Good affordable Mastering - if it exists...

[jdier]

I listened to Heptane.
The mixes are lacking bass (which makes the project sound a bit thin), this could be a mixing problem but I'm sure more could have been added at mastering. The cymbals are overpowering. I would have thought the mastering would have maybe compressed the hi end or advised you to remix with the cymbals lower in volume.

How much did you pay for the mastering if you don't mind asking?

Nice tunes btw.
Eck

I will drop you a PM about the cost.

Frankly the MP3 transfers done by the distribution house seemed to suck a lot of life out of the recording. Also, there are certain songs where my mixes had too much top end (specifically Stuck in Moline.)

Again, it is one project, I am one guy. What I can tell you is that what I went in with and what I left with represented an improvement that I felt was worth the money. Better mixes going in would have likely resulted in better mixes coming out.

If you are interested, drop me an IM and I will drop a proper CD in the mail for you to check out. Perhaps you will agree after hearing the CD.

Later,

Jim

 

[talontsiawd]

For those in your 20-30, you can usually find someone who when to school for some sort of music, from production, to engineering, etc. Alot of these people end up doing something else in life but are willing to do work for cheap. I haven't done this personally but some other people i know have used this. Most were content. The few people i know who weren't really didn't spend enough so that it blew their budget.

I looked into this myself for a project that never worked out. After talking to around, the person i was most interested in was going to do a song for free to let me hear it before i paid, was very willing to listen to what my goals were, and was willing to work and comprimise on a budget.

I think this is a good way to go (again, off other people's experiences) on something that will be small. If you are trying to sell maybe 1000 albums, get it on local radio, etc, you can get a good amount of quality for really cheap. Will it sound absolutely professional, no. Will the average listener probably notice, probably not.

 

[TexRoadkill]

Good point. On the other hand, if it is to be released as a professional product, wouldn't it be even more advisable to have it tracked and mixed by a professional?

Sure, but there are a lot of decent bands doing their own recordings. Athlete is one off the top of my head. To put in the amount of time that a creative, quality album requires costs tens of thousands of dollars in even a modest studio. You can have an album mastered by the top people in the industry for less then two grand.

We're having our album mastered by the guy who's done most of the U2 albums for about the cost of a Distressor.

 

[robin watson]

We're having our album mastered by the guy who's done most of the U2 albums for about the cost of a Distressor.

Funny, I was listening to some U2 (amongst other stuff) the other month, comparing mixes, listening primarily for drum sound, but also in general, and was shocked at just how shitty U2 sounded a lot of the time, fucking aweful actually.

That should get me well and truly toasted, but anyway.

 

[TexRoadkill]

Funny, I was listening to some U2 (amongst other stuff) the other month, comparing mixes, listening primarily for drum sound, but also in general, and was shocked at just how shitty U2 sounded a lot of the time, fucking aweful actually.

That should get me well and truly toasted, but anyway.

What albums? They're not afraid to do some lo-fi stuff. I think they generally sound pretty good. What is your idea of a good sounding album?

 

[Bob's Mods]

If you have halfway decent software and equipment and a halfway decent tracking and mixing technique you should not need mastering. The only issue would be setting the levels of all the songs in a compilation and you can do that by ear. If you're just making MP3s for My Space and or Sound Click or even a CD thats not going to see commercial channels then certainly you don't need mastering. If it going to be released commercially then sure. Otherwise keep your money in your pocket or put it somewhere else where its really needed. I'm getting excellant results at home with a good technique and gear. You should be able to do the same.

Bob

 

[Daisy]

Funny, I was listening to some U2 (amongst other stuff) the other month, comparing mixes, listening primarily for drum sound, but also in general, and was shocked at just how shitty U2 sounded a lot of the time, fucking aweful actually.

I've always felt that anyone who actually advocates the use of an sm58 as the primary vocal and overhead mic ... can't be all that concerned with getting a very good production.

But that's just me.

 

[TexRoadkill]

The more I've been comparing U2 against other stuff their drums do sound like ass most of the time. I think the problem is they use up so much low end between the vocals and bass they have to shoehorn the drums and guitars into the rest of the spectrum.

I'm also looking at this guy http://www.gastwirtmastering.com/index.html
He did Damn the Torpedoes which I think is an amazing sounding album, as well as a lot of classic rock stuff and the Mickey Hart Planet Drum stuff.

 

[ecktronic]

I'm also looking at this guy http://www.gastwirtmastering.com/index.html
He did Damn the Torpedoes which I think is an amazing sounding album, as well as a lot of classic rock stuff and the Mickey Hart Planet Drum stuff.

Mastering doesn't make an album sound amazing, thats the job of the recording/mixing engineer/the musicians, and the producer.
The mastering engineer "just" (sounds like its not a big job, but it can be) looks over the mixes making sure everything is ok with them, and adds the finishing touches to them, and gets the mixes ready for pressing.

Eck

 

[talontsiawd]

I wanted to add one thing that isn't technical, philosphical or based of of any professional advice i've heard. Have people listen to your album before you pay to have it mastered, or after you mastered it yourself and get an idea of where it lacks or where it shines, etc. Everyone can have an oppinion of the "right way" to deal with this. I think mastering is one of the more "touchy" subjects in home recording. If your listeners don't feel you need a professional, why should you? If they do feel that it's not up to par, why should you believe that you have the skills to do it yourself. I think people often get lost on that idea. You are either going to get "this sounds homemade" or "i like this" from the listener. They probably won't go further so use that as a base to figure out if you need someone to step in.

 

[Somnium7]

My problem with your advice (I'm not saying its bad) is that getting any kind of feedback from people is harder than pulling teeth. My wife and I are constantly asking people for critiques, comments and reviews. To date we've gotten one, after like more than a year of asking. I've even posted here for feedback and that is where I got that one useful comment. Trying to elicit any kind of useful response from others is a lesson in frustration so far.

So far I have sent the same mix of the same song to 3 different people for mastering. So far I am very impressed with the results I am hearing and I'm also finding it very educational. The returned mixes are cleaner, punchier and better balanced than anything I've done myself. Each of the 3 people involved seem to have very good ears IMO and they are picking up on the problem areas and fixing them. Subtle details and background sounds are being unburied and the muddyness in the bass is getting cleared up.

Each of these people quoted me prices that were very reasonable too. I am very pleased so far. This is working out better than I expected.

 

[Decipha]

just to throw some fuel on the flames...

I've had songs sent out to be 'professionally mastered' and I have yet to hear a song come back that sounded better than when it left. If you want it done right do it yourself. That's the way I feel. And most will agree that my work sounds great. Not just content but production-wise as well.

OP you have a new PM check your inbox

 

[TexRoadkill]

Mastering doesn't make an album sound amazing, thats the job of the recording/mixing engineer/the musicians, and the producer.
The mastering engineer "just" (sounds like its not a big job, but it can be) looks over the mixes making sure everything is ok with them, and adds the finishing touches to them, and gets the mixes ready for pressing.

Eck

Thanks dude, I had no idea what mastering was about.

The way I see it if a guy has given the final touches to an amazing sounding album then he probably isn't going to fuck mine up and he just may know a trick or two to help it sound a little better. But what do I know, I've only been doing this shit for 20 years.

 

[ecktronic]

Thanks dude, I had no idea what mastering was about.

The way I see it if a guy has given the final touches to an amazing sounding album then he probably isn't going to fuck mine up and he just may know a trick or two to help it sound a little better. But what do I know, I've only been doing this shit for 20 years.

Glad to be of help.
Your last post just sounded to me like the album sounded great because that guy mastered it, but I must have read you wrong.

Yeah I suppose the mastering engineer could compress it in such a way that he can keep the drums punchy while still boosting the volume with a limiter/clipping. Thats one thing I've noticed (from my own experiences) that good mastering engineers are good at.

Eck

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

Yeah I suppose the mastering engineer could compress it in such a way that he can keep the drums punchy while still boosting the volume with a limiter/clipping. Thats one thing I've noticed (from my own experiences) that good mastering engineers are good at.

Also remember that not all real MEs work with 2-mixes only. It's not that uncommon when one gets out of the home mastering realm for MEs to work from seperate stems.

G.