????

Yard sale baby.... Monkey

 

[pingu]

Your a good man Dogman.

You should change your name to Goodman

Is this your song Dog.

I like it.

 

[Dogman]

Your a good man Dogman.

You should change your name to Goodman

Is this your song Dog.

I like it.

It's only partially mine. VSpaceBoy and Jack Real put more into it than I did. I just had a silly guitar track to put to a home video to send all the relatives, and they turned it into a song. This is what I ended up with for a final so far...then I put it away.
Dark
It really needs to be remixed, and I might tackle it some day, but I have gotten busy, so it is on the back burner right now...

 

[pingu]

Sounds cool as man.

 

[pingu]

I know this isnt a contest but shouldnt we gather some of the more sonically balanced entries and see if the guys who submitted them would be kind enough to tell of there process.
Guys dont have to provide exact deatails but a rough guide maybe.
Once everyone has submitted that is.

 

[giraffe]

i'd be curious about some more detailed descriptions of process.

 

[mshilarious]

I know this isnt a contest but shouldnt we gather some of the more sonically balanced entries and see if the guys who submitted them would be kind enough to tell of there process.
Guys dont have to provide exact deatails but a rough guide maybe.
Once everyone has submitted that is.

I've asked that everyone do that along the way. It's good to know not only what works well, but what didn't produce the desired result.

 

[pingu]

Well if anyone is interested in what i did, here goes.


I always eq first in mastering, well its not set in stone but most of the time i do.

Why, if the spectrum is wayward as it is in this case the compressor fights like a bitch, so i spend most of my time with eq, at first.

Then i used some very light compression.

Thats it. No limiting.


Ms asked why i left the level the way it is.

Reasoning.
Well it might not please a client but seeing as though this is a mastering clinic i am deciding to get the best possible results and this means leaving loudness out of it all together.

You will notice that the rms levels of the original song are lower than the master)
This has to do with the excessive frequencies around 40hz to 250 hz.
So after applying the eq and compression why should i pump up the volume at all.

I have done exactly what i want to the song to achieve its current state and there is no need to add another process at all, as it will degrade the sonic integrity of the song.
Increasing the volume will also force me to apply a limiter to stop clipping. (No thanks, not if i dont have to).
I advise everyone when comparing all masters to compare at relative listening levels.
This brings the pants down on all mastering.
Sure the louder ones sound initially impressive but i assure you that it will not sound so impressive next to a carefully mastered version of this song or any song with respect to the song only, disregarding loudness.

Volume = nothing when it comes to respecting the song.


Then again this is the real world and everyone wants it loud, so a few loud submissions cant hurt.

The key to loudness if the song can take it is in the frequency.
Excessive frequencies will perturb your ability to gain volume with some clarity.

 

[ocnor]

It's good to know not only what works well, but what didn't produce the desired result.

So far it seems like nothing has worked. When you remove the rumble you end up with a thin mix like mine. If you leave enough bass so that the mix isn't thin it ends up with too much rumble like everyones mix seems to have. I hope a couple of the pros here will show us how it's done since all of the mixes so far sound like ass including mine.

 

[pingu]

So far it seems like nothing has worked. When you remove the rumble you end up with a thin mix like mine. If you leave enough bass so that the mix isn't thin it ends up with too much rumble like everyones mix seems to have. I hope a couple of the pros here will show us how it's done since all of the mixes so far sound like ass including mine.

You are now seeing the limitations of mastering.

 

[pingu]

This is not meant to be rude but I'm sure it will be taken that way.
Even after the more experienced guys have had there way with the song i
feel that most will not appreciate and hear the tweaks.
Most are concerned with loudness, and probably have substandard speakers.
You need a good monitoring environment to appreciate and evaluate.
Yes you can learn the approach and chains of effects used, but if your
speakers are substandard, they are often muddy and unclear,
Tools such as harmonic exciters sound great through speakers of this nature..
Been there done that.
I had a pair of Alesis M1 Mk2 a few years ago.
When i started getting into mastering i used to go to the mastering websites
and download the before and after samples and then try to better their samples with my own mastering through the Alesis.

The chain consisted of
eq
compressor
Bass enhancement
Multiband
Harmonic exciters

(God knows what other variations)
Sometimes up to 10 effect processors in the chain, which i now know is ludicrous.

I thought that mine sounded heaps better than the mastering engineers.
They might of, on the speakers and room environment i had at the time but
boy was i wrong.

How so.

Well after a years of effort, acoustic room treatment and great speakers,
positioned well i can now listen to what i thought was mastering and man is it
crap.
Mastering is not all that difficult when you have awesome speakers and
acoustic treatment.
Without those bases covered you really are pushing shit up hill as you are
only as good as your speakers and room allow you to be first and fore most.
You of course need gear as well but this comes 2nd to the first.
It is the reasons that i stated that most respected guys wont participate in
such clinics as there tweaks go un-noticed. (I am starting to regret that i submitted though i am far from respected).
These days mastering has turned into ME's altering mixes so much so for the
sake of smashing insane volume.
This is the wrong approach
If a mix requires more than light eq and compression then its back to the
drawing board, if we are talking purist mastering.
And in this case i think we should be as it is a clinic.

But as i said before, who is going to hear this purist approach when most on this
thread would have had me burnt at the stake for demanding a wav file.