I heard all that too Moshe....
If you follow the logic, we are probably a dithered 16 bit version of a 24 bit god. Possibly sample rate convertered too....Of course, Canadians are just mp3 versions....
I keep waiting for Slackmaster to change that Suck knob into the now rather vaporware Volume knob. I am sure I could master really well with his Volume knob.
It is hard I think for most to really know what the big deal about effective mastering is because few have heard the before and after mixes. Usually, you just hear the after, or, you have hired an unskilled person to do it, or you sent mixes that NO amount of mastering is going to help, or didn't give the mastering engineer a budget big enough to really dig in and work on it.
Please folks, feel free to master yourself. Hell, I do it for demo's all the time. I even have a few "released" products that I mastered.
I think though that it is really important to remember that mastering is NOT going to fix all your woes. If it is a bad mix, mastering isn't going to somehow make it into a great mix. If you have levels that are all over the place, mastering isn't going to fix that without some serious alteration in the sound. If you have mixes that are sonically very inconsistent, any eq you apply is going to effect all things in the mix equally. Meaning, if you are say doing a cut at 8KHz to rid harshness off of the vocals, your cymbals are going to be effected by that. Maybe the cymbals sounded just fine before that cut. Now they are quieter eh?
Sometimes some outside skilled ears are very helpful in determining what is going to go over better for your songs. If anything, I would say that involvement from many set's of good ears COULD be beneficial in making a better product. People who are not tied in to the production that was done before they get a hold of it tend to have a much fresher perspective. Not always, but if they know their stuff, they can probably better acertain what will really make you mix rock more!
Okay, a sonusman mastering tip. Concerns approach.
EQ first. Lightly compress second (if needed, or the effect is desired. Truthfully, I don't tend to like the effects of compression on mixes too much...but to each there own....), then limit last. If you have to sample rate convert, it may be best to do that first. I have been finding too many sample rate converters lately that create digital overs if used after limiting.
Also, USE YOUR EARS!!! I am willing to bet that I have a whole slew of mixes right off the console that are louder than many songs you hear on the radio. I am finding that limiting the hell out of them to bring them up to that volume level tends to make them sound very harsh and unfriendly to listen to overall. I did a mastering job for a sort of funk band, and we intentionally left dynamics in it. Music is SUPPOSED to have dynamics. I still find myself able to listen to this whole CD without getting annoyed. That is something that I cannot do with many modern recordings. The all "in your face" production in many modern recordings are just tiring to listen to after a few songs. So, don't think you HAVE to be as loud as the next guy. As Bob Katz likes to recommend, master for it to sound good. Strive to make the mix sound BETTER, not just LOUDER. Follow that "rule" and you will find that people really enjoy listening to your product. The one CD I mastered that I mentioned above, I have a lot of people who say that the CD is very relaxing to listen to and that they tend to play it all the way through sometimes more than once.
I don't know what else to recommend to people who haven't done a lot of mixing/mastering. Both are very hard to do and get right. Most of us are dealing with very low end equipment, thus, a lot of that advice you hear the big boys give just does not apply because we don't possess equipment with all balanced internal paths, and +9 operating levels, and true Class A circuitry. If you don't think those things make a huge difference in final outcome, well, then I believe you will ALWAYS be asking the age old question around here "Why don't my finished product sound like the big boys". Spend a day mixing on a nice console, using top end compressors, and big dollar reverbs, with fabulous monitors, in a decently tuned room. You will KNOW then why you spent at least $600-3000 a day just for the studio.
My last thought on mastering. If you really need to boost a lot of level, or do some pretty significant cut/boost in eq, like more than 2 or 3
dB MAX in any of it, your mix sucked! Get it right at mix and some of your plug in toys are going to work much better. Of course, it is going to be hard to mix it well if your didn't track it well because again, if you are finding yourself doing a lot of eqing at mix, your tracking sucked. Get it right while tracking. Of course, it is going to be hard to track well if the source sounds are not all that hot, or you are trying to use a SM 57 on everything. If you find that you cannot for the life of you move the mic to the right spot to get the sound you are after, well, the sound is not right in the first place. Change/tune etc...the amp, drums, voice, etc....to get it right as it is. Of course, it is going to be hard to get those sounds on there own if you don't have good control on your playing. It is not enough that you can play through the song without having timing mistakes. Timing is only one part of good musicianship. The techniques you use on your instrument make a big difference. If you are a drummer, playing rock, and cannot hit the damn snare just about the same EVERYTIME, there is little that can be done after to fact that will sound natural to make it seem like you hit it the same hardness everytime.
All in all though, if you don't have a clue about good musicianship, you are going to have a pretty tough time with recording. I would be that if you are having a tough time with recording that your live sound probably sucks too because essentially, it all starts with the player playing well and getting a sound that is appropriate for their song. Hell, I can go on and on about this but that would be wasting words. I have wasted far too many on this BBS explaining to people that you may just not have it in your to sound good. Hey, no problem. Music is fun to do. But let's get real here. Most of you are NEVER going to achieve great results because you are not GOOD ENOUGH overall in music to achieve great results, and don't have the money to get there. Sure, a great musician, in the hands of a competant engineer can get really good results with low end gear. No, not as good as they can get with high end gear, but still pleasing results. But, again, let's face it, I am sure most of your are NOT great musicians (while the hell you hanging at home all the time recording....

. Don't get me started, I can rip apart most musicians in some way or another. I see VERY few that "have it" in the talent department, and they are usually what you are hearing on those CD's....

). Most of you are so grossly inexperienced in engineering that it is scary! Most of you will NEVER spend the time in either to get that great at it, nor will be willing to make to financially sacrifice to purchase the gear that will pull your sound over the top.
So what am I saying? I have said it MANY times on this BBS, if you care to go back through my many posts and read where I have said this same exact thing many times. EXPECT A LITTLE LESS FROM YOURSELF UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO PAY THE PRICE FOR WHAT GREAT SOUND COST!!! You will find that doing this recording thing as a hobby is much more fullfilling if you just do a LOT of it. In time, if you have even half a clue as to what actually sounds good, you will find that your playing and engineering are improving on a monthly basis. But to expect that you can just hop into recording, purchase a few thousand dollars worth of gear, and get killer results like the big boys in a month, well, that is totally and utterly rediculous. Think of what I am saying as a wake up call. You can list "exceptions" to what I am talking about, but anyone with even a shred of common sense will KNOW that in 99.9% of the cases, I am telling you exactly how it is.
On a personal level, I HATE seeing these questions where someone is comparing what they are doing as a hobbiest with a cheap setup to productions done by professional, top of the field engineers, in multi million dollar studios and they can't quite figure out why there product don't sound as good. Maybe if you spent more time asking about the basics, and spend a LOT of time experimenting, your results would drastically improve. If ANY of you think you are going to get great results without a whole lot of experience, and at least some DECENT gear, well, you are dillusional. I have friends with racks full of $300 "wonder boxes" that they would gladly sell you in their nieve past approach to recording. In time, some of you will learn enough to start getting results that are "close" just on your talent alone. You will KNOW then that you will need much better geat to make the jump in quality. The rest of you will be the ones that are always listing the "exceptions" in the "better gear= better results" when you are arguing with the voices of reason (few of those "exceptions" many list actually sound all that great on a professional level...mostly they just sound better than what the person listing the exception is achieving, and they like that persons song.....).
Anyway, end of yet ANOTHER rant on this. Go back and read the many I have posted in the past two years. At least I am consistent eh?
Ed