Home Mastering - What Do You Use?

gregoryg said:
Ok, well you're not really giving me much to work with here, just kind of tossing out accusations and then not really providing any examples, which makes it hard for me to address whatever it is I said that was contradictory. I imagine at this point it doesn't really matter though.
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It doesn't really matter, Gregory. Bottom line is this: We probably don't disagree as much as it seems on this topic. We were just sort of talking past each other. My "contradiction" statement came about because it seemed to me that you were taking the whole Ozone thing personally for no reason while saying that you weren't. Especially since all I was saying is that it's no better or worse than separate plug-ins. If I got the wrong impression about your reaction, I apologize. I've always found you to be cool and we've never had a problem with each other. We probably just mis-understood each other on a few things.
 
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If the mix is good, mastering should only be about two things: Final polish and levels and gelling with the other tracks planned for the EP or album. A good mix will sound good, and it is only the levels that need to be brought up from, say around -12db to maybe -10db. A bit of final EQ on the stereo track to give it the desired polish as a whole.
Mastering is about seeing stereo tracks in the context of listening to them in a particular order and judging whether there is a common feel or identity with them all. Obviously this entails getting the average levels to be the same so that a listener can sit back and enjoy the album without having to constantly reach for the volume knob. EQ gives a sense of identity of the overall album - a nice jingly-jangly album, or a rich dark-sounding album, etc.

In order to achieve this, I would suspect people already have the plugins they need to accomplish the job. One limiter, one EQ. Perhaps a touch of reverb? Nothing wrong with Ozone or T-Racks or anything else, if you use them as a basis for tweaking. But the master should only be the polished version of an already good mix.
 
I have 2 Tascams (DP-008ex and DP-32). I often go straight into the recorder from the guitar pedal or keyboard. On mixing, you'll find that your tastes will change, both in mix downs, eq, style, etc. As you improve musically, you'll find that your mixes of a few years back will seem sort of stilted. The whole point, though, is that you should be enjoying it, getting better, and learning. I am not trying to be a studio technician, I am producing music that requires my effort, attention, and therefore, satisfaction. It's a process; a process of getting better, enjoying yourself and having some proof of what you did. So many other hobbies are much less fruitful than this one. Enjoy!
 
^^^^^^No offense, man. But what the hell does that have to do with this thread?^^^^^^
 
Rick153 said:
I have 2 Tascams (DP-008ex and DP-32). I often go straight into the recorder from the guitar pedal or keyboard.
On mixing, you'll find that your tastes will change, both in mix downs, eq, style, etc. As you improve musically, you'll find that your mixes of a few years back will seem sort of stilted. The whole point, though, is that you should be enjoying it, getting better, and learning. I am not trying to be a studio technician, I am producing music that requires my effort, attention, and therefore, satisfaction. It's a process; a process of getting better, enjoying yourself and having some proof of what you did. So many other hobbies are much less fruitful than this one. Enjoy!
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Rick, I have years of experience on this board and others. I often go straight into the board from my experience. On spending more time here, you'll find that your approach to this board will change, both in understanding, interactions, style, etc. As you improve intellectually, you'll find that your off-topic posts of a few years back will seem sort of...off-topic. The whole point, though, is that you should be paying attention, getting better, and learning. You are not trying to be a pro writer, you are producing posts that require your effort, attention and therefore, relevance. It's a process; a process of getting better, enjoying yourself and staying on-topic. So many other responses to your off-topic post are much less useful than this one. Enjoy!
 
dobro said:
Rick, I have years of experience on this board and others. I often go straight into the board from my experience. On spending more time here, you'll find that your approach to this board will change, both in understanding, interactions, style, etc. As you improve intellectually, you'll find that your off-topic posts of a few years back will seem sort of...off-topic. The whole point, though, is that you should be paying attention, getting better, and learning. You are not trying to be a pro writer, you are producing posts that require your effort, attention and therefore, relevance. It's a process; a process of getting better, enjoying yourself and staying on-topic.
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That was classic, but.....

So many other responses to your off-topic post are much less useful than this one.
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I beg to differ. :D
 
RAMI said:
Not much. All those "Mastering Suites" (marketing genius!!!!) are really just a bunch of tools bundled in the same program and given a cool name. I don't think they're any better or worse than just using those same tools separately, so I'm not putting them down. But to answer your question, they don't do anything that a separate limiter, EQ, etc....will give you. They just happen to come in a package with a few other useless tools, like "Stereo enhancer" (I've never heard a mix that wasn't ruined by adding that shit on it).
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I've found it to be a useful tool on some material. It's used pretty sparsely and usually applied to a particular range. Recently I mixed and eventually mastered an album of Native American Flute music...which is pretty cool. I used the spatial enhancer applied to a reverb bus to gently spread the width of a wind patch...it was eerie when I finished it. I also used it sparingly on a few tracks to help open up the middle of the mix. IT's very, very easy to abuse but if used with a specific end in mind, it can be beneficial. Just my opinion.....
 
Rick153 said:
I have 2 Tascams (DP-008ex and DP-32). I often go straight into the recorder from the guitar pedal or keyboard. On mixing, you'll find that your tastes will change, both in mix downs, eq, style, etc. As you improve musically, you'll find that your mixes of a few years back will seem sort of stilted. The whole point, though, is that you should be enjoying it, getting better, and learning. I am not trying to be a studio technician, I am producing music that requires my effort, attention, and therefore, satisfaction. It's a process; a process of getting better, enjoying yourself and having some proof of what you did. So many other hobbies are much less fruitful than this one. Enjoy!
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Trying to get to your 10th post?
 
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