Mastering: Art vs Science?

[Rusty K]

Hello,

I've been making coasters lately since I got real monitors. Funny but I had less problems when I was using my stereo to mix.

My mixes sound fabulous on my monitors and I've gotten them to sound fine on my stereo but I go out to listen to a discman I have hooked up in my truck and they are often too hot. If they are not clipping why am I crapping out on the cheapo players?

I use T-racks and am learning to have a softer touch with it but I'm tired of having to burn a CD to check my mix. It gets expensive. Is there another way?

I've never seen the mastering process in a pro studio but somehow I imagine a formula/visual graph of the wave that is used as a template to insure that the finished product plays on any media successfully. This is the science aspect. Am I even close?

Rusty K

 

[mgraffeo]

Mastering is probably not the issue here. Some multi-band compression (which most people think is synonymous with mastering) may help; however, you should be able to make a mix that will travel pretty well without it. Mastering should take an already good mix, and put the finishing touches on it, not fix egregious problems.

Start by using a tone generator, and take a listen to your monitoring setup with a Sound Pressure Meter ($30 at Radio Shack). You may find that, due to the room you're in, you're not really hearing everything that's there, which is a big part of the translation problem. What you need, first and foremost, is to be able to hear everything that's going on in your mix. That requires good speakers, and a good listening environment. Then, you need to learn what to do with what you're hearing. Experimentation, and time, are your friends.

Also, you mention that you were mixing on a stereo for a long time. You basically have to re-train yourself on how to listen to music, in order to make better mixes on your system. Take some recordings of music in the style you're going for, and listen to them on your reference system. Keep doing that, and try to emulate them. It'll take time, but you'll get there.

-mg

 

[Rusty K]

mgraffeo,

Thanks....very helpful.

I'm not sure I will do the room check. I know my studio is not the best but I also don't know what I would do to change it. It's an office like room off my living room. I think that listening to pro CD's with my system may be my answer and a feasable alternative.

I've got multiband compression available , Cool Edit, but I've never used it. So I would just do something like a compression around 80hz, or whatever, to help solve bass probs?

Does anyone find a spectrum analizer to be helpful in mastering? Am I just wishing it or shouldn't there be a more or less universal graphic representation of a well mixed/mastered audio for CD production?

Rusty K

 

[donkeystyle]

you said that it distorts thru ur diskman that u have hooked up into ur truck................do u have ur volume on ur disk man to high? i don't know if u've already checked.........but if not, that's the first thing i would check.

and the new cool edit pro has a spectrum analyzer if you didn't already know that. but you probably already did............so i'm sorry if i wasn't helpfull at all........

 

[Rusty K]

DS,

You know you may have something there! It was dark in the truck and I have one of those little cassette plugin dealies to play through the car system. If you don't set the levels right everything sounds like crap.

I have CEPro so I knew about the spectrum analyzer but I've heard mixed reviews here about using them. Many opt for trusting your ears....I lean that way but for pro mastering I'm still back to my original question. Is it art or science? I would like some enlightenment.


Thanks,
RK

 

[zallen25]

I would have to say......Mastering is an Art with the knowledge of the science, but mostly an art, and well trained ears.

 

[donkeystyle]

yeah i hardly know anything about recording........and even less about mastering..........so i dunno what to tell ya.......but i would think it's both.