How would you do this now?!!! - Mastering a CD in Protools

[Taffypro]

I just bought a Digi003+ and am using Protools after a fairly long hiatus.

a long long time ago...

I used to master a lot in Protools. I would import all my stereo bounces and line them up in what was then called an "album". I could easily check their volumes (compared to each other) and eq settings. I would match each setting to make a cohisive unit. I could easily adjust the time between tracks and do precise fades between songs. I would then do a bounce of the entire album/cd. Next, I opened up my old school two track editor (Sound Designer 2 - which showed wave forms), and I placed markers where I wanted a CD track to begin. Finally I opened up another obsolete program "Master List CD" and all my markers would load up and I would burn a CD.


Anyway to do this now? What programs are recommended?

I am on a Mac / PT8 / OSX 10.5.5

Thanks!

Gary

[bob duster]

I have been actually using the same process for a number of years, I currently do all my mastering and dithering in PT and create a folder where all my mastered stereo files go. I then us Roxio Toast and Jam to import, apply crossfades, S.I.R. codes, cd text info and put the album together. A bonus is you can also apply AU plug-ins in Toast as well. Do all the cuts, splices and crossfades and burn away!

[surflounge]

Sonic Studio's Premaster and SoundBlade
http://www.sonicstudio.com/

[iMartin]

I master mostly in Waveburner, great for using AU plugins like Match EQ from Logic Pro but I also master in PT sometimes.

[lwilliam]

There are two problems with Waveburner:

1. It costs $495 (but then, you do get Logic Studio with it)

2. I don't like that even if you make no changes to plugins or settings, you have to re-render the file every time you want to burn it. If there are no changes, it should simply burn the file as-is, not bounce it again, but there's no option to use the existing bounce file for burning.

I pretty much do what Bob does: use Toast Titanium. It does all the spacing and crossfades; it can now dither 24-bit files, use AU plugins, add ISRC codes, whatever you need for full red book specs and final tweaking. It does pretty much the same things as Waveburner although maybe not with as nice an interface. Toast Titanium is only about $80 now, too.

The other option would be of course Peak Pro. I've heard the most recent versions are very good, but haven't used it myself. However, it is expensive: starting at $495 and the full package is somewhere around $1000 or so with all the restoration and mastering plugins.

There are several mastering packages of plugins available for PT now as well from people like Waves, from Bias (Peak Pro people), Izotope, Massey, etc.