what to expect from a mastering studio?

[grendizer]

Im working on an album in which i will be sending out for mastering soon, however Im having a difficult time trying to make the pre-pre-master sound good on all systems.

i have a pair of m-audios near field monitors and the mix sounds great on them. however when i switch the output to my logitec z-680 multimedia speakers with subwoofer. it sound like the kick and the bass are about to tear a hole in the ground. if i adjust the bass instruments outputs to sound good on my subwoofer logitec system, and then revert back to my m-audio near fields, the bass is almost non-existent. i have absolutely no idea how to find a friendly medium. should i just send my good sounding mix from one system to a mastering house and let them take care of the problem or is this something i have to take care of in the mix first?

also, ive been studying the waves PAZ analyzer. can somebody give me an idea of what im looking for here? i love using PAZ to locate certain whistles and booms on specific instruments, but why on the master track?

thanx in advance
Mark

p.s. can someone recommend me a good death metal mastering house? (dimmu borgir, deceide) stuff

[EGS]

Originally Posted by grendizer

...having a difficult time trying to make the pre-pre-master sound good on all systems...

Use the best monitors you can - do not skimp here. Large/medium/small speakers plus high-end headphones. Import commercial releases of the same genre and compare to your mix. Mix loud and soft. Take breaks. Mixing is an art. Mastering cannot fix a bad mix. My 2 cents. (I'm a mastering guy.)

[Carl Kolchak]

You might be having problems with your room treatment, or with the set-up of the logitec z-680 multimedia speakers with subwoofer.

I would talk to the Mastering Engineer, you might be best served by doing the best mix you can on your main speakers and then sending STEMS to the M.E. to work on with the most flexibility.

[Bob Olhsson]

That's a pretty typical sub-woofer problem.

I'd check my low end with something like Sony V6 headphones. They have a hyped low end that still translates pretty well provided the mix also sounds OK on near fields.

[RTFM]

As others indicate, this is a common problem - it's rare to get a mix that sounds great on every system. Usually what I advise is getting it to sound great on the systems most likely to be used by your listeners and then compromise a bit to get it to at least sound 'good' on other systems.

One thing you may want to consider is sending a mix that has problems on a certain system to the mastering engineer, as they likely can give you some tips/tricks on how to adjust your mix to make it sound better overall.

Usually in cases like yours there's simply too much bass in the sub-100/150hz range. Putting a cutoff filter around 20-30hz can help a lot there, as can putting a little 'bump' in the 200hz-500hz range to help the bass stand out more on both smaller systems and 'good' monitors. Those are VERY loose suggestions - what you need to do is entirely dependent on the bass frequencies, the number of tracks that have low end and what their frequency range and 'sound qualities' are like.

I see a lot of songs with too many tracks that have a lot of low end in them when they don't need to - selectively eq'ing those tracks to remove that low end can make room for the ones that actually need it and open up the mix a bit more.

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by grendizer

Im working on an album in which i will be sending out for mastering soon, however Im having a difficult time trying to make the pre-pre-master sound good on all systems.

i have a pair of m-audios near field monitors and the mix sounds great on them. however when i switch the output to my logitec z-680 multimedia speakers with subwoofer. it sound like the kick and the bass are about to tear a hole in the ground. if i adjust the bass instruments outputs to sound good on my subwoofer logitec system, and then revert back to my m-audio near fields, the bass is almost non-existent. i have absolutely no idea how to find a friendly medium. should i just send my good sounding mix from one system to a mastering house and let them take care of the problem or is this something i have to take care of in the mix first?

also, ive been studying the waves PAZ analyzer. can somebody give me an idea of what im looking for here? i love using PAZ to locate certain whistles and booms on specific instruments, but why on the master track?

thanx in advance
Mark

p.s. can someone recommend me a good death metal mastering house? (dimmu borgir, deceide) stuff

Hi,

If you want to drop one of your mixes in my drop box! i'll happily take a listen and give a quick assessment from mastering viewpoint.

drop box



Chris

[grendizer]

thanx for the replys all, from what I've gathered, i need a better monitoring system.

Chris i uploaded a file, all feedback is much appreciated



best regards
Mark

[CME]

Originally Posted by grendizer

thanx for the replys all, from what I've gathered, i need a better monitoring system.

Chris i uploaded a file, all feedback is much appreciated



best regards
Mark

Before you do that. What kind of room treatment do you have? Decent speakers in a well treated room is better than great speakers in a "tin can". This is my advise especially since you're having trouble with the low end. Check out John Sayers studio design forum for a ton of info on room treatments.

[crizdee]

Originally Posted by grendizer

thanx for the replys all, from what I've gathered, i need a better monitoring system.

Chris i uploaded a file, all feedback is much appreciated


best regards
Mark

Hello mark,

I didn't hear any "real" problems with the bass. I suspect your multimedia speakers are set to be too subsonic or the sub unit is badly positioned in the room and creating extended bass in your listening position. In fact i felt the low end could benefit from a bit of rump and shake to balance out the mid range, especially during the vocal section.

Anyway i've sent an example of where mastering could take the sound! just to give you an idea from that mix point! and for you to listen to on your multimedia system as this example is quite full on in the low end, but within tolerable limits if you like


Chris

[grendizer]

hey chris. i sent my clients the ruff master and they all liked it. however, it was still boomy on my system.... i just downloaded PTHD10 and with it, i listened to the free demo song that came with it, and it was boomy as well so, it obviously my system. im in the process of tossing my subwoofer out the window but thought i'de pass by first and thank you for your help. we'll be in touch

best regards
Mark