Mastering Technique?

[pikupsoldier]

I wanted to know if you render out the mix and then master it or apply mastering on the project(where all the individual channels are i mean) only. Taking in consideration its mastering at home. Do share any tips/techniques/tricks.

Also, what should the average level of the mix be before sending it for mastering? How much headroom should there be?

 

[masteringhouse]

I wanted to know if you render out the mix and then master it or apply mastering on the project(where all the individual channels are i mean) only. Taking in consideration its mastering at home. Do share any tips/techniques/tricks.

Also, what should the average level of the mix be before sending it for mastering? How much headroom should there be?

Best to master once you have all of the mixes completed. One of the main goals with mastering is to create a cohesive album of songs, so it's advantageous to hear all of the songs in one session rather than guess what the final level of a song should be without hearing it in context. It's also a good idea to hear the songs in the final order.

As far as headroom when mixing, leave room for mastering in case you want to compress or limit more once you hear the song in context as well as leaving room for EQ changes, sample rate conversion, etc. The crest factor (what I equate to headroom) is genre dependent, but in general peaks around -6 dBFS are fine (no need to hit 0) and an average level around -18/20 below peak.

 

[mixsit]

Best to master once you have all of the mixes completed. One of the main goals with mastering is to create a cohesive album of songs, so it's advantageous to hear all of the songs in one session rather than guess what the final level of a song should be without hearing it in context. It's also a good idea to hear the songs in the final order.

I find that if you are going DIY' mode here, two aspects come up. One is the downside of you will miss out on 'a second set of ears with a fresh perspective. That is a given.
Howevewr there is an up side -you can go back to the mixes.

Once you have switched into this new mode of having rendered the mixes, and listening to and hearing your songs in this new' and final context you may find some new insights as to the various song's strengths and short comings, and relative tones and style. This is your best shot at playing this different perspective for all it is worth IMHO.
At that point, there is nothing to stop you from going back to the mixes where you have more power and options to correct the songs there.
I find this, although a longer method than just doing these fixes on the two tracks, a method of opening a window of detail' for the mixes you did not see before, and the opportunities to work both modes better.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I wanted to know if you render out the mix and then master it or apply mastering on the project(where all the individual channels are i mean) only. Taking in consideration its mastering at home. Do share any tips/techniques/tricks.

By definition, mastering is what you do to a song recording *after it is finished*.

Mix as though mastering doesn't even exist. Get your song sounding right by mixing it. Once it sounds the way you want it to sound - i.e. *once it is done*, then you can worry about mastering it (setting final playback level, getting to to work on an album, etc.)

Also, what should the average level of the mix be before sending it for mastering? How much headroom should there be?

There will be as much headroom as the mix has in it - i.e. what is there is what is there. The key is to record and mix at natural levels and not just push everything up towards zero in the computer.

This requires an understanding of gain structure - recording at the proper levels, setting proper levels all along the recording and mixing signal path, etc. Study up on that and the levels will work themselves out.

But for some signposts that you're going more or less the right way:

- your individual instrument tracks should typically have an average (non-peak) recorded level of somewhere around -20 to -16dBFS each (give or take), with peaks falling anywhere they happen to fall, as long as they stay somewhere below 0dBFS

- when you mix your tracks, you pull as many faders down as you push faders up (roughly, more or less) - in other words you don't just mix my pushing things up.

- for most typical rock/pop mixes, your final mix should typically *of it's own volition* wind up with pretty much the same kind of numbers as your individual recorded tracks: ~ -20 to -16dBFS average with peaks staying below clipping. If you're doing heavier metal/wall of noise stuff, the final average numbers may be a few of dB higher than that (but don't *have to be*) but the peaks should still come out of the mix anywhere below clipping.

The important, but sometimes hard to understand, thing about all this is those numbers are not so much targets to be shot for or force-fit dialed in, as they are results that should automatically happen on their own.

G.

 

[Seafroggys]

- when you mix your tracks, you pull as many faders down as you push faders up (roughly, more or less) - in other words you don't just mix my pushing things up.

I find myself pushing down way more than pushing up. I always mix everything to my drum overheads, which I leave at unison. Occasionally I may up a track or two if I didn't get a whole lot of gain from it (due to it being a quiet source or trying to stay away from a turned up noisy preamp) but generally I drop everything, sometimes radically.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

By definition, mastering is what you do to a song recording *after it is finished*.

G.

Why oh why does everyone not get that

 

[Waltz Mastering]

Why oh why does everyone not get that

...or after the recording is finished "being mixed". Technically, in the album context, I see mastering as the "finishing process" - separate from the mix process of coarse.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

I hate to disagree with a pro. Technically mastering is unnecessary. There are many albums that where never mastered.

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I find myself pushing down way more than pushing up. I always mix everything to my drum overheads, which I leave at unison. Occasionally I may up a track or two if I didn't get a whole lot of gain from it (due to it being a quiet source or trying to stay away from a turned up noisy preamp) but generally I drop everything, sometimes radically.

I give you credit for being a step ahead of many in that regard. Especially when you get the whole band getting their grubby fingers in the mixing process, and they all want to be turned up, and turning anybody down - even for one beat - is more of an insult than slapping their mother.

Why oh why does everyone not get that

A combination of factors have combined on the Internet into a perfect storm of baloney.

First you bombard newbs with a huge preponderance of advertising from software shills promising them all the horny groupies they can get if they only will buy and use their "mastering software" (ever notice how nobody ever advertises/sells their compressors and EQs as "tracking software" or "mixing software", even though they can and are used in all three processes?)

Then you get a shitload of newbs and outright hacks who either believe themselves, or convince the other newbs, or both, that "mastering" is just a fancy way of describing what they do at home and in the car when listening to their favorite commercial CD when they play with the sound with their graphic EQs and volume controls, except now with an MBC or other fancy-looking plug, and then hang their shingles out on the InterBlower advertising themselves and "Mastering Engineers", and promising to make bad tracks sound good by making them so loud nobody will care about anything else.

Then you get all these people hopping all over the internet more in write mode than in read mode, and you wind up with the incredibly awful InterMyth that "mastering" is what happens after you record your tracks and stack them on top of each other.

...or after the recording is finished "being mixed". Technically, in the album context, I see mastering as the "finishing process" - separate from the mix process of coarse.

I hate to disagree with a pro. Technically mastering is unnecessary. There are many albums that where never mastered.

Mastering is - or at least should be - taking the finished production and prepping it as necessary for release on it's various release media. Does this sometimes mean making things sound "better" in some way or another? Sure. But it should not mean making a bad mix sound good, or even an average mix sound better than average *if it can be helped* - i.e. one is not supposed to WAIT until mastering to finish the mix.

The best analogy I can think of is with cooking. Mixing is the actual cooking of the dishes, mastering is the plating and presentation. You may add some small amounts of salt and pepper and colored garnishes and so forth, and arrange it nice and attractively when you plate the food, but the food had better not depend on that to taste good. By the time you get to the plate the cooking is over. You don't wait for it to get on the plate to finish cooking the meal or make it taste good. Similarly, you don't (or at least shouldn't) wait for the mastering to finish cooking the song and make it sound good.

G.

 

[TheChikenMaster]

The best analogy I can think of is with cooking. Mixing is the actual cooking of the dishes, mastering is the plating and presentation. You may add some small amounts of salt and pepper and colored garnishes and so forth, and arrange it nice and attractively when you plate the food, but the food had better not depend on that to taste good. By the time you get to the plate the cooking is over. You don't wait for it to get on the plate to finish cooking the meal or make it taste good. Similarly, you don't (or at least shouldn't) wait for the mastering to finish cooking the song and make it sound good.

G.

I like my chicken fried

 

[SouthSIDE Glen]

I like my chicken fried

If you get a chance, turn yourself onto to some authentic Midwestern Amish home-style broasted chicken. It'll spoil ya. I can no longer get fried chicken anywhere inside 25 miles or so of Chicago metro because I've been spoiled by the real stuff. But it's worth driving for.

G.

 

[Massive Master]

I hate to disagree with a pro. Technically mastering is unnecessary. There are many albums that where never mastered.

Just pounding it home (as Glenn already jumped on it). EVERY recording is mastered. Mastering is *BY DEFINITION* the creation of the production master.

Yes - Some recordings don't go through the "traditional" mastering phase (and it usually makes front-page industry news when they do). But your statement is just plain wrong.

 

[dintymoore]

I wanted to know if you render out the mix and then master it or apply mastering on the project(where all the individual channels are i mean) only. Taking in consideration its mastering at home. Do share any tips/techniques/tricks...

Here's what I do: The whole mix is built on the kick drum. Whenever I record anything, I make sure it's at least as loud, but usually louder than it will be used in the final mix. Most every track is recorded and then turned down during playback. I rarely boost. Same with eq - subtract almost always. Some light stuff like shakers will sound best if you record them quite softly. Cymbals sound horrible if you record them loud.

When the songs are all mixed, I put all of them on one arrangement in Cubase and put the solo button on. Then I can hop between the songs quickly and certain songs will sound soft, or have too much bass etc, so I'll adjust that song and save it with the tweaks.

Sometimes I'll put a reference tune up on Cubase too so I can compare my efforts to the big wigs.

 

[Tremaine]

"A combination of factors have combined on the Internet into a perfect storm of baloney. "

i couldnt agree with you more, an-a-nim-ity breeds lies, dont beleave everything they tell you...

i couldnt get that line out of my head, so i had to say something.
perhaps this fits
"base not the sum of your joy upon the deeds of others, for what is given can be taken away. no hope, no fear." peter steele

Peace World
Tremaine

perfect storm of baloney... ha.