T
threeundersix
New member
Which programs do you use to master songs you have just recorded.
Thanks
Thanks
R
RSM1000
New member
threeundersix said:
Welp. Expalin a little. Did you record the tracks into a program?
I mean, ultimately mastering means taking all the tracks and making them one, often including some EQ and effect adjustments in between.
So what do you have the tracks on?
I mean if you used an editing program, all you have to do is export to mp3 or wav and that's mastering!!!
Porter
aka WookieMan
Re: Re: How Do You Master
No, there is a little more to it than that..... This question would probably be more for the
Mixing / Mastering forum here. The question has be asked numerous times and a majority of the time it isn't software as much as Hardware.. a/d converters, pre-amps, compressors.
Then there is the technique... years of experience and a good set of ears and monitors (and good environment).
At most basic, yes you could export to mp3 or wav... then arrange the tracks into the order they will appear on the CD, then determine the amount of 'bank' space after the song ends and the next one begins, then determine the levels of each track... and that is only touching the basics.
Porter
RSM1000 said:
No, there is a little more to it than that..... This question would probably be more for the
Mixing / Mastering forum here. The question has be asked numerous times and a majority of the time it isn't software as much as Hardware.. a/d converters, pre-amps, compressors.
Then there is the technique... years of experience and a good set of ears and monitors (and good environment).
At most basic, yes you could export to mp3 or wav... then arrange the tracks into the order they will appear on the CD, then determine the amount of 'bank' space after the song ends and the next one begins, then determine the levels of each track... and that is only touching the basics.
Porter
K
Kryogh
New member
I mainly use iZotope Ozone 2, followed by Waves L2.
...If we can call this "mastering"...
...If we can call this "mastering"...
MiXit-G
New member
Untill i win Lotto.... for the time being i use T-Racks.
keilson
New member
wow RSM1000 is already a mastering engineer!
Porter
aka WookieMan
keilson said:
Considering that he is confusing a mix down to mastering... he sure is!!!!!
Porter
AlChuck
Well-known member
Boy, I love these kinds of posts. It's like posting
"How do I be a physicist?"
on a physics newsgroup, or
"Tell me what I need to be a brain surgeon"
on a medical newsgroup.
"How do I be a physicist?"
on a physics newsgroup, or
"Tell me what I need to be a brain surgeon"
on a medical newsgroup.
Toki987
Rock Steady
AlChuck said:
Isn`t there a magazine or something you can order to know all this stuff?
Slackmaster2K
Gone
Sigh, you guys
Typically you're going to be using a decent editing package such as Wavelab or Soundforge, neither of which is cheap. Then you might have something like the Waves pack of plugins, which will include the necessary tools to get the job done: a great limiter, compressor, and lots of EQ options.
What kind of "mastering" do you want to do? It's kind of a sloppy term. It can mean taking many tracks and getting them to sit well together. It can also mean just taking a single mixdown and trying to make the most of it. Basically, any work you do to your stereo mixdown is going to be called mastering.
For instance, after I get a good mix I'll typically pass it through a limiter, achieving a max of say 3db attenuation so nothing is too smashed up. This just sort of maximizes the mean power of the mix without sacrificing any quality (if done lightly). I might also EQ out some of the real low end if there is any. Then of course I get the beginning and end fades (if necessary). That's just some easy amature stuff...I don't know enough to speak well about it, but know enough to make my final product just a tad nicer.
Now that's not really "mastering" like a professional would consider mastering, it's just taking a mixdown and polishing it up for end listeners. Really I try to worry much more about the mix, because that's where the real power comes from. Can't polish a turd I guess they might say.
Anyhow, to do at least this much you need a wave editor and a few plugins.
Slackmaster 2000
Typically you're going to be using a decent editing package such as Wavelab or Soundforge, neither of which is cheap. Then you might have something like the Waves pack of plugins, which will include the necessary tools to get the job done: a great limiter, compressor, and lots of EQ options.
What kind of "mastering" do you want to do? It's kind of a sloppy term. It can mean taking many tracks and getting them to sit well together. It can also mean just taking a single mixdown and trying to make the most of it. Basically, any work you do to your stereo mixdown is going to be called mastering.
For instance, after I get a good mix I'll typically pass it through a limiter, achieving a max of say 3db attenuation so nothing is too smashed up. This just sort of maximizes the mean power of the mix without sacrificing any quality (if done lightly). I might also EQ out some of the real low end if there is any. Then of course I get the beginning and end fades (if necessary). That's just some easy amature stuff...I don't know enough to speak well about it, but know enough to make my final product just a tad nicer.
Now that's not really "mastering" like a professional would consider mastering, it's just taking a mixdown and polishing it up for end listeners. Really I try to worry much more about the mix, because that's where the real power comes from. Can't polish a turd I guess they might say.
Anyhow, to do at least this much you need a wave editor and a few plugins.
Slackmaster 2000
AlChuck
Well-known member
I saw a special on TV about it, so I think I'm qualified to discuss it...
Toki987
Rock Steady
that was cool and concise Slack, without draggin it out. I read along through the "Mastering thread of all threads" a few months back and it would have taken about 14 daily sessions on c-span to cover it. Man, that was tiring......
G
gordone
Well-known member
Don't forget a well-tuned room and a highly accurate monitoring system so you can hear EXACTLY what's going on with the song. I don't have either of these, so I don't pretend to master. I just try to get the best sounding mix I can.
cominginsecond
Decentralized Media Mogul
How do I master? I pay a mastering engineer.
R
RWhite
Well-known member
Ditto with Slack.
In my case, I record in Cakewalk. When finished with a project I export ("mix down") a stereo 24 bit wave file. I load that file into Sound Forge and do what could be (very loosely) called "mastering" - working with compression or volume leveling. Then I save it as a final, finished 16 bit stereo wave file.
People around here get twitchy about the word "mastering". In my view it's a just process and a skill, not some mystical Zen ability. Or to put it another way - "anyone can master, but only a few can do it well".
If you want it done really well, pay someone who's good to do it for you. But if you're just a hacker like me, do it yourself and view it as a fun thing to practice.
In my case, I record in Cakewalk. When finished with a project I export ("mix down") a stereo 24 bit wave file. I load that file into Sound Forge and do what could be (very loosely) called "mastering" - working with compression or volume leveling. Then I save it as a final, finished 16 bit stereo wave file.
People around here get twitchy about the word "mastering". In my view it's a just process and a skill, not some mystical Zen ability. Or to put it another way - "anyone can master, but only a few can do it well".
If you want it done really well, pay someone who's good to do it for you. But if you're just a hacker like me, do it yourself and view it as a fun thing to practice.
S
sm2k
New member
cominginsecond said:
How do I mix? I pay a mixing engineer.
How do I track? I pay a tracking engineer.
How do I play guitar? I pay a guitar virtuoso.
...
Slackmaster 2000
cominginsecond
Decentralized Media Mogul
sm2k said:How do I mix? I pay a mixing engineer.
How do I track? I pay a tracking engineer.
How do I play guitar? I pay a guitar virtuoso.
...
Slackmaster 2000
Not even comparable, and you know it.
S
sm2k
New member
The only thing that's not comparable is the illusion of a mastering engineer being some shut-in genius with giant ears. Those are only the big guys. Most mastering that's going to happen on small releases is done by your run of the mill engineer, if that!
Slackmaster 2000
Slackmaster 2000
P
Ptron
New member
Toki987 said:
Hey, how do I find this "Mastering thread of all threads". I wanna read it. Well...some of it at least.
Ptron
S
shAkEz_gk
New member
Noone on here can master, it takes years and years before you can learn to do it right.