great article on mastering/compressing....

[pk_hat]

To follow up on Retroject's inquiry on this subject in a previous thread, here are some tips I learned which I'd like to share with everyone.
I stumbled upon a related link the other night and the 13 pages it took to print was worth every jet of ink.

A few of my thoughts upon reading it...

I firmly believe that the process of mastering a mix should depend on what the target goal of the mix is.
Is it a label-paid release, a single to get radio airplay or simply a CD-R demo you wish to expose in case a deal awaits?

The reason I found this article so insightful is because I recently got T-Racks and although I love it, I made a lot of mistakes in my settings which I can now understand better. I basically overcompressed the mix, and though it sounded great at home and in the Discman, it failed miserably in the club PA at work. All life was sucked out of it and now I know why.

Its not to say these DIY mastering apps are not worthy. If anything, they're a great learning tool and will make a mix sound "hotter", with more "punch", just use them sparingly.
Personally, I love the sound of T-Racks, it truly warms up my sound but now I know not to rely on it to make my mix 'sound better'.
I know not to put too much importance on mastering simply to impress deaf ears, just a little to gain some db on the meter, that's all. I firmly believe that when the time comes (and the money) for that release-ready CD, a Mastering Engineer will no doubt deliver the sonic results that no software package can offer (though they can come close at times).

Hope you enjoy this read as much as I did...

http://www.digido.com/compression

pk

[Voutsonios]

thnx for sharing [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

[JMS40]

Thanks, great article.
Real mastering engineers are amazing artists. I've had the pleasure of seeing Glenn Meadows, head guru at Masterphonics Nashville, work many times. Glenn is one of the best mastering engineers, ever. When you see and hear what people like him can do, makes you feel like you were born deaf.
No doubt, Mastering is a true artform.

[Roy Howell]

pk and JMS40,

Given that I have been playing and producing music for years, I am a novice as a modern engineer.
Given that, please explain what a good Mastering engineer does, even after say, a Mix engineer is satisfied with his 'perfect' mix. Does it have to do with the perfect compression to make it 'jump out' of the radio, presence wise? At one time I think radio stations themselves had compressors on everything that was played, and only the best Mastering engineers knew the perfect mixture. Is it still the same?

Please educate me (and others).....

By the way, thanks pk. I'm printing out the article as I type this.

Thanks, Roy

[English Jim]

Thanks PK, good article!

I just finished a project with Bernie Grundman in LA and believe there is no software or hardware that can replace those ears and I doubt if there ever will be.
FWW - my project got held up while they worked on Michael Jackson's new record - guess he has just a little more pull than I do.

[APAULOS]

I couldn't agree more on the point that PK made about software being no substitute for a professional mastering engineer. I'll go even further to say that it would be like an author using microsoft works to edit his new novel rather than an editor.
There's just no substitute for the objectivity that a professional mastering engineer brings to the table. Plus it doesn't hurt that the guy I use has a couple racks full of Avalon, Manley, and the like.

[pk_hat]

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:<HR>Originally posted by Roy Howell:
pk and JMS40,

Given that, please explain what a good Mastering engineer does, even after say, a Mix engineer is satisfied with his 'perfect' mix. Does it have to do with the perfect compression to make it 'jump out' of the radio, presence wise? Please educate me (and others).....

By the way, thanks pk. I'm printing out the article as I type this.

Thanks, Roy<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> No problem Roy, this article was truly an ear-opener for me. I'm still in infancy when it comes to engineering and mixing, though I've been playing many instruments for years. To answer your question with accuracy is out of my ways for now, but I think there's a few things (meaning many, really) a Mastering Engineer will do to your perfect mix.
Most of it is in the article, you'll see.

From what I gather, there are a few key points made than will stick with me forever.

1-If you're attempting to master a mix at home, make sure you keep 2 versions of that mix. One before and one after the mastering process. You don't want to send an already squashed mix to an engineer. If you screwed up somewhere (which is easy to do in a non-audible way), there's no Ctrl+Z for that guy do hit and start over.
Give hime a good-level, well balanced mix, that's all.

2-If you're attempting to mix and master an album's worth of material at home, the chances that all your tracks blend smoothly together with the same relative volume and dynamics are pretty slim. The engineer has the know-how and the tools to get the job done. Again, Maxim, L1 or T-Racks are gorgeous plugins and can make your mix sound 'pro-like', but you can't compare it to what these engineers can do.

I'll be checking out this site - www.digido.com - in depth to see what other things they have to say about recording. Definetely a bookmark site for everyone! [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]


pk

[Roy Howell]

Thank you, sir...

[some guy]

cheers P.K