Mastering Software recommendation

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half

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my tracks are recorded, edited, and mixed down.

now I'm ready to master.
I know that the overall volume of the track needs to come up.
What other mastering techniques do I need to apply to make my tracks extra special?

has anyone used IK Multimedia's T-Racks?
(and does it really work with both PC & Mac as a Pro Tools RTAS plugin? - i've read mixed reviews, some saying that it only supports Pro Tools RTAS on the MAC)

If you're interested, check out http://www.halfmusic.com and throw me back any comments regarding the final mastering of my tracks.

Thanks a ton. This BBS rules!
-Brian Pieslak
brian@halfmusic.com
 
half said:
my tracks are recorded, edited, and mixed down.

now I'm ready to master.
Click to expand...
No... now you're ready to send it out for mastering!
 
half, much like blue bear said, you should probably send it out for mastering..... unless you're doing these songs just for the hell of it or whatever..... but even then, you'd learn a lot watching the mastering engineer.......

but if you're not going to send the songs out, you should at least look at ozone by isotope before you look at t-racks....
 
i've done my own masters with avalon stuff and a mackie d8b...they sound better that the ones i sent in
 
gingerly stepping around the diy vs send it out debate <gingerly step, gingerly step>

. . .if you should choose to diy, Wavelab in conjunction with the Waves Ltd Gold Bundle are excellent tools to use. However, they don't come cheap. Probably close to $1500 for the pair.

Waves has a new Mastering bundle available that also looks pretty neat, but I haven't had any experience with it.

Ozone is a cheaper alternative to the Gold bundle, but not in the same league IMHO. However, there is probably an $600-700 price difference, so picks your poision...
 
dachay2tnr said:
However, they don't come cheap. Probably close to $1500 for the pair.

Ozone is a cheaper alternative to the Gold bundle, but not in the same league IMHO. However, there is probably an $600-700 price difference, so picks your poision...
Click to expand...

The Big Question is: What are your plans with the music you just finished?

How many CD's are you going to sell, give away and distribute to?

If its strictly a homerecording effort where the distribution will be limited to under 100 dics done on CDR with a PC burner at home then pursuing Ozone, T-Racks or whatever is probably going to be more cost effective and highly valueable as an education. If you are planning medium distrubution, up to 500 copies, I would suggest spending your money on an affordable Mastering engineer and duplication plant. This would also mean working out the artwork and labeling to support the duplication plant. If your going to make more than 500, get a Mastering engineer that doesn't own a TC Electronics Finalizer, but had something like a Sonic Solutions work station or a Sadie work station, (No Protools) ;)
Check the client list of the ME and start talking about budget and what your looking to do. ME's will give you a ref disc to approve what he has done as far as mastering your material.

In music....the farther you want to go, means more money out of your pocket up front, more money in your pocket down stream.

T-Racks can be used as a Mastering Program if you know how to master in the first place. Ozone...same story.
Ive always felt that pilots should take lessons from an instructor and have so many hours under his/her belt before taking to the air with other people. Same goes for mastering!


Peace,
Dennis
 
To answer J, "Mastering" is the process of taking a mixed stereo track and processing it to mkae it sound better. Sometimes called "Post production". First you record, then you mix, then you master. The name comes from back in the days of LP records when a single "master" disc was created which was used to stamp albums from.


I think Dennis has it right. If this music is really important to you, or if it belongs to a paying client, send it out to a real mastering studio.

On the other hand, if you are just "playing around" with your own stuff, and wish to perform "mastering" as a learning experiance, probably Sound Forge is the cheapest PC software that can do most of the functions needed.
 
Thanks for all the great information.

My current setup includes ProTools and a Digi001.

All of the music is my own (low volume distribution), and at the moment this is just a hobbie. I'm sure I share the dream of having it become something more with everyone else here...but for now, my time and $$ move me towards doing it myself and relying on great peers like you all to learn from.

What I've found is that I'm pleased with the recording and mixing of the tracks, but that the volume of the final mixdown of my tracks is too quiet, as well as the brightness/punch of the track not quiet being what I want.

From studio engineers that I've talked to, they've all told me that I fix these problems in the mastering of the final track, and NOT in messing with the current mix I have.

Thanks again for all the help.
-Brian
brian@halfmusic.com
 
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