Mastering program?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Goss-stick
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Goss-stick

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I'm a newbie when it comes to mastering and would like to know whats a good program to start using?
 
It depends on what you mean by mastering. If you're using the traditional definition of prepping your songs to work together in an album and prepping them for their final duplication medium, I recommend the Sound Forge/CD Architect bundle from Sony.

If you mean the newfangled newbie Internet definition of mastering as meaning making a not-so-good-sounding mix sound good, then whatever your favorite tools (EQs, compressors, etc.) that you use for the mixing phase will work just as well for modifying the 2-mix.

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
It depends on what you mean by mastering. If you're using the traditional definition of prepping your songs to work together in an album and prepping them for their final duplication medium, I recommend the Sound Forge/CD Architect bundle from Sony.

If you mean the newfangled newbie Internet definition of mastering as meaning making a not-so-good-sounding mix sound good, then whatever your favorite tools (EQs, compressors, etc.) that you use for the mixing phase will work just as well for modifying the 2-mix.

G.
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Lol yes I mean by preparing each song to sound all one level for an album. Sound forge/cd architech bundle from sony? Do they have that on Mac?
 
WaveEditor for the Mac. Freakishly full-featured (up to and including DDP export *and import*), freakishly inexpensive (although some of us paid "full price" for it back when it was newer).

Bias Peak, Sonic Solutions PMCD... I understand WaveLab is being ported to Mac soon also.
 
Goss-stick said:
Sound forge/cd architech bundle from sony? Do they have that on Mac?
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Oops, sorry, my oversight. I only do Wintel and I forget about the Apple folks sometimes. My bad. No, the Sony stuff is Widows only last time I looked. For Cupertino CPU cooks, I'd bow to Massive's advice above.

G.
 
Massive Master said:
WaveEditor for the Mac. Freakishly full-featured (up to and including DDP export *and import*), freakishly inexpensive (although some of us paid "full price" for it back when it was newer).

Bias Peak, Sonic Solutions PMCD... I understand WaveLab is being ported to Mac soon also.
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Waveditor it is then!! Thx folks
 
^^^ not sure...I only use it as a utility.. sample rate conversion and burn ddp's once in a while...If your budget is low..Wavelab Elements might also be worth looking into for $99
 
Just get T-RackS 3. It's brilliant. Easy to use and gives you nice warm analog sounds.
 
voltron902 said:
Just get T-RackS 3. It's brilliant. Easy to use and gives you nice warm analog sounds.
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This stuff works for leveling your audio, but not necessarily "mastering" software as it doesn't allow PQ editing, dithering, CD burning etc.
 
Here's software that I've been using for a short time. It's not the greatest thing out there, but for on a small budget it has helped me out :)

AAMS: Auto Audio Mastering System
http://www.curioza.com

:)
 
Id be pretty wary of any "auto" mastering software..

I dont know about you but each track I do take around say 36 man hours of recording and mixing from start to finish and Im damned if Id put it through any auto anything, or some preset in any "suite"

bringing up the loudness in a track and/or giving it a more polished sound isnt all that difficult (not exactly mastering but the same tools/principals) I use a TC powercore and UAD plugs but they are no different than what comes with my DAW

heres my list of tools...I use one, two, all, none, whatever a track needs


stereo compressor
multiband compressor
fully parametric EQ
limiter
enhancer
stereo imager
reverb

I dont think Ive used anything else on a finished mix so if you have these...you probably have enough for most tracks...Im very new at this but I doubt the experienced guys would use much different tools..

ftr i liked playing instruments, then i liked recording, now I like mixing, next Ill like mastering...get stuck in, they are all enjoyable aspects of homerecording once you give them a try :)
 
Guys I have a question.

Is there a good point of driving a mixdown from a DAW through stereo mic preamp?
 
mixich said:
Is there a good point of driving a mixdown from a DAW through stereo mic preamp?
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Why do you ask: what is it that makes you ask if there may or may not be a good point to it?

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
Why do you ask: what is it that makes you ask if there may or may not be a good point to it?

G.
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Well I'm doing a project for some guys ..making some song arrangements and stuff and probably I will do the mixing as well. Anyway at the end of the day I'd like to try to do the mastering of the whole project. So due to a lack of fancy ( or any) outboard equipment for mastering I would like to use my preamp for some signal processing.
So is it a good idea to use the preamp for that purpose?
 
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