Mastering

[rkaynan]

After I finish a tune, the sum of all the tracks always adds up to about about 1/2 on the master volume track. I'll then group the appropriate tracks and bring up the total volume. To get the guage of the master track to hover near the zero mark, some of the indvidual and aux tracks need to be pushed way above zero.

Is this a bad thing causing loss of bits or adds distortion?

RKaynan

[M.Brane]

What do your ears tell you?

You only need enough bits to accurately represent the dynamic range of the source, and a bit of the noise floor. As long as you're not clipping anything "distortion" shouldn't be an issue.

There's a hell of a lot more to mastering though than just making sure your levels are good.

[Mikeren]

Your technique will work fine. I do the same thing. Your subject line says mastering but you're describing mixing, so I'll start there.

Are the tracks you are pushing above 0dB recorded too low? Proper mix gain staging starts by hitting the inputs to light up 1/2 t 3/4 of the meters scale on each channel while recording.

As you suggest, when mixing set with your master fader to 0 and leave it there. If your mix master fader meters too low, group all, raise the master, then ungroup and return the master (and AUX returns) to 0dB. I do it once early in the mix process and tweak from there.

Lastly, a final mix should never approach 0db too closely. In fact I try to keep the mix level no higher than -3 db, averaging more like -6 dB. That last dB's should belong to the mastering process. Use your Audiosuite gain plug-in to read your peaks accurately.

The resulting mix will be dynamic, full fidelity, and not loud. Thus mastering...The real deal requires the ears, equipment, and acoustics that define professional. If your music is important, don't settle for less.

If you just want to survive on a playlist or not have to reach for the volume knob (my preferred method) while playing your CD for friends, you'll have to turn up your mix (Sorta blast'er vs. master). It can be done with the tools PT provides. A search on the subject will keep you busy for a looong time. Look into compression, limiting, waveforms, peak and RMS metering--you'll get the picture.

My latest method is to use two compressors with different attack and release times to separately deal with peaks and overall mix. Lastly a limiter set to just below 0dB puts on the technical finish. The keys are to use the lowest compression ratios, set all thresholds to compress or limit by less than a few dB and don't use more than a couple of dB for make up gain per plug-in. To use your ears, as well, close your eyes when adjusting your threshold (the most active control) when you just make the sound gel--stop. Check the numbers...
MR

[mnoxious]

This is my favorite thread (so far) on mastering:Mastering
It is very specific and informative and is a great starting point for in the box mastering.

[rkaynan]

During the recording process, I have no issue with input level. Everything I record is close but doesn't ping the red zone.

I've mixed 11 albums with protools but when I get to that very last stage, trying to get the collective volume up to maximum on the final bounced version, that's my weakness. I just upgraded to Digi003 and have been messing with Izotope's Ozone to work the final bounced file but I just can't get it right. If anyone has any tried-and-true Ozone presets for final, I'd really appreciated it. The presets that came with Ozone at first impressed me but I have changed my mind.

I'm not clear what was meant by using the Autosuite Gain plug in for identifying the peaks. Would you please go into that more? I use that plug in for gain only and was unaware it had any other use.

Thanks,
Rich

[Mikeren]

Hi Rich,

When you click on 'read peaks' the resulting number is your highest peak in a selected track or section of a track. That number will tell you what your actual recorded peaks are--just a way of checking yourself (Protools metering isn't as accurate). If you don't want to process and master a bounced mix you can use compression and limiting on your master fader to bring up the peak and RMS levels in one bounce. Just be sure you don't mix with them active, turn them on after you've gotten a good mix balance and level and learn to use them properly.

I don't think you'll find an effective preset--just learn to adjust your threshold on the plug-ins for the right amount of processing and use the make-up gain (raise the output) to increase overall loudness. Use compression and limiting as a way of increasing your overall volume without destroying (flattening) your peaks. Each song will require different settings according to its own dynamics. For that reason there is no magic bullet.

MR