Is it possible to do final mix so good that it doesn't need to be mastered?

[istyle]

just wondering
cos i don't know how much each track should be treated
thnx

 

[dobro]

That's what I'm aiming for, yeah, but then the stuff I'm doing these days is just voice and acoustic guitar, so it's pretty easy to get levels and EQ and effects sounding like they all belong with each other on the same CD. My guess is that the more complicated the mix, the greater the need to master (and by someone other than yourself). Not that I've actually done what I'm talking about, mind.

 

[bvaleria]

Yes... it's possible, just really HARD to do. Hard enough with really good gear, even harder with a more modest setup. (Note that I'm talking about the process of MASTERING -- not just running your final mixes thru a unit like the Finalizer and *believing* it's been mastered!!!)

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

 

[John Sayers]

You must remember that a Mastering Engineer was a guy who transfered your final mix (usually on 1/4" tape) to a record using a disc cutter. This was a specialised field involving getting correct levels and proper EQ settings as too much bass for example would swing the cutter too far and the needle would cut into the adjacent track causing the record to jump so naturally the ones who were good at it gained a reputation for good mastering.

Nowadays there is no special skill involved in making a master for a CD. The major's still do it because they've learnt to trust the skills of the specialists and their ear for commercial sound but I reckon it's a dying trade.

cheers
John

 

[Prism]

It always sounds better in the headphones while you're recording, than when you play it back.

Isaiah

 

[bvaleria]

Nowadays there is no special skill involved in making a master for a CD. The major's still do it because they've learnt to trust the skills of the specialists and their ear for commercial sound but I reckon it's a dying trade.

Well, not quite... the art of mastering has evolved from processing to ensure the disc was cut properly on the lathe (as you mentioned) to knowing how/when to tweak EQ/Compression/mix balance so the recordings sound balanced and even from track to track.
The best mastering houses usually have the highest calibre of gear, and engineers fanatical about details in sound recordings (along with the golden ears!) that REALLY know how to work the gear -- note I said "the best". There's a lot of mediocre places out there too - you have to shop around!

It may be dying from the point of view that people do their own "home-mastering" which is absolutely ludicrous - but the mastering process is really the difference between a finished product and a sequence final mixes thrown together on the same CD... If it really is dying, that's a shame 'cos it means there are going to be even more poor-quality recordings to look forward to in the future....

Bruce Valeriani
Blue Bear Sound

 

[ffmada]

i'll second that, Bruce

 

[hitman]

ditto

i've been studying the art of mastering for the last little while and i agree with bruce. most D.A.W.s have onboard mastering tools but it usually just a once page plug-in equipped with eq, compression,limiting etc. but the process is much more complex, involving very high end equippment, usually set up in pairs (it's a stereo thing) and calibrated to exacting specs. Most people don't even realize that most fade-outs at the end of tracks are done at the mastering house. HITMAN.

 

[JC Lives]

Not to mention the high end (trained) ears that are attatched to the engineer.

 

[John Sayers]

The best compliment I get from mastering engineers is "I didn't have to do anything"

Cheers