mastering with STRICTLY 001 factory plugs

[pedrohead]

hey there,
i'm ready to start some mastering on a project i'm doing, and i'm curious which 001 factory plugs people have had success with. i know the waves bundles (C1, L1) are probably much superior, but i really can't afford them at this time, so please don't give me that recommendation. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

the main plugs i was considering are the Q10, La-2a/1176, maxim. are these the best 001 factory plugs for the job? is that the usual order (eq-comp-limiter)??

any help would be great, i'm really new at this.

and also, i did a search on all this beforehand, and there's no threads out there discussing the 001 factory bundle plugs much, just tracks/wavelab/L1-C1 lovefests, so save that recommendation, too. [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img] help if you can. thanks so much.

[homerg]

Pedrohead,

What I was doing before I got T-Racks is as follows: [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Bounce to disk as a stereo interleaved file at the same bit rate as the session was created in. Usually 24bit. Import the bounced track into either the same session or create a new one (in the same folder). If you import into the same session be sure to mute all other tracks.
Create a master fader, add EQ (if needed) but try to make most EQ adjustments before you bounce, a stereo compressor (don't over compress cause the Limiter does that too) just to smooth things a bit, now add the Limiter. The limiter will give the overall sound that even polished sound, but don't overdo it cause it could take some of life out of the song.
If you think you'd need to mess with stereo imaging and balance between left and right channels then when you first bounce to disk bounce as two mono tracks, that way you can play with the individual channels for the overall balance.
I got really good results this way.
Make sure to use the dithering while mastering, not while bouncing initially. I think you can set ProTools to use it as one of it's default settings but you can always add the dithering to the master fader, just make it the last plug-in you use.

[pedrohead]

thanks for the reply. those are good tips, i'll keep them in mind.
what i'm looking for more is ... what specific plugs did you use? were there any tricks or settings that made them more useful for this purpose?

[mattm]

it is not possible to master with plug-ins. in fact, it is not possible to master a recording without years of valuable training and experience, as well as a darn good set of ears. please don't aid giving the valuable art of mastering as poor a name as the art of recording has come to earn due to the release of products such as "pro"tools into the wider community.

[homerg]

Don't listen to him Pedrohead. You go right ahead and master to your little hearts content.
Excuse me Mattm, but this is the 001 DUC, please go back to the TDM DUC where such comments might be appreciated.
The man wants to master and you're telling him it's impossible! Are you on crack! Get over yourself. [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]

Pedrohead, the plug-ins I mentioned don't come with any presets that are going to apply here, but what I did is played with each plug-in until I got the desired results, or close, and then I saved the settings so I could use them again. Of course, different styles of music will require different settings so you will need to keep saving settings that you like and you'll get better at it every time you do it.
Just like those mystic gurus that Mattm was talking about did before they learned to master.

I don't mean to get down on you Mattm but it seems to me that this is a place for getting incouragement, not to be shot down. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[da BaSsTaRd!]

hold on now, homey - i think matt's on to something here. the truth is that you shouldn't be RECORDING with plugins or the digi 001 either for that matter. anything less than 64 tracks of analog tape and a 360 channel neve console isn't recording at all. without this equipment, you're guaranteed to get a sihtty sound so why bother trying?

in fact, without at least 15 years experience engineering under the wing of a true analog audio expert, you shouldn't try to record anything on your own. you may end up making a big mistake like having fun or writing a song or something foolish like that.

[pk_hat]

Originally posted by mattm:
it is not possible to master with plug-ins. in fact, it is not possible to master a recording without years of valuable training and experience, as well as a darn good set of ears. please don't aid giving the valuable art of mastering as poor a name as the art of recording has come to earn due to the release of products such as "pro"tools into the wider community.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Maybe you could send him a check so he can get his music mastered by a professional?

Matt, although I see your point and advocate the fact that you can never achieve the same results at home as you would going through a mastering house, your reply was a little hairy.

We're all learning here, and slapping whatever plugins across a mix for a 'home made master' will only teach us about avoiding pitfalls and common mistakes. When we can afford mastering for a commercial release, then yes, we'll go to the man himself.

pk

[Stone Knife]

I have to warn you, the Digi Limiter is one of the most useless plugs in the lot.
It doesn't even work for speech correctly, (try it on a plain voice file.) ...so the idea of using it to master just is frightening.

YMMV, void where prohibited.

Har! daB writes

hold on now, homey - i think matt's on to something here. the truth is that you shouldn't be RECORDING with plugins or the digi 001 either for that matter. anything less than 64 tracks of analog tape and a 360 channel neve console isn't recording at all. without this equipment, you're guaranteed to get a *****ty sound so why bother trying?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">I didn't get the joke until after posting.

[SKI]

Originally posted by mattm:
it is not possible to master with plug-ins. in fact, it is not possible to master a recording without years of valuable training and experience, as well as a darn good set of ears.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">This statement can be perceived too different ways:
1)Don't waste your time [img]images/icons/mad.gif[/img]
or
2)You will need to learn how to use the products effectively. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

If it wasn't meant in a negative way then more clarification should have been given so that it would not appear that way.
I think it's important that we don't discourage other but instead help them to understand the importance of learning and understanding what you are trying to do.

[Bloux]

[b]originally posted by Mattm

it is not possible to master with plug-ins. in fact, it is not possible to master a recording without years of valuable training and experience, as well as a darn good set of ears. please don't aid giving the valuable art of mastering as poor a name as the art of recording has come to earn due to the release of products such as "pro"tools into the wider community.

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial">Hey Mattm,

Take it easy there sportcoat, sounds like somebody missed his nappy nap today! Now you march back in there young man and tell Pedrohead your sorry for being so cranky! Go on!.. good boy, now here's your computer back! go nite nites!! [img]images/icons/blush.gif[/img]