For all the ME's (mastering engineers)

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little guy

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Would it be possible for some of you to post some examples of some projects before and after mastering, just to give those of us an idea of how mastering helps a mix?

like take a project and post a before mastering example and an after mastering example.

thanks
 
I have a bunch of samples on my site - Many of them A/B between before and after. Many of them are "problematic" somehow (taking a mix that sounds wonderful and having it come out *still* wonderful although not as easy as it sounds, doesn't make a realy good A/B for some reason), but I think you'd get the idea.
 
It might be worth noting that its not that easy to get artists consent in doing this.

The first response i get when i offer my services to people is, "can i hear some samples"

To me they are a waste of time as they do not show at all what they will do for your song.
 
pingu said:
The first response i get when i offer my services to people is, "can i hear some samples"

To me they are a waste of time as they do not show at all what they will do for your song.
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That seems a little like asking an artist you are considering to hire for a portrait to see some of his work, and him/her saying "that's a waste of time, it won't show what your portrait will look like".

Sorry, just seems silly to me.
 
Robert D said:
That seems a little like asking an artist you are considering to hire for a portrait to see some of his work, and him/her saying "that's a waste of time, it won't show what your portrait will look like".

Sorry, just seems silly to me.
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Well, it's not quite like that either - he isn't painting the portrait, he is merely touching it up. If I brought anyone a portrait I painted, I am sure the could fix it up quite a bit. If Monet brought a painting to be touched up, I doubt there are many people that could make it any better........

I think listening to an ME's work is important, but at the same time, it really doesn't show what he can do with MY work, until he actually does my work......
 
NL5 said:
Well, it's not quite like that either - he isn't painting the portrait, he is merely touching it up. If I brought anyone a portrait I painted, I am sure the could fix it up quite a bit. If Monet brought a painting to be touched up, I doubt there are many people that could make it any better........

I think listening to an ME's work is important, but at the same time, it really doesn't show what he can do with MY work, until he actually does my work......
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Yes, you're right...not the best simile, and it's true that what so and so did with such and such project isn't going to be what needs doing on another project. If it were, the TC finalizer and would be all anyone needed. And to further dirty the water, there's nothing keeping an ME from fudging a bit by degrading the before sample to make the after sample sound all the more impressive. But given those variables, I still would only use an ME that either has established credentials, which probably means I can go buy a couple of CD's to hear his work, or that can demonstrate to me by way of samples that he knows what he's doing. There's just too many quacks in this field right now (not inferring anything, pingu). Sure the samples won't prove he made the recording sound great, but at least it'll show he didn't screw it up.
 
massive did you buy all that equipment by yourself with you're own money? lol just wondering cause it's alot of gear i wish i had lol. how much would you say all of it cost together?
 
mixaholic said:
massive did you buy all that equipment by yourself with you're own money? lol just wondering cause it's alot of gear i wish i had lol. how much would you say all of it cost together?
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I wish I could've used someone else's. :D

One piece at a time... Full-time to part-time back to full-time... It takes time.

The total? I'm not even sure. I'd bet I'd fall down. As long as my insurance agent has an idea... :)
 
NL5 said:
I think listening to an ME's work is important, but at the same time, it really doesn't show what he can do with MY work, until he actually does my work......
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And there's not only that, but the sample really doesn't show anything about the amount of time it took to do (and therefore how much it actually cost), whether it's actually a reverse mock-up, who else may have had a hand in it, etc.

This is true not just for MEs but for mixers too. Really, IMHO, the way to pick an engineer and/or studio is by reputation. Not that one has to have a huge rep and a big name, I don't mean that. But find someone whose opinion you respect and trust that can tell you whether Choo Choo Charlie has a good, professional work ethic, knows how to do the job and (ideally but optionally) has some rep for the kind of sound your looking for. Sample sound clips from a complete stranger can help with that last one, but really don't always tell much about the first two.

G.

BTW, I'll vouch for John as a real pro who'd I'd trust my mixes to any day. :)
 
the reason i posted this wasn't to find a ME to master some stuff for me. I just was curious how much of a difference it is. when given a well mixed or poorly mixed project, how much better does it sound after a ME gets their hands on it.
 
little guy said:
I just was curious how much of a difference it is. when given a well mixed or poorly mixed project, how much better does it sound after a ME gets their hands on it.
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While that is an understandable question, the answer isn't easy. Think of it like this:

It's like asking how much better does a car look after one takes it to get detailed. If you are driving a rusty old Ford Pinto, it will come back looking like a finely shampooed, polished and pinstriped rusty old Ford Pinto. Bring in a brand new BMW M5, and it will come out of the detailer looking subtly different, but that subtle difference makes it look like it belongs in a dream car auto show instead of just in a parking lot.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
It's like asking how much better does a car look after one takes it to get detailed. If you are driving a rusty old Ford Pinto, it will come back looking like a finely shampooed, polished and pinstriped rusty old Ford Pinto. Bring in a brand new BMW M5, and it will come out of the detailer looking subtly different, but that subtle difference makes it look like it belongs in a dream car auto show instead of just in a parking lot.
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Hey - that's an excellent analogy! :D
 
I've often wondered how many shitty engineers would work on the "before" sample to make it sound even worse. It's easy to do and nobody seems to be concerned about it.

I've opted for the policy where I'll sample a track if the band wants to hear a sample master. It's a much better method than showing them what's possible when EVERYTHING is done differently. Also, promoting someone's bad mix isn't good for business.
 
Massive Master said:
I tried to give SSG more "rep" for that, but I haven't spread enough around... :(
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I do take cash, John! :D

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
While that is an understandable question, the answer isn't easy. Think of it like this:

It's like asking how much better does a car look after one takes it to get detailed. If you are driving a rusty old Ford Pinto, it will come back looking like a finely shampooed, polished and pinstriped rusty old Ford Pinto. Bring in a brand new BMW M5, and it will come out of the detailer looking subtly different, but that subtle difference makes it look like it belongs in a dream car auto show instead of just in a parking lot.

G.
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Well said SSG
 
Massive Master said:
I tried to give SSG more "rep" for that, but I haven't spread enough around... :(
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:D :D :D :D



I've never done anything worthy of having anyone else work on it, but if I did, I think there's a few of these guys that could enhance the sound for me.... :D
 
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