Preparing to master - help!

M

misterx

New member
I was considering taking one of my songs to a real mastering house just to listen to the results. Problem is, I have no idea how to prepare my music for mastering. It sounds like all they will need to work with is a finsihed stereo track. I add compression, eq, to my final mix all the time. Is there anything I shouldn't do to my mix if I intend to send it off to a mastering service?

Also, can you recommend a few places that offer reasonable prices? How much should I expect to pay for mastering 1 song?

Thanks for any advice you can give.
 
If you plan on sending your mix(es) out for mastering, best not to do anything to them at all... provide them to the mastering house in the highest-resolution possible and let them take care of the rest... (assuming you like what they do for you....)

You should get a demo reel from any mastering house you're considering to make sure they're on "your wavelength" as far as sound......

For a single song, you may get charged an hourly rate, which will vary from place to place.... start looking aroung your local area and see what's available...

If you can't find anything, although Blue Bear Sound is not a mastering facility, if all you're looking for is cleanup, enhancement, and compilation, I can certainly provide that service at a reasonable rate......

Bruce
 
Hi Bruce,

Thank you for your comments. I add compression to the drums and bass and slightly on the guitar samples to add more punch. Are you saying to not do this if I'm sending it out to get mastered?? I'm very green on what exactly mastering is/does. If you wouldn't mind, perhaps you could define for me the difference between "mixing" a song and "mastering" a song. Thanks!
 
Mixing is the process where you blend all your individual tracks together into a 2-track final mix of the song, making it sound the way you think it should....

Mastering is the second step in that process where the final mix is polished for release... as part of the process, the mastering engineer may need to fine-tune the balance of the mix to compensate for audible problems in the final mix, or to draw-out elements that are lacking. The whole idea is to make the mix the best is can be... part of that process is simply the fact that someone with experienced (and objective) ears is having a listen to the product (versus DIY where your ears have already grown accustomed to your own mix and may miss important problem areas...)

Bruce
 
Blue Bear Sound said:
Mixing is the process where you blend all your individual tracks together into a 2-track final mix of the song, making it sound the way you think it should....

Mastering is the second step in that process where the final mix is polished for release... as part of the process, the mastering engineer may need to fine-tune the balance of the mix to compensate for audible problems in the final mix, or to draw-out elements that are lacking. The whole idea is to make the mix the best is can be... part of that process is simply the fact that someone with experienced (and objective) ears is having a listen to the product (versus DIY where your ears have already grown accustomed to your own mix and may miss important problem areas...)

Bruce
Click to expand...

and...T-racks works good for this...right??:D :D
or was it Sound Forge??;) (sorry!I couldn't help it!):cool:

(I still can't get over that [jazz]bass player[with your bros. trio] being only a couple years older than that tyler recpro guy. Imagine that!! Life's toooo weird sometimes).
 
Hi Bruce,

First off thanks again for the info. Soo... depending on how much time and energy spent at the mixing stage, I'm assuming the difference between the final mixed and mastered versions wouldn't be that extreme? Poor mixing would result in longer mastering sessions which would make the final product much different. Here's what I do now, perhaps you could tell me what a typical mastering house (or yourself!) would do.

In the multi track mixing phase:

1) I add compression as desired to individual tracks. (bass drum, snare, bass guitar, etc.)

2) I adjust volume levels, eq, as needed on certain tracks.

3) I adjust panning on certain tracks as needed.

4) I adjust effects on certain tracks as needed.

In my limited mastering phase:

1) I adjust final overall eq.

2) I add final mix compression which is where I "attempt" to make it as loud as possible, without distoring.

In as detailed reply as much as you care to, perhaps you could outline exactly what you or a typical mastering house would do differently. Thanks again Bruce.
 
Yah, I read that post. I didn't see any exact details what you did that made the mix sound better. I was hoping for more details about the particulars. No problem, thanks for the info you were willing to share. It helps!
 
Well I can't give away ALL my secrets!!

But you basically have to listen to your mix, be objective, and decide what's lacking or not to "bring it out more."

Compression can add punch, or it can dull it down.... EQ can either smoothen out some "edges" or it can make the mix harsh... you also choose fades and levels if you're balancing tracks for an album, as well as song order so that the whole album flows easily....

But the biggest thing of all is simply to LISTEN and let your ears tell you what's needed!

Bruce
 
"Well I can't give away ALL my secrets!!"

No doubt, and I would not want you to!! :) I've read where the ears play alot during mastering. I also know now that mastering really comes into play when you have mutliple songs for a cd and you want things to flow. Got it! However I'm still a little confused what tools / processess are used during mastering that would be different from the mixdown process. Ultimately, I guess I am already doing some "mastering" by adding compression and eq to the final stereo mix of a song.

So, if I was to hire you to master 1 song for me, say a 3:35 rock piece (using all virtual instruments by the way...) what EXACTLY would you need from me from a final mix and how much would you charge and how long would it take?

If you would rather answer me privately, please use the private message feature of this forum. Thanks.
 
In answer to some of your questions:

In the Boston area, typical mastering rates range from $80-$120 per hour. That does not include Gateway Sound in Portland, Maine (Bob Ludwig) which would cost substantially more.

You did not say what recording system you are using, and what you mix down to. If you are mixing to analog (1/2" tape) you simply send the tape. If you have acess to a Masterlink, you might be able to send 24-bit audio CDs, providing the Mastering Facility can use them. I usually burn data CD's with 24 bit files, (either AIFF, Sound Designer, or WAV., depending on what they ask for). Actually, this part is easy. Once you find a facility you wish to use, just ask them what they want. They'll find out what you are capable of giving them, and they will pick the best option, and tell you exactly what you need to do.

You should, of course, compress, eq, pan, and set appropriate volume levels on your individual tracks in a session. That is called mixing.

What you don't want to do is try to do the Mastering Engineer's job, because all you will probably do is make their job more difficult or even impossible. This means going VERY EASY (if at all) on any processing done at the 2 buss/Mix buss level. And LAY OFF the Finalizers or other equivalent hardware or software!!!

With all respect to Blue, since he admits to not being a mastering facility, I would first explore other options. They are pretty ubiquitous - it shouldn't be hard to find a legitimate place. Mix magazine has a annual listing of places sorted by geography that you might want to check. If you need a dentist, go to a dentist - not a veternarian or a podiatrist.
 
Hi Littledog,
Thanks for the info. Man, I'm a little thick on this subject, sorry.

"This means going VERY EASY (if at all) on any processing done at the 2 buss/Mix buss level. And LAY OFF the Finalizers or other equivalent hardware or software!!!"

Are you talking about my 1 track stereo mix? I use Cakewalk Pro Audio, after I mix the tracks, I bounce all tracks down to a 1 track stereo mix. Lately for demo purposes I will add final eq and compression to this stereo mix, burn to cd and go play it in the car stereo. If it sounds as full and loud as my favorite cd's I'm happy. :) I assume if my goal is to send it off for mastering after bouncing it down to a 1 track stereo mix, I would leave it alone and let the mastering guys do their job??

Man, this is some fascinating information. Thanks alot guys!
 
Heh-heh... you software guys kill me... ;)

"1-track stereo mix" -- there's no such thing! Stereo means 2-tracks - a left and a right...

I can understand your confusion though -- recording s/w let's you designate a "track" as stereo or mono, and from the user's perspective it appears to be a single track, but in reality it is still taking up 2 tracks of audio...!!

The common term is "2-track mix", implying a stereo final mix....

This concept wasn't a problem years ago -- but then again, I'm a bit of a dinosaur! :p ;)

And LittleDog summed it up nicely....!

Bruce
 
"Heh-heh... you software guys kill me...

"1-track stereo mix" -- there's no such thing! Stereo means 2-tracks - a left and a right... "

man, do i feel, st-st-st-stupid! :)

Well, I'm also a dinoSOAR, getting into the music game much too late in life, but having fun all the same. :)
 
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