mastering help!

[GuitardedMark]

I'm still pretty noob about a lot of engineering processes. I have a good ear but I'm starting to feel very limited with the tools I'm using due to a lack of understanding. I need some helping on mastering. I have no idea what to do after I want to put the song to a cd.

 

[Massive Master]

Could you elaborate on this a little...?

 

[GuitardedMark]

What I've been doing (in cubase and I just started using reaper) is making a song and then just burning it to a cd. I basically have no idea what the mastering process includes. Things like rendering, compression of the whole mix, and things like that. Is there like a starters guide for mastering?

 

[Washburn100]

Well, there is a whole forum called "Mastering" instead of the newbies forum. You can start reading through there. Also, just do some searching under mastering and get a better understanding about it.

You question was just too vague (well other than asking about a starters guide) Here is a link to the Ozone 4 mastering guide. It is specific to Ozone, but has a lot of good general information as well;
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/OzoneMasteringGuide.PDF

 

[GuitardedMark]

Well, there is a whole forum called "Mastering" instead of the newbies forum. You can start reading through there. Also, just do some searching under mastering and get a better understanding about it.

You question was just too vague (well other than asking about a starters guide) Here is a link to the Ozone 4 mastering guide. It is specific to Ozone, but has a lot of good general information as well;
http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/OzoneMasteringGuide.PDF

Sorry I thought they would just refer me here. Clearly I have no real idea what is considered "mastering"

 

[kcearl]

mastering is all about getting tracks to sound balanced...it would involve making sure that each track has a similar sound through EQing and using compression and a limiter to balance the loudness..

but large spikes in frequency or volume should not be fixed here, but rather back in the mixes

other items such as stereo enhancers and exciters can be used to enhance the sound but they are also the very tools that can destroy a mix...

I have to admit I seldom post a track in its raw mixed state as I find a final EQing brings more balance to the track and I like the loudness up as I will listen to my tracks while out and need them a decent volume..i also like to use a multiband compressor at this stage but it may be more genre specific

its one of the most interesting parts of the music production process I think...as for something that appears, on paper, so little can actually make such a big difference

 

[GuitardedMark]

Is there a way I could send someone the project files of some of my stuff and have them master it with cubase se?

 

[kcearl]

Is there a way I could send someone the project files of some of my stuff and have them master it with cubase se?

you can send your stuff online as mixes or as a mixes and stems (I think some prefer it) but its not free...some will do a track for free...but no point in sending it to someone just above your level of knowledge here...easier for you to do it yourself and if you've got an EQ,and compressor, and a limiter in cubase se you've got all the tools you need to start learning..


just mix leaving plenty of headroom (-14db roughly), bounce it down to a stereo wave file and then open it in a new project...if you are doing this with a few just open then in separate tracks.....you can also stick in a track of something in a similar genre (good quality mind not some rip of the internet) and use it as a reference..

if you dont trust your ears fully then download voxengo span (its free) and stick it on each track and you can see how the EQ looks as well as listen..

experiment dude...its a lot more fun than its daunting