How do YOU master? (for you DIYers)

[gtrm8kr]

As a home project studio guy I'm trying to honor the proper phases of work. Composing, tracking, mixing then mastering. For those of you who are do-it-yourselfers like me (and using PT11 for tracking and mixing) ... do you master in Pro Tools, too (10? 11?), or do you export a stereo file to Wavelab or the like? And if you master in Pro Tools, what do you use to burn your own CDs?

So, how do YOU master?

(Let's set aside the obvious point that a professional mastering engineer - or mixing engineer for that matter - could do a better job than me....)

[albee1952]

I rarely "master" in Pro Tools. Wavelab is a much better platform in too many ways to count(my 2 cents anyway). My credo is simple; don't make it worse. My mastering chain is usually RennEQ(hi-pass at 32Hz)>Softube Tube-Tech or Slate VTM>Waves L2>Waves L2>UVHR dither. Neither L2 does more than 2db of GR. Once in a while, I will do a tiny bit of EQ, but usually I leave it flat(except for the HP). Once the track is rendered, I remove DC Offset and save as 16 bit/44.1K for upload to iTunes, and also save as MP3 for emailing to clients.

[waltz mastering]

You can process the tracks in any DAW that you feel comfortable with, then export and assemble in a program like Hofa CD Burn/DDP http://hofa-plugins.de/en/plugins/cd-burn-ddp/ DSP Quattro or Triumph http://www.audiofile-engineering.com/triumph/ GL

[Cutlerbri]

Hey Guitar Maker,
I know I will make a lot of mastering folks shudder when I say this, but I'm a DIY guy like you with a simple PT project studio. A year ago I bought Izotope Ozone 5 when it went on sale.
I just add a master fader to my mix when I get it edited and mixed to my satisfaction. Then I insert the Ozone 5 on the master fader and start clicking around on the presets.
Maybe I'm doing this all wrong but it sounds pretty stinkin' good to me!

[gtrm8kr]

Cool. Thanks all.

[jonathancampbell]

I use a separate mastering template. This consists of a stereo audio track where I import a left and right mono track of my song, running through a couple of auxes where I use specific plugs and then print to a new stereo audio track from there. A final aux is where I use a couple of reference meters and graphic/spectrums.

[Stys64]

Originally Posted by jonathancampbell

I use a separate mastering template. This consists of a stereo audio track where I import a left and right mono track of my song, running through a couple of auxes where I use specific plugs and then print to a new stereo audio track from there. A final aux is where I use a couple of reference meters and graphic/spectrums.

I follow this same procedure as well. This way, you can hear how each plug in affects the track before it is printed.

[sighermike]

I typically don't do a lot of Master bus or master fader limiting on in my mixes. I also tend to mix a little more old school and use more dynamics and less compression. But, the end result is a low volume bounce. I then pull that into a separate session and will install a mulitiband compression (as more of an overall EQ) and then Slate FG-X. Unfortunately, I just upgraded to 11 and Slate still doesn't have that plugin ready for the 64 bit AAX world. So, I'll be bouncing down the audio file, opening the older laptop, where I still have PT 8 installed, and do my masters there.

I will typically do all my overall EQ, aural excitement, etc. all within the mix, through a stemmed bussing system. And I'll do my final volume blends on those (max 8) tracks, with a tape emulator and an overall EQ on the master fader.

@jonathancampbell, is there a way to share your template file? I'd like to check it out and see if that's maybe better than my method.

[Dre2580]

Originally Posted by sighermike

I typically don't do a lot of Master bus or master fader limiting on in my mixes. I also tend to mix a little more old school and use more dynamics and less compression. But, the end result is a low volume bounce. I then pull that into a separate session and will install a mulitiband compression (as more of an overall EQ) and then Slate FG-X. Unfortunately, I just upgraded to 11 and Slate still doesn't have that plugin ready for the 64 bit AAX world. So, I'll be bouncing down the audio file, opening the older laptop, where I still have PT 8 installed, and do my masters there.

I will typically do all my overall EQ, aural excitement, etc. all within the mix, through a stemmed bussing system. And I'll do my final volume blends on those (max 8) tracks, with a tape emulator and an overall EQ on the master fader.

@jonathancampbell, is there a way to share your template file? I'd like to check it out and see if that's maybe better than my method.

Why not use PT10? It comes with 11 therefore you can still use your older plugins.

[sighermike]

There is some weird compatibility issue or something with my computer. I can't have 10 open for more than five minutes and it completely freezes my entire computer. Rather than looking for the reasons why, since I have work to do, I just decided to purchase new plugins for 11. I've tried reinstalling it, nothing works. And short of paying for someone to diagnose the problem, which only occurs with PT 10 and no other programs, I thought it easier and faster to just move on to PT 11. It took me a day and a half, working around the clock to try to address the issues. I upgraded from PT 8, and couldn't get 10 to work. I couldn't install 11 because there were some hidden 8 files somewhere on the computer. So, on the recommendation of others, I reformatted and reinstalled Windows 8.1. Then installed both 10 and 11. Eleven then worked beautifully, but 10 still freezes me up, causing me to hard boot it every time.