Mastering

[Voyager1966]

How I can mastering using ProTools? What i need?

[Craig F]

Loaded question.

If you have the skills the stock plugs work.

Ozone seems to be the plug of choice for most.

[albee1952]

Indeed. If you have to ask what you need, I would not be in a hurry on this. Its an acquired skill that doesn't come quickly. And, having "the tools" is no guarantee of success(although I applaud the willingness). Some suggestions I will offer:

Join Pro-Tools-Expert.com and toss them a donation. That will get you access to a ton of tutorial videos and to some great bargains(like the BLueCat Multiband Mixer, that might make a great mastering tool).

Buy Bob Katz' book on the Art&Science of Mastering.

learn your system's sound(your room, acoustics, speakers, converters....)
(mastering requires REALLY accurate monitoring to be done to the best level of quality and consistency).

Ask and search....there's plenty of knowledge out there, and you want to soak up all that you can. If you live near a decent sized city, seek out experienced mastering engineers and try to find one that will allow you to buy an hour or two so they can critique what you feel are a few of your best mixes(and maybe pay to have one of your own recordings mastered by a pro, and use that as a benchmark to shoot for with your own skills and tools

While you CAN master in Pro Tools, you might consider another program. I would look at the "essentials" version of Wavelab

[melloj]

yep. If you have to ask, you can't do it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't learn about it. Mastering services are not as expensive as people think, roughly $50 per track is the usual rate and there are plenty of studios with the equipment and skills.

[Voyager1966]

So far I have ProTools Clearly I need more UAD DSP and other plugins for mastering. I want a workstation that allows editing, mixing and mastering my projects. Recording the undertaking on a recording studio, at another time. Am I too lost?...

[dr_daw]

Yes you are 'too lost' just worry about editing and mixing. It sounds like you're not quite ready to dive into the art of mastering.

Take Albee's and melloj's advice and have your mixes mastered by a professional. Open the dialogue with him, and in the end it will make you a better engineer. Well worth the money to have someone else do the mastering.

[Voyager1966]

Just the opposite. I want to get into the world of mastering, but I want to do it on a PC (or MAC) ... for this I need ProTools more ... ??? ... that's my question .... What do I need?

[Numi]

If you have the $, you can purchase WaveLab or DSP-Quattro.. these programs are designed with a good layout for mastering and Redbook CD Creation.

WaveLab comes with pretty much all the plug-ins, meters and tools you will most likely need for mastering.

Like many have already said, Mastering is a different perspective and takes many years of experience, a good room and a good set of ears. Many engineers have a Mastering House that do their Mastering for them...as to have another set of ears hear the material. These Houses have many analog set-ups and the proper room built for the right listening environment as well as engineers who hopefully have Many years of experience and a healthy set of ears.

Now, if you are just looking to get your tracks up to a commercial volume level, EQ and Multiband Compression.. you can buy Ozone to use within Pro Tools on your stereo mix down and that has all the tools you need to do that. There are a lot of great starting presets and it is a fantastic jack of all trades plug-in.

Sounds like you have a positive attitude and drive to learn, that is exactly what you need.. because good Mastering is in a whole other LeVeL than run of the mill hobby Mastering. That doesn't mean you can't get good results out of the gate, with a little practice and experimenting.. so if you have $ and want a good Program specifically for Mastering.. than WaveLab is what I would recommend first. If you don't have the loot, than there are also the stock plug-ins within Pro Tools that can be used..Maxim can be used for limiting/volume, bomb factory compression and a 7 band EQ.. all can get you a to a larger more balanced track. Also, DSP-Quattro is pretty sweet for only $99 and has VST and AU support...except it is for OSX only.

Check out Pro-Tools Expert, Groove3 and The Recording Revolution(one of my personal favorites).

Good Luck and Have Fun! It is another beast that will take you on a ride for sure!

P.S. Do a forum search next time ahead of posting, there are a ton of threads already on this topic and that is probably why there hasn't been a lot of in-depth replies so far =P

[musicman691]

Originally Posted by Voyager1966

Just the opposite. I want to get into the world of mastering, but I want to do it on a PC (or MAC) ... for this I need ProTools more ... ??? ... that's my question .... What do I need?

Have you done ANY kind of audio work on a computer? Just having a computer and software is only a start. You need an acoustically treated room, good ad/da converters, good speakers (preferably several different types), and a lot of experience just doing regular audio in a daw, which in your case seems like it's going to be PT. You're also going to need good ears and that comes with practice and time - mastering engineers spend years learning their craft.

The above being said, if you don't want to do any recording at all getting a mastering program like Steinberg Wavelab which is pretty much a purpose-built tool would be better for you. That, along with a bunch of really good plugins and the knowledge of how when and when not to use them.

[albee1952]

I suspect you are missing some of the things you really "need", such as(in no particular order):

#1-really accurate monitoring, which means really good speakers that are properly setup in a properly tuned room(definitely NOT the average home, basement or bedroom studio). This includes great D>A converters too. This may be the 'make or break' part because, if you are not hearing accurately, you won't be able to make the best adjustments

#2- a decent software program in which to work(Pro Tools can be used, but its hardly ideal. Look at Samplitube and Wavelab, but there are others).

#3- some plugins that are made for mastering, such as Ozone, Sonnox Inflator, Waves L2 or Slate FG-X. Or very high-end hardware like a Massenberg EQ, Manley Slam, Manley Massive Passive(not the kind of stuff you buy at the local music store). Or add a UAD card as many of the UAD plugins are considered to be the best emulations available these days.

#4-a full knowledge of what you need to go for(and why), so once again, buy Bob Katz' book.

#5-well-trained ears and tons pf practice(and be prepared to take criticism as most don't "hit the mark" right away

Not telling you to NOT do this, just want you to in with eyes wide open