Mixing Vs. Mastering: Bouncing On Both Or Only With Mixing??

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Mike Freze

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Hi! I have a question concerning mixing vs. mastering.

In all the books I've read, I understand the end process of mixing is to "bounce" all your tracks to a single, stereo file (with the propoer bit and sampling rates, audio formats, etc.). After that, when you import your project (one song) back into your recording software (I use Cubase), it appears as one file on one track. No problem.

Where I get confused is at the end of the mastering process. In some of my books, it says you need to establish the bit rate, sampling rate, audio format, etc. AGAIN. In one book, it says you need to bounce your mastered songs (single, stereo files) again after you treaked your EQs, volume levels, added compression, etc. to complete the mastering process.

How can you bounce mastered songs (files) if they already have been bounced when you finished the mixdown? In other words, all the separate tracks were already bounced once before.

Don't you just re-save your mixed songs with the mastered settings by choosing "save" or "save as" and the changes will be there for the mastered material? If not, then please explain how you can possibly "bounce" songs that were already bounced at the end of the mixing session.

Thanks! Mike Freze
 
What I usually do is mix the tracks down to a Stereo mix, Save that mix 16 bit untouched, then I "master" the stereo mix with some Eq if needed, light compression and limiting, put in the ISRC code (If I have one) and text in and save that one separate as a mastered track. That's all you should do as far as I know, I don't know about bouncing several times, seems like a waste of time.
 
Mixing is what is done to a singular "song" from raw tracks / Mastering (with some exceptions) is what is done to a compilation of many "songs" to create an album that is cohesive like one specific work of art.

The most common way (currently) is when you are "mixing" you are doing all your volume, pan, mix, eq, song creating movements to bunch of full resolution mono and stereo tracks to create the ultimate stereo "song" at full project resolution.
If it is going to be further "Mastered" as an album project, you dont want to degrade the resolution to the final 16 bit CD rate.

If you were NOT going to do the mastering yourself you will save all these full resolution stereo song files to some appropiate media (like data CDs) and send them to a Mastering Engineer who will open up a Project file of his own to create your "CD project" He will rearrainge song order, match volumes / eq etc of the different songs and add some fairy dust and an unbiased ear to make your bunch of songs appear as one continous balanced project.

If you WERE going to master your own project, YOU would then do the same.
Once you have saved all the stereo "Songs" (at full resolution) to a folder somewhere you would open up a new project, pull all the stereo songs into the time line figure out what order you want them in and the time spacing between them, adjust for volume and tonal differences between them and create a "Master" from which the CDs will be made....again...most likely at full resolution.

Now... if you were going to make your own copies to CD format you then render a copy of this "Master Project" to the CD sampling rate of 16 bit / 44.1. and make your copies from that.
If you were sending the Master off to be duplicated often the Dup House would prefer the higher sampling rate, but sometimes they don't so you may to render the project down to 16 bit before you send it to them.

A disclaimer....this is a very simplified version and many will take me to task because I have omitted something. so be it.
 
Mike Freze said:
How can you bounce mastered songs (files) if they already have been bounced when you finished the mixdown? In other words, all the separate tracks were already bounced once before.

Don't you just re-save your mixed songs with the mastered settings by choosing "save" or "save as" and the changes will be there for the mastered material? If not, then please explain how you can possibly "bounce" songs that were already bounced at the end of the mixing session.
Click to expand...

The term "bounce" isn't very technical...it basically means take what you got and change/save it to a different format. When you mix...you "bounce" the multiple tracks down to a single stereo track. When you master you "bounce" that stereo track down to the final, 16/44.1 audio CD format.
It's somewhat assumed that when you bounce the mix, you leave your audio at the highest rez possible...that way the mastering process is working on a 24/xxxx file rather than 16/44.1...then after you're done with your mastering changes you finally "bounce" it down to the CD format.

The word "bounce" is a leftover from tape recording. Guys with only 4-track decks use to record on all four tracks, then "bounce" that down to two...then record on the empty two tracks, then again bounce all four down to two...etc...etc.

Bounce = mixdown, adjust formats, combine, etc.....
 
miroslav said:
Guys with only 4-track decks use to record on all four tracks, then "bounce" that down to two...then record on the empty two tracks, then again bounce all four down to two...etc...etc.
Click to expand...

How do you bounce 4 tracks down to 2 without erasing 2 of the tracks you're trying to bounce???
 
It's easy...you use a second deck. :)

I use to have a 1/4" 4-track and 1/4" 2-track/quarter track (you could flip the tape for 2-tracks in both directions).

I would record 4 tracks...mixdown to two on the 2-track. Take the reel off the 2-track and move it to the 4-track..and have another pair of free tracks. Of course, these were same brand decks, so the tracks actually lined up pretty good from deck to deck...and back then, it seemed like a good way to go.
Most guys just mix to two, then lay that back to the 4-track...but I was trying to skip on generation. :D
I was young-n-stupid...but it was fun and worked out OK for the home rec technology of the day.
 
Thanks, guys! Hey, miroslav, I still don't understand your advice to "bounce" at full resolution on your final mix, then "bounce" again after you master. How can you bounce the mastered version if all the tracks have already been bounced to a single stero file with your final mix? What are you bouncing then during the final mastered product? At that point, every track is no longer separated to bounce to a single file" it's already been done.

What's getting bounced the second time around during mastering? If you bounced all the sinlge, stereo files you imported to work on (and each imported file is a complete, separate song), are you bouncing all the completed songs together as one humongous continuous file? That doesn't make sense because you wouildn't have your songs separated then as separate tracks when you burn each song to a cd.

Thanks. Mike Freze
 
It's a trick that only famous producers know about. ;)
 
Mike Freze said:
Thanks, guys! Hey, miroslav, I still don't understand your advice to "bounce" at full resolution on your final mix, then "bounce" again after you master. How can you bounce the mastered version if all the tracks have already been bounced to a single stero file with your final mix? What are you bouncing then during the final mastered product? At that point, every track is no longer separated to bounce to a single file" it's already been done.

What's getting bounced the second time around during mastering? If you bounced all the sinlge, stereo files you imported to work on (and each imported file is a complete, separate song), are you bouncing all the completed songs together as one humongous continuous file? That doesn't make sense because you wouildn't have your songs separated then as separate tracks when you burn each song to a cd.

Thanks. Mike Freze
Click to expand...
Like he tried to explain to you earlier, the word "bounce" has a very loose meaning.

He's telling you to master your song to a 24bit wave file. From there, you use that 24 bit file to convert (bounce) to MP3, or 16 bit wave when you want to burn a CD.
 
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