mastering software

  • Thread starter Thread starter dirtyp
  • Start date Start date

whats best for mastering?

  • wavelab

    Votes: 62 66.0%

  • soundsoap 2

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • peak le 5

    Votes: 2 2.1%

  • soundforge 8

    Votes: 30 31.9%
  • Total voters
    94
SteveE9C6 said:
I am most certainly not a mastering engineer. I try to read as much as possible and learn as much as I can. I bought the Voxengo mastering suite, the Marquis multiband compressor, and the Harmonie EQ. All I try to do is get the tune to sound good on my NS10s. Much is trial and error... ( no jokes about mostly error!) I have a friend who is a mastering engineer and he seems to think that I'm at least on the right track. Of course I understand tht real Mastering Engineers have really cool expensive toys... not to mention the cool train hats, train whistles, and lava lamps ;)
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I have a lava lamp but where do I get the hat and whistle? :D
 
I've used Peak and SoundSoap. I think Peak is a great 2-channel editor. SoundSoap isn't a DAW, it's a audio noise removal program (or however you want to describe it). It's something you would use in a program like Peak (or any other DAW) not instead of.
I think SoundSoap 2 is a great program, especially for the price. And it looks cool too!
SoundSoap 2 works as a stand alone program, or as a plug-in.
The much more expensive Pro version (which I have never used), only works as a plug-in, if I'm not mistaken.

Peak is only available on Mac, but SoundSoap is cross platform..
 
I'd put Samplitude Master on your short list, though I'll re-iterate that there's no software that masters for you. Given that, Samplitude is an excellent mastering environment with great tools.
 
How can we have a thread about mastering and not discuss LIMITERS

And more importantly, how to set them to STUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :( :( :(
 
More to the point, how can we have a thread about mastering and not talk about PQ editors, error rate testers, and glass burning facilities. That all has a hell of a lot more to do with real mastering than most of the stuff talked about here.

;)

G.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
More to the point, how can we have a thread about mastering and not talk about PQ editors, error rate testers, and glass burning facilities. That all has a hell of a lot more to do with real mastering than most of the stuff talked about here.

;)

G.
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Doesn't CD Architect have all that? I'm guessing but it seems I heard or read that somewhere around here. ;)
 
7string said:
Doesn't CD Architect have all that? I'm guessing but it seems I heard or read that somewhere around here. ;)
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Yes it has all the stuff for PQ edits, etc. Plus a lot more features. Definitely worth a lot more than the price.

But I don't think real mastered CDs are burned at all, I think they're "printed" or "pressed". I don't know.

I would definitely be more interested in hearing about how that works instead of the same old, tired, conversation about other "mastering" topics. But that's just me.
 
SouthSIDE Glen said:
More to the point, how can we have a thread about mastering and not talk about PQ editors, error rate testers, and glass burning facilities. That all has a hell of a lot more to do with real mastering than most of the stuff talked about here.

;)

G.
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I suppose you could get your sound the way you want it and take it to a mastering house to get the pq and a single/continous burn copy made, but why. ;)

Anyone who wants to master their own stuff and have it repoduced should read "Mastering audio the art and the science" by Bob Katz.
In fact even if you don't want to master your own stuff you should read it. It's a very good book for mixing too.

As Southside eluded to, there's alot more to it than just audio manipulation if you actually want to send it out for duplication or charge someone for your services.

If you just want to do it for your self and only burn cd's for your friends then your options are pretty limitless.

F.S.
 
danny.guitar said:
Yes it has all the stuff for PQ edits, etc. Plus a lot more features. Definitely worth a lot more than the price.

But I don't think real mastered CDs are burned at all, I think they're "printed" or "pressed". I don't know.

I would definitely be more interested in hearing about how that works instead of the same old, tired, conversation about other "mastering" topics. But that's just me.
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If you want to get down to brass tacks, Were talking about premastering and mastering is done at the production facility. Premastering is getting the music and format ready for the production facility or what everyone commonly calls mastering.

F.S.
 
Wavelab is pretty fast to use once you are used to how it works with saving files etc. It works a bit different from normal programmes for saving files.

It renders real fast.
Good programme, and its also got a montage section so you can mix in it also. :)

Eck
 
Well you do also have to mix so it can be mastered, have it at about -10dB to -7dB so you have room to actually utilize the mastering software instead of brickwalling and smashing the shit out of everything... I think im getting the name right but Dave Nicols has some good softwar, the Waves L1 + Maximizer is good to run though as a pre master. If you have the cash TC6000. and the UAD cards.

Get all your levels mixed and sounding as phenominal as you can at the -10 to -5dB level, use maxx bass on selected tracks etc so you have a rock solid mix, then run it though whatever you want afterwards, or what you buy, you have to really learn what your system has to offer when u get it. Its just like learing your monitors ...
 
danny.guitar said:
But I don't think real mastered CDs are burned at all, I think they're "printed" or "pressed". I don't know.
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Professional CDs get pressed. They are called Silver side i'm sure. No guesses why they are called that. :)

Eck
 
They are burned, they just call them pressings due to the use of the term when making vinly records
 
You sure?
Im sure the company I was working with said it was a different process from burning.

Eck
 
The *production master* may be a burned CD-R... Pressed CD-ROM/audio discs are aluminum / molded polysubstrate (the pits and lands are in the *plastic* - The aluminum is just a reflector).

Short-run stuff of course, may also be CD-R.
 
Nice one MM.
So does that mean that pressed CDs can get damaged from scratches easier than burned CDs? Since you were saying that the pressed ones info is stored on the plastic, which is the outer part of the CD.

Eck
 
While you're having this discussion, take a moment and check out Adobe Audition v. 2.0. It is pretty wild and powerful when getting into picky finessing like getting rid of the noise of a truck passing by or a chair banging - hummy amp noise, stuff like that. It allows you to massage using spectral analysis, which lets you visually identify artifacts that are inconsistent with the stuff you want in there. There's a great deal you can do with it and its included plug ins are rather nice all by themselves.
 
danny.guitar said:
Yes it has all the stuff for PQ edits, etc. Plus a lot more features. Definitely worth a lot more than the price.

But I don't think real mastered CDs are burned at all, I think they're "printed" or "pressed". I don't know.

I would definitely be more interested in hearing about how that works instead of the same old, tired, conversation about other "mastering" topics. But that's just me.
Click to expand...
Mastered CDs arent pressed. No need to press 1 CD! A master can be in any form as long as its .WAV 16bit 44.1kHz
Mass produced CDs are pressed.
 
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