masteringhouse
www.masteringhouse.com
Thanks Harvey. No apologies necessary all of the folks that you mentioned are great. There's no shortage of capable MEs the tough part is choosing one that you like working with.
Thanks Harvey. No apologies necessary all of the folks that you mentioned are great. There's no shortage of capable MEs the tough part is choosing one that you like working with.
dobro
Well-known member
smellyfuzz
New member
While You all here, i need a favor.
Please comment!
Please comment!
G
Grahamrunsran
New member
Mastering etc
Bulletboy5150 -
I know of one site that let's you "turn the mastering on and off" while listening to a song so you can hear the before and after. If anything it's at least a cool demonstration of what mastering can do.
Have a great day man!
[Moderator's Note: Hey Chris, I sent you a PM]
Bulletboy5150 -
I know of one site that let's you "turn the mastering on and off" while listening to a song so you can hear the before and after. If anything it's at least a cool demonstration of what mastering can do.
Have a great day man!
[Moderator's Note: Hey Chris, I sent you a PM]
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xxl
remember the future
like kc said, ozone is the way to go! 
honestly, ozone can get you great results and for half the price.
honestly, ozone can get you great results and for half the price.
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Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
A) Many of us think that Ozone is sorta crappy - but that's beside the point.
(If you didn't notice, KC was joking)
B) Don't even ELUDE to software piracy around here please...
(If you didn't notice, KC was joking)
B) Don't even ELUDE to software piracy around here please...
xxl
remember the future
... says the guy with the mastering business.
i know you're trying to get the poor guy as a customer and get his money, but let's be realistic. ozone is far from "crappy" and it's really well talked about by many producers. it is a powerful plugin that will get you AMAZING results.
whoever wants to confirm if ozone is good or not, google about it and research producers forums, articles and such. see if it's as "crappy" as johnny says
and i could care less if KC was joking... so what? what's your point? lol.
i know you're trying to get the poor guy as a customer and get his money, but let's be realistic. ozone is far from "crappy" and it's really well talked about by many producers. it is a powerful plugin that will get you AMAZING results.
whoever wants to confirm if ozone is good or not, google about it and research producers forums, articles and such. see if it's as "crappy" as johnny says
and i could care less if KC was joking... so what? what's your point? lol.
Massive Master
www.massivemastering.com
(Says the guy who likes Ozone...)
No, I'm not trying to "get the poor guy's money" -- And I'm not suggesting anything other than relying on the ears. I work with some fairly stellar engineers who use Ozone (even most of them call it "blow-zone") to give the "quick hype" recordings to send home with the clients. It's not particularly crappy in the hands of someone who knows what to listen for and who knows what they're looking for - But it's far from an ideal application for "self-mastering" -- As it concentrates on things that a typical mastering engineers rarely ever use.
It's got a whole lot of rope to hang yourself with. I've heard more than a few (hundred) perfectly decent mixes get trashed from "starting with a nice preset" on Ozone...
No doubt - If you need more 'radical' and non-typical tools, there you go. But I'd much rather just try to figure out why such radical applications would be necessary and fix it at the mix level.
No, I'm not trying to "get the poor guy's money" -- And I'm not suggesting anything other than relying on the ears. I work with some fairly stellar engineers who use Ozone (even most of them call it "blow-zone") to give the "quick hype" recordings to send home with the clients. It's not particularly crappy in the hands of someone who knows what to listen for and who knows what they're looking for - But it's far from an ideal application for "self-mastering" -- As it concentrates on things that a typical mastering engineers rarely ever use.
It's got a whole lot of rope to hang yourself with. I've heard more than a few (hundred) perfectly decent mixes get trashed from "starting with a nice preset" on Ozone...
No doubt - If you need more 'radical' and non-typical tools, there you go. But I'd much rather just try to figure out why such radical applications would be necessary and fix it at the mix level.
saads
Baka
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Is that "producer" or "producah"?
There's few *real* pro producers that I have run into or read from that consider Ozone to be much more than an average tool bundle at best, and even fewer producer/engineers (i.e. producers who can actually pilot the gear themselves) who care to use Ozone for much more than it's dithering tool.
And no, I am not a mastering engineer, nor am I trolling for business; frankly I can't take new business at this time. I'm just a mix engineer/producer who has been at this racket in one form or another for some thirty years and who feels ill every time he hears someone refer to Ozone as "mastering software" because it has virtually nothing to do with mastering.
G.
Chili
Site Moderator
xxl
remember the future
LOL
calm down there johnny.Is that "producer" or "producah"? /RANDOM
ooooooookaaaaaaayyyyyyyy. where did that come from? wtf.
saads
Baka
The link is in his signature.
Haha, thanks Chili. I wonder how i missed that...
Speaking of all these mastering services, how do you guys feel about people recording at home, mixing at home, and sending the almost finished product to be mastered? Is it a decent, cheaper alternative ?
SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
I personally have the greatest respect for the real, professional mastering services performed by John and the two Toms (and others of similar caliber), and heartily recommend them for any serious project.
But I'm glad you phrased your question the way you have, because it brings up something that has always kind of bugged me about the thought process involved in the decision. Ask anybody who knows what they are actually talking about - including a good mastering engineer, BTW - and they will tell you how important it is to front-load the quality in any production; i.e. that you gotta start with a great performance and great tracking to even have a chance at a great mix, and that a great, *complete* mixing job is really what makes the mastering really shine.
Yet it is extremely rare around these parts to find artists who consider spending their budget on professional tracking or mixing, but quite common to find them willing to spend it on mastering.
The reason is they spend all their money on entry-to-mid-level gear at best, spend a year or so of their time just trying to learn how to use it (usually sacrificing actual practice of their music in the process), make a basic recording, phone in the mixing, and then realize their stuff just doesn't sound as good as the rest of their playlist, so they then have to fall on the mastering engineer to try and pull the rabbit out of the hat for them by - instead of actually mastering their project- having the mastering engineer try and fix all the problems they introduced by doing a dubious job of tracking and mixing.
Ya wanna do it right? Don't record until you're ready to record; there's no hurry to get something on meSapce before some deadline just because your buddy did already, and when you do do it, either take the time or the money to get it right out of the gate.
You can still decide how and who you want to master it when the time comes, and any *real* MEs will do (this does NOT mean some kid in a bedroom with a PC and a crack of Waves.) But don't wait until then to get it right.
G.
saads
Baka
That is SO true. Do you think they would be better off sending it out to get mixed rather than mastered ?
Waltz Mastering
New member
Depends on what one would excel at. Some people specialize at writing, or producing. or tracking, or mixing, or mastering.
Very few can do it all very well...I have yet to buy a cd or song off itunes from someone who does it all. Have you? Is there a successful commercial release out there, where it's all done by one person?
It's very easy for someone with a daw, mic and a few plugs to come up with mediocre results in any of the above, but if your planning on spending the time and money to seriously promote a record why would you settle on mediocre?
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SouthSIDE Glen
independentrecording.net
Personally, saads, I'd usually recommend first a qualified/experienced producer/manager and let him/her help develop the act and make enough money and at least local rep to have the luxury of making the decision. One that has both the contacts in the local music community in the studio and session ends and the ear to make the right decisions, who has the cred and the know-how to fanagle discount deals with local engineers and who knows which engineers to bother fanagling such deals with.
Of course you have to have an act that such a producer/manager is going to feel it's worthwhile taking on. But if you do, not only would such help be in the best position to decide where - if anywhere - to best invest in pro studio time, and even more, how to get the most out of the time and money spent there.
As far as one person doing it all, I agree with Tom W. Just for example, I consider myself a pretty decent mix engineer/project producer, but I would never call myself a mastering engineer. I have heard stuff done by *pupils* of Tom Volpicelli - student mastering engineers only - that would put my skillz in mastering to shame. Just imagine what Tom V. himself could do. I'll stick to mixing, thank you very much.
That said, though, there are the Brian Enos, Alan Parsons and even Mobys out there that *could* do it all themselves, and do so pretty professionally. But even they tend to hand off at least some of their duties to others because they know it's better to have quality help and another set of seasoned ears than it is to go it alone the entire way.
G.
mixmkr
we don't need rest!!
Hey don't forget Todd Rundgren ...
Speaking for myself, I just had a CD mastered by Tom and was pretty well pleased. I've been recording a long time and I'm sure Tom may have "rolled his eyes" on some of the recordings I sent him, but in the end, it helped to compile the total CD.
Honestly, and I'll say this now, it didn't make a HUGE change to my mixes, and Tom may or may not agree with that...., but it helped to put them all in the same ballpark. I also, without trying to toot my horn, made me feel my mixes were fairly decent to begin with.
I did send a couple of tracks that were substandard in my opinion, but was beyond the point of wanting to even deal with them anymore. I really needed to retrack them, versus mixing actually...and that's another story. However, it pulled them up to be OK with the other tunes.
Anyrate, I MIGHT could come close in mastering my own junk (Tom don't laugh!!), but Tom did a great job and I'd recommend him highly. I've heard before and afters of Massive too, and I don't think you'd go wrong with him either.
so... I'd say you get that extra 5%. Think of your school grades...on the scale of 100 being an A... 90 being a B...60 flunking. Grade your own mix and add 3-5 points.
... Speaking for myself, I just had a CD mastered by Tom and was pretty well pleased. I've been recording a long time and I'm sure Tom may have "rolled his eyes" on some of the recordings I sent him, but in the end, it helped to compile the total CD.
Honestly, and I'll say this now, it didn't make a HUGE change to my mixes, and Tom may or may not agree with that...., but it helped to put them all in the same ballpark. I also, without trying to toot my horn, made me feel my mixes were fairly decent to begin with.
I did send a couple of tracks that were substandard in my opinion, but was beyond the point of wanting to even deal with them anymore. I really needed to retrack them, versus mixing actually...and that's another story. However, it pulled them up to be OK with the other tunes.
Anyrate, I MIGHT could come close in mastering my own junk (Tom don't laugh!!), but Tom did a great job and I'd recommend him highly. I've heard before and afters of Massive too, and I don't think you'd go wrong with him either.
so... I'd say you get that extra 5%. Think of your school grades...on the scale of 100 being an A... 90 being a B...60 flunking. Grade your own mix and add 3-5 points.
saads
Baka
I see what you guys are saying. The reason i ask is, the music industry here is a little different, nothing like I've seen back in the U.S. Here, there's only a handful of "music studios" in the country, and since there's no competition the owners have no motivation to improve their skills. Theres only one studio that records live drums, and the guy charges the equivalent of $1,000 per song. That's excluding tracking time. Everyone else charges per song. What bands here do is, they get some money and go to these 'studios' (most guys here would laugh if they saw these ) to get their songs recorded. It's all recorded, mixed, and mastered by one guy, the owner.The finished product isn't too bad, but i was wondering if people would be better off tracking at home, and sending it to one of these mastering services in the U.S, or getting it mixed over there. With the internet being a part of everyday life, why be restricted to giving your hard earned money to some kid in a basement with some fancy stuff?
) to get their songs recorded. It's all recorded, mixed, and mastered by one guy, the owner.The finished product isn't too bad, but i was wondering if people would be better off tracking at home, and sending it to one of these mastering services in the U.S, or getting it mixed over there. With the internet being a part of everyday life, why be restricted to giving your hard earned money to some kid in a basement with some fancy stuff?
Waltz Mastering
New member
Todd Rundgren was a big influence for me growing up, but even his latest album "Arena" which he recorded and mixed on a laptop with reaper and headphones while on tour was mastered, I think by Bernie Grundman.
http://mixonline.com/recording/tracking/music-todd-rundgren/
The production on his albums like "Something/Anything" or "A Wizard A True Star" was pretty amazing for the time.
Kings X is another artist that comes close (but no cigar).
BTW, thanks for the kind words... and Happy Holiday's to everyone on the forum.
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