Mid-range Mastering?

[ecktronic]

When i master my tracks i usually only play about with the lo and hi end. Is it common to play about with the mid range and if so what am i looking for to change?
I know that fatigue lies at 1-2K and 5K usually, but what else is there that i should listen out for?
I have tried cutting and boosting mids before and the outcome sounds fake.
So has anyone any tips on what i should listen for to change in the mid range to make my masters sound better?

 

[ryanlikestorock]

Everything really depends on the source. Spend some time teaching yourself to identify the sound of any octave in the frequency spectrum. 200k, 300k, 400k, 500k, 600k... they're all very different sounds. Sometimes you need more, sometimes you need less... it depends on the source.

Be careful not to get sucked into hearing "more is better" all the time. A bit more at 10k usually sounds a bit more exciting, but you can't keep going that way forever. Life (and mastering) is full of parabolas.

 

[ecktronic]

Be careful not to get sucked into hearing "more is better" all the time. A bit more at 10k usually sounds a bit more exciting, but you can't keep going that way forever.

So true. When i started mastering and actually it wasnt that long ago atall, I used to boost the lo and hi end too fcuk (no advert intended!). I realised that while listening on my monitor headphones and some stereos that the hi end sounded ok but when listening back on Mackie HR824s the hi end was herendous. The hi hats and cymbals stuck out a mile and sounded like crap.
From this i have adapted my hearing from the Hr824s to my headphones (which i master on) to be able to tell when the hi end is just too much.
But i still cant work out the lo end as even when listening to my masters on HR824s they sound fine in the lo end, but on the odd stereo the lo end just rumbles and kills the master at times.

 

[mattamatta]

My opinion is more along the lines of thinking that if you need more midrange, turn up / accentuate the guitars, or whatever else in the mix is filling that range.

 

[dgatwood]

My opinion is more along the lines of thinking that if you need more midrange, turn up / accentuate the guitars, or whatever else in the mix is filling that range.

Agreed. For all practical purposes, you can consider that the midrange (for most non-bass instruments) is the meat of the sound, and you're essentially adjusting that by tweaking the levels.

The highs and lows (from what I've seen, anyway) tend to affect more the character of the sound than the volume unless you are listening on a sound system that has different amounts of midrange. Then, an emphasis of one track in the highs can really cause a track to stand out in the mix on certain speakers and be buried on others, hence the need to get the EQ on both ends fairly consistent across your tracks.

 

[Farview]

One of the downfalls of mastering your own stuff is, you won't think something is wrong with your mix. Your mix is already sounding the way you like, so why would you mess with the mids? A fresh set of ears is always good.

 

[Massive Master]

One of the downfalls of mastering your own stuff is, you won't think something is wrong with your mix.

Or, you *always* think something is wrong with your mix, when it might be just fine. Or, you might be focusing on some tiny and insignificant detail when a giant cloud is hovering over the mix.

 

[moinho]

From this i have adapted my hearing from the Hr824s to my headphones (which i master on) [...]

Can you explain why you do master on headphones? If so, which ones? Do you also master material which is stereo?

Rainer

 

[ecktronic]

I master on headphones because this is all i have. I am working at home on my computer to master my productions. I am using Sennheiser HD200s. They ain the best haedphones for mastering (even though mastering shouldnt be done on headphones), but they do have a pretty even frequency response. I just cant judge the lo end so much.
Yea i do master in stereo, and i know people say that it aint right to judge stereo spread on headphones but im used to it and dont have any problem with my stereo spread.