learning mastering

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doulos

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i am so sick of this idea that mastering is a big dark dirty secret that not only can you not understand but never comprehend so hand over that dat! blah blah blah there has to be some real help in learning how to master out there i dont care if its a fricken school there has to be a way to learn how to master the only thing ive seen and it was crap was mix books handbook for mastering engineers any real help outh there i know i dont have 300,000 to spend on cutom gear but hell im willing to buy good gear and spend years if it takes that
 
Yes, it does take years (and a LOT of them).
If you're serious about wanting to become a mastering engineer, take some ear training courses, some engineering courses (both audio and electrical), and read everything you can get your hands on. Find a mastering house willing to take you on as an intern or apprentice, and spend the first few of those years just soaking it in. Gradually, you should be able to try your hand at the less important stuff (i.e. nothing that's gonna be released by a label). But if you think there's any kind of quick fix, or "tricks" you can learn in a few months , forget it. It's a combination of developing really good ears, and an encyclopedic knowledge of psychoacoustics and processing gear. Good Luck!

Scott
 
Great advice, Scott - couldn't have said it better myself!
 
if its so hard to master why did Mixerman call mastering engineers glorified tape copiers?

and y do people say if the mix is good mastering engineer does need to do anything but bring the volume up a bit?
 
Teacher said:
if its so hard to master why did Mixerman call mastering engineers glorified tape copiers?

and y do people say if the mix is good mastering engineer does need to do anything but bring the volume up a bit?
Click to expand...

Because if we all knew that, then Mastering engineers would be out of jobs. :D
 
just for those who don't know

Mixerman is supposed to be a very well respected producer/mixer
 
Teacher said:
if its so hard to master why did Mixerman call mastering engineers glorified tape copiers?
Click to expand...
Mixerman has his ideas and opinion about what ME's are to do and not do. His frustration stems from ME's changing and in some cases ruining something he has done. It happens. But the ME and Mixer, producer and Artist better have a god understanding and relationship with each other. I think communication is the key here. I think the two main issues that frustrate Mixerman are, being told he isn't smart enough or good enough to use stereo buss compession at his own discretion. The second reason is some ME's have messed with the stereo field without talking with anyone to whether it was intentional during mix down. Besides there is alot more to making copies of tapes, alot of it has to do with getting the best product possible by manipulating some very complicated issues mixers typically don't deal with day to day. When was the last time a mixer cut a lacquer on a lathe or had to debug a burner that all of a sudden had its BLER's go up?

Teacher said:

and y do people say if the mix is good mastering engineer does need to do anything but bring the volume up a bit?
Click to expand...

Its true, if the mix is good, and the ME is not a ego trip, nothing changes in dynamics etc, the only thing the ME will do is assemble, fades and pop the PQ burst for the dupers.

If mastering engineering wasn't a difficult process, mixers and producers would be doing it no questions asked. Why spend money on something that doesn't matter?

SoMm
 
Teacher said:
just for those who don't know

Mixerman is supposed to be a very well respected producer/mixer
Click to expand...

Mixerman is a very well respected producer/mixer! I deleted the word "supposed" for those who don't really know his work.

SoMm
 
He's also very opinionated (as we all are, whether we want to admit it or not) and even though some opinions are based on fact, some are just opinions. Don't get me wrong here, even though I don't know MM personally, I've read a lot of his posts and have a lot of respect for his expertise and knowledge. I've sensed some personal stuff that may have entered into some of his comments (Dare we be human?)

It takes a lot of ingredients to make an album work well enough so you want to listen to it over and over - sequencing, song-to-song cohesiveness without too much "sameness", working on EVERYBODY'S stereo very well, etc, etc - one of the main ingredients is experience. listening to thousands of songs and learning to hear what works and what sucks, and how to make large, small, or no changes and where -

If you can learn this much overnight, you've obviously got a faster "connection" than the rest of the world, and you should become God of the Universe NOW while you still know everything... Steve
 
Mastering is 10% technical knowledge and 90% ears and experience. All you need to know to do the job is understand EQ, Dynamics Processing and file conversions.

It's the ears and experience to know when to use the tools that is the hard part.
 
doulos,

I feel ya. I used to feel your frustration until I started doing more research on what mastering is. The main thing is, even though there are definitely technical parts about mastering, a lot of it is art. What true art can you learn really quickly? Can creating art be explained in a step-by-step fashion? Sure, someone can write instructions to replicate a painting, but you're not creating art, you're just copying it. Art needs time to develop and it is the art in mastering that takes years to cultivate. Sure, you can read all the manuals of the tools of the trade but learning what to use on each piece of work is where the mastery comes in.

For people like me who can't afford to send their work to be mastered most of the time, I recommend you check out iZotope's Ozone, www.izotope.com . For ears not yet developed, it gives a visual target to shoot for. My work isn't pro level but it's certainly the closest I've gotten so far. At the very least, their tutorial gives a good guide to one way of mastering.
 
Mastering is also about getting mixes to translate 100% of the time instead of 60% or 70%. The typical studio, project or otherwise, ends up having some slight skew somewhere that sounds great on some systems and bad on others. Sucked out low mids, harsh highs, muted highs, flabby bottom, weird 2dB boost around 1.2k (guilty), not enough compression, etc. Most of which has to do with inadequate or shitty monitoring and bad rooms. Mastering engineers fix that as their ears and monitors and rooms are all tuned for accuracy. The fact is that good basic "mastering" tools are available everywhere. Waves' mastering package is not that much $$. Theres excellent software out there that competes and can get the job done but its more about your ears and monitors and room. It also usually ends up being very worthwhile to have another set of educated and experienced ears to work on your mix.
 
Son of Mixerman said:


Mixerman is a very well respected producer/mixer! I deleted the word "supposed" for those who don't really know his work.

SoMm
Click to expand...
Agreed.... but I STILL want to know WHO HE IS!!!! ;)

I'll give you a dollar!!! :eek:
 
i still don't know who he is...and prolly still wouldn't know who he is even if u told me cuz i don't bother too look at who mixed/engineered what LP/song...frankly i don't care..maybe i should start?
 
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