High Level Guides for Mixing and Mastering Within ProTools

[Matt Darcy]

Guys,

I'm looking for high level introductions to mixing and mastering within protools, techniques, tools needed, what to listen for etc etc.

I totally appriciate this is a BIG topic and I'm not looking for a walk through, I'm looking for really two documents that serve as a good introduction with known good information for using pro-tools for these two tasks.

I've just put a few small demo tracks together for a friend and I'd like to use this as a learning experience or introduction.

Anything you have or know is good (there is so much rubbish on the internet) would be most appreciated

thanks.

[tha]-[acksaw]

I don't have any suggestions as far as literature.... but I have been a big fan of the DVD's from Multi Platnum Pro Tools. You can googel them on the web. They have DVD's for mixing, mastering, editing and a whole lot more. And the best thing is, they do it all in the box (inside PT 7)

I watch the mastering and mixing ones regulary, and always get great new info each time I watch.

Basicaly what they do is give you a huge multitrack session recorded in Nashville by the pro's. They then take this session and walk you though the steps on video.

The mixing engineer is John Merchant who has a long list of hit records and songs he has mixed. I believe he has won a few Grammies as well. I really enjoy this down to earth approach and straightforward teaching style. The dood is bad!

Mitch Gallagher does the mastering DVD. I don't know much about this credits but I got a lot from his lessons, and still do.

All the prices are more then fair for what your getting. If you wanna watch a pro work I suggest you give these a shot. They are very worth the money!

Hope that helps a little!

Nick

[albee1952]

"high level introduction".....sort of an oxymoron, no? In any case, Bob Katz's book on mastering is a must. Most info on mastering techniques and plugins relate to any DAW and I go back and forth between mastering in PT and Wavelab, depending on what I need to do with the track. Audio manipulation usually gets done in Wavelab as I can render and finish much faster than the real-tme bounce in PT. I prefer PT when I need to do creative fades(Wavelab does linear fades fine but I can't get it to do non-linear-maybe operator ignorance). Also find it easier to copy plugs and fades if I master in PT.

[Matt Darcy]

interesting feedback, the DVD's sound an excellent idea, however I've just moved from PT7 to 8, as I'm still new with 7 moving to 8 seemed sensible rather than moving to 8 once I'm already in bad habits with 7.

I've got some DVD's for elastic time and a few other topics that translate from PT7 %99 into PT8 fine, but I'd be a little worried about other topics such as mastering not translating from Pt7 to 8 well,

[tha]-[acksaw]

I toatly understand you concerns.

Let me say whats covered in the DVD could be used across any platform. They use a combination of PT plugins and third party, but try to use PT plugs as often a possible to really keep thinks in the box.

Aside from that, I found that what I mainly pick up is dos and don'ts. Standard ways of approaching audio as a whole. They also offer little tricks that can be used on different plugins as well as DAW's. I would hardly say that you will be confined to knowing how to do stuff in PT 7. Its less of a PT guide and more of a guide to mixing/mastering/editing in general, but done on a PT system. Its not a PT tutorial. Its a lesson in the subject covered in the title of the DVD.

Hope that helps a little.

Nick

[Matt Darcy]

helps a lot, having pretty much zero information on this personally a good high level guide to the process would be most welcome.

I think I'm about to make a purchase, thank you.