mastering engineer's pet peeves: re-reloaded

[9thWardRecords]

say i'm working on an album... i'm completely aware that i'm no mastering engineer, but i want to make my mix the best i can so i don't piss off the engineer doing my mastering.

(yes my shift is broken... no seriously, its not even there)

post all your tips or things a producer or recording artist should not do while recording tracks in this thread.

here's an example: ive got this Waves plug-in that claims to do some mastering shit on this one preset. it comes close, but not close enough. should even fuck with it, or will it just make the mastering engineer's job harder?

(btw, i'm working with a chinase guy named Ming Chong who's a country goth rapper! wtf?!?!? )

 

[Farview]

If you have to ask the question, don't do it.

There is nothing you can do to 'help' the mastering engineer except make the mix sound as good as possible. It needs to be balanced well and not pegged or limited or otherwise fooled with.

 

[Massive Master]

That's about what it comes down to. Do whatever the mix asks you to do with the exception of doing anything simply for the sake of volume (almost undoubtedly what the "mastering" preset is doing). Once you limit your dynamic range, you're limiting (no pun intended) what your mastering guy is capable of also - Not in respect to volume - but in respect to everything else. Well, and volume also.

 

[Ronan]

I always recommend that engineers just starting out put absolutely nothing on the master buss if its going to go out to mastering (or even if you are going to master yourself at a later date). That EQ might sound better to you working at home but I feel pretty confident that a guy like John Scripp is going to have a much better EQ than what almost any home studio will have and a better idea of how to use it.

Almost anything you are going to do on the master buss, you can do at a later date without any significant compromise, but I have seen tons of guys mixing at home wreck their mixes with bad 2buss processing.

 

[Waltz Mastering]

A short list...

Preparation for mastering...... things to keep in mind when mixing to assure proper mastering:

Do not hit "Digital Zero". To assure that your mix does not clip, please keep your "peak" level below "0"

Generally, what ever sample rate and bit depth your recording session is set for, should be the sample rate and bit depth of your mixes. If you recorded at 24 bit 44.1 Khz, Your mixes should be 24 bit 44.1 Khz. If your digital mixdowns are 16-bit, 44.1KHz then you can just burn an audio disc. If your sessions and mix down's are 24bit, 44.1Khz or higher then you will need to burn a data disc (not an audio disc). You do not have up-sample because there is no advantage to doing this.

Use quality media for your studio master. I use and recommend Taiyo Yuden, Mitsui and Ridata CDR media, as these brands yield very low error rates. You can use any quality media.

Avoid applying any dynamics processing to the stereo mixdown when mixing unless you feel that the mix doesn't work without the effect in place. Especially with the advent of DAW (digital audio workstation) mixing, engineers are frequently tempted to place compressors or limiters on their stereo mix buss in order to boost levels for clients. This makes the mastering engineer's work much more difficult. Unless you feel that removing dynamics processing from the stereo buss will negatively impact the aesthetic of a given mix, remove it and let the mastering engineer get the dynamics where they need to be during the mastering process.

You do not need to mixdown your master in sequence. However, if you do not, you will need to send either a "mock up" CD (created in a DAW) that explains the sequence, required fades/edits and timings between tracks or a detailed written note with this information.

Listen to the studio master very carefully before finishing the mixdown session to ensure there are no problems with the master (sequencing issues, clicks, pops, bad edits, dropouts, etc.).

If possible, have your engineer make a back up the mixes.