Finalizing

[armack]

I am using a digi02 and I have some songs that I would like to master through a finalizer96k. I have recorded my sessions at 96kh. Right now the way I have been doing my final bounce to disk is to put a spdif insert on the master fader of the pro tools session. Then right under that insert I put a L1 ultra maximizer which I only use for the dither. Then after making my setting on the finalizer I bounce the session to disk and set the conversion to 44.1kh 16 bit stereo.

I monitor through my digi02 when I am setting up the finalizer, would it be better to monitor from the analog out of the finalizer?

Should I get a cd recorder that would accept spdif, and send the output of the finalizer to it. I could then do the dither with the finalizer, and I wouldn’t have to put it as in insert on the master fader.

And on a slightly different topic, I have the digi02 getting its clock from the finalizer, is that a bad idea?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[masteringhouse]

First off I wouldn't master while I'm mixing. Try the following:

1. Mix the tracks and bounce them down at 96K.
2. Create a new session at 44.1K and import the mixes.

Here's the reason why (see Quick Tips section):
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/May02/articles/pronotes0502.asp

This will be the "mastering session" file rather than the mix session. If you want to do a re-mix you will need to perform step one again and re-import the file.

3. Set up Pro Tools with either each song on an individual track and feed these to a pair of stereo auxes, or setup the songs on 2 stereo tracks and feed to the 2 stereo aux sends. The choice depends on if you want to hear the CD in the final order or not, need to perform cross fades between tracks, and the CD burning software you are using.

The one aux track can be used to insert the Finalizer (use AES if possible) and any other processing that you want. The second aux send may be used to hear the tracks unprocessed with gain makeup for comparison to the processed tracks.

I would listen to the output of Pro Tools and use it as the master clock. Using the clock from the Finalizer will work, but according to a conversation I had with BK what you are hearing is a difference in the Phase Locked Loop and it will not make a difference if you are doing everything digitally and bouncing down.

4. When you happy with the results of processing, bounce down to 44.1K 16 bit (with dither) and import into a package like CD architect to create the final CD.

 

[bennychico11]

1. Mix the tracks and bounce them down at 96K.
2. Create a new session at 44.1K and import the mixes.

Here's the reason why (see Quick Tips section):
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/May02/articles/pronotes0502.asp

I don't think that applies anymore to the newer versions of PT. First off they said that was in a TDM environment, and anyway Pro Tools versions now offer a "convert after bounce" option just for that reason. But even in older versions I don't recall ever seeing an option to set the conversion quality for importing/converting a file (except in bounce to disk of course).

---edit---
nevermind, just found the conversion option up in preferences

 

[armack]

Awesome thanks for the advice. I never realized that it would mess up the quality to reduce the sample rate on a bounce. I did notice that there is an option to process after bounce or during bounce. I always select the after bounce option, does that alleviate the problem?

But it would be an advantage to have all of your songs for the project in one session to master, that way you can make sure they are of the same apparent volume. I had thought about doing this but I thought that it would be another operation on the digital data and that if I just did it in 1 bounce instead of 2 it would be better.

Thanks for the advice