Getting CD Back From Mastering Guy This Week...What Are We Listening For?

[Robertt8]

Ok, this might sound really obvious, but we're getting our CD back from the mastering guy this week...um...what are we really looking (listening) for?

I know consistant volumes between songs and that, but is there anything else? this is our first time using a mastering guy, so we're kind of new at it. He's actually a really well known ME, but you never know...

Mixing is much more obvious when it's not mixed the way you like. how do you know when it's not mastered the way you like or that we're getting the most out of our mastering job?

 

[corban]

Play it on as many stereos as possible. If you like how it sounds on most systems, you're good. Obviously it will sound not as good on crappy systems, but you're just checking that it sounds as good as possible on all systems.

If he's a well known ME, he's probably got all your levels even, and what you're looking for are just matters of taste. Maybe you want a bit more boom from the bass or a little less. Check that the spacing between songs is right for your taste.

My biggest bone to pick with MEs has been when they've compressed something heavily and a quiet part has been brought up way more than I wanted it. Check for that kind of thing. Other than that, there's not much to it if they're a decent ME.

edit: other than those mentioned below

 

[LRosario]

well...


pop it into your CD player.



1) If you go "WOW!", then the album is done.

2) If you have a face like you want to fart but you can't quite get it out, then I'd hate to tell you the obvious.


I personally just like to listen for a positive change in "feeling".

Of course I'm leaving out a million steps and pains in the ass, too.

 

[mshilarious]

You need to listen to the entire reference CD in a CD player. That, at a minimum, gives you some assurance it is Red Book. Listen for clicks and pops, anything that might sound like a digital error. Make sure the tracks are in the right order, and the fades, crossfades, track start points are right. If you did CD text, you'd need to check that.

Listening on different systems in different environments should assure you that the disc translates well.

That's the obvious stuff and hopefully since you hired a reputable guy there is no problems there.

As for sound depends really on what your goals were, how well you communicated them, and how well the ME was able to execute. If they did a sample track for you that you approved, the rest of the CD should be consistent. If you used a commercial CD as a target sound, see how you compare. There might be limits as to how close you could get, based on the tracking, but that's something that maybe was defined up front.

 

[Robertt8]

If you did CD text, you'd need to check that.

how do i check for that?

 

[mixandmaster]

how do i check for that?

In a CD player that reads CD Text CDs.

 

[xstatic]

You will know immediately if you sent it to the right person. If you aren't sure after listening to it, than 1 of 2 things has happened.

1. You are such an incredible engineer that you don't need your stuff to be mastered.

or

2. You sent it to the wrong person.

 

[Teacher]

You check for translation first and foremost IMHO

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

pop it into your CD player.

1) If you go "WOW!", then the album is done.

2) If you have a face like you want to fart but you can't quite get it out, then I'd hate to tell you the obvious.

That petty much sums it up. Either you'll like what your hear or you won't.

G.

 

[gtrman_66]

Errors.

As much as the sound quality, which is very important, if I played it in anything and it glitched, popped, farted, skipped or anything else, I'd take a hard look at it real quick. Play it in as many players as you can from start to finish. If you notice a pattern of a problem or problems in the same place on multiple machines, I wouldn't reccomend rushing it off to the manufacturing plant just yet. If you have error checking software, all the better.

 

[Robertt8]

ok...cool thanks.

I highly doubt i've got a cd player that will see text on a cd. how would i know?

also, i don't have any software detection for errors either. I guess we'll just have to listen really close, and take his word for it that he put the text stuff on. speaking of which, is there anything else that should be in the text besides ISRC numbers?

 

[Massive Master]

The BLER (BLock Error Rate for the uninitiated) should be indicated somewhere if it's been checked. It's nothing you're going to hear (unless it's REALLY messed up).

ISRC's (did you supply them?) would be on the PQ log.

Audiograbber (freeware) will read CD-Text - Perhaps even the ISRC's (never tried).

 

[SilverbayJ]

Check for text on CD

Just take your mastered work to a Circuit City or Best Buy and throw it in one of their players with text. Perhaps if the cd player is hooked up to a stereo you can check the mastering while you're there. And if someone happens to ask you about the music, you can promote yourself also. It's a win, win.

 

[SonicAlbert]

This may be an old wive's tale, but I've been told *not* to play the mastered CD that is to be used as the master at the duplication plant. In other words, play it once to make sure it is okay and then don't play it again.

Taking your one master CD to Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. and playing it on a bunch of systems seems like a bad idea to me. At the very least, from the standpoint of all the handling and potential for dropping, fingerprints, scratches, etc.

Ideally, you'll have two identical master CD's. One to listen to a lot on different systems as is being described, and one to keep pristine as the actual master that will be sent to the duplication house.

As far as what to listen for, obviously if you hear any pops or snaps, that could be a problem. But that can also be a problem with the playback CD machine, not necessarily the master CD itself. You also want to listen for the flow of the album, i.e. are the spaces between the songs right, are the levels right between the numbers, that kind of thing.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Sonic Al has it right.

The "master" CD you get back from the mastering house needs to be read properly by only one machine; the one at the duplication facility. Playing this CD in a host of machines does nothing but add wear and open up the possibility of physical damage; in return playing the master will do nothing to tell you how well the production discs will play, since the production discs will be the product of the duplicator, not the ME.

You want to check for polish, track editing and overall levels, Like Al and many others have said here, but that's more to check the quality of the mastering job, not the quality of the disc burn.

If the ME gave you only one disc, listen to it once to check for those things. If they gave you both a master and a master proof disc (which they hopefully did), then use the proof disc and do not play the master itself at all.

Trust the numbers that the ME gave you on error rates, data editing, and so forth. That checklist is like a contract in a way. If the pre-master does wind up causing the duplicator problems because of horrible errors in the burn or in the data, then you have to take it back to the ME and say, hey, there's a screwup here. But if you take that pre-master and audition it all over like a consumer CD, the ME has an out by saying, hey, it was fine when I gave it to you before you went and got it all knocked up.

G.