Best way to prepare final CD for mastering ?

[stevegalante]

I'm talking about preparing a final 'thing' to give to the mastering lab and make the last audio improvements, etc.
What I've concluded reading DUC :
- use a CD instead of a DAT;
- bounce final mix to disc from PT session;
What I'm still confused about :
- bounce 24bit/44KHz (and then transfer this file to CD with Toast or something else) or bounce at 16bit keeping a 24bit copy for safety ?
- if I bounce 24bit and want to make simple audioCD copy for producer reference do I have to create a new 16bit session and import and convert files into new session then export these files and burn the CD ?
Thanks

[editor]

steve,

I like to get a CD-ROM 24b/48k, not an audio CD but a CD-ROM of the files. This CD is for going out of PT digital and back into Sonic Solutions, with high end converters, via an analog transfer. I also like to get A CD-Rom of the final files @ 16b/44.1k as aiff files to be imported into Sonic Solutions via a digital internal import, this way I can stay all digital. I find that most of the time the 24 bit, 48 k files sound the best, recaptured through great converters. Although, sometimes the producer freaks if I don't stay all digital. This method gives me the best of both worlds.

Sonic Solutions, provides for RT sample rate conversion on input. In this way you can avoid PT SR conversion, which can leave something to be desired.

Above all Call and ask your mastering engineer, what he wants as a final format.

Regards

e



[This message has been edited by editor (edited May 01, 2000).]

[Oli P]

I do like editor....bounce in 24 bit 48k, and make a data CDR that I bring to mastering.

I never use any plug-ins on the master fader.

The mastering is done analog....usually via an apogee psx 100 converter...analog processing....and converted back via the Studer tube converter. Then final processing in the Weiss system and into Sonic.

If I need to make a reference copy, I'll import the mixes into a 24 bit PT session, and bounce a 16 bit 44k version for that.
Usually I'll use the L1 or Maxim to optimize and dither it.

[Marc Edwards]

I can't find a good mastering house that will accept 48k CDROMs!! Does anyone know a good mastering place in the UK?

Everytime I start talking about CDROMs everyone gets confused.

The only problem I can see with this is that the session file used to master can't be both 44.1k and 48k at once, which is what would be needed to output the original at 48k, run through analogue gear, then sample in at 44.1k for CD.

Marc.

[LoganString]

Major bump!

Just reading thru, and master back in 2000 really presented far different issues to now. A nice article here

[janmuths]

Contact your mastering house and ask what they want. A general rule is to NEVER reduce bit depth. Work in 24, stay in 24! It's the mastering engineer's job to reduce word-length. This should be done at the very end of the mastering process.
If you mix in the box: stay with the sample rate you produced in - don't apply SR conversion! Again, let your mastering engineer do that if necessary.

Don't apply excessive sum compression. Limiters across the masterfader is a big no-no.

Ask your mastering engineer for preferred file format and preferred peak/rms levels.

For delivery use CD-r or internet upload, depending on your mastering-engineer's preferences.

Hope this helps.

Jan

[Roland Clarke]

We used to do a lot of mastering for clients CD production, so I can tell you a few of the do's and don'ts from my perspective and a number of CD mastering engineers that I know.


As mentioned above, 44.1khz 24 bit files are the preferred option for most mastering studio's, though most will take other formats including (but not exclusively) 88.2 khz, 96 khz, 48 khz. They will also accept 16 bit files, though it is in your interest to keep them as 24 bit.

There are two schools of thought about compressors and limiters on the master fader, Bob Katz, recently was saying, that if people wanted a "loud" master, they really needed to be applying some overall limiting at the mixdown stage. I also think that there is nothing wrong with some compression or limiting overall at the mixdown stage, particularly if it is giving you a "sound" that you want. It should be remembered that if you "squeeze" the track beyond reasonable amounts you also limit the mastering engineers options to "do anything about it".

Another option, that is getting more popular these days, is to supply more than one mix. i.e. Main mix, then another with vocal up 1.5-2db, even supplied as stems. Indeed one mastering house I know of in the States recommends that you supply about 8 differing versions, perhaps this is a little excessive and you have to bear in mind this will effect the cost of doing the mastering.

Like everything else in the industry, mastering has been hit by the recession, so there are some good deals to be had out there. Unattended mastering (if you can bear to leave someone else to do their thing" can be a good option, as long as you go with someone that really knows what they are doing, there are a lot of people who really don't, a colleague of mine attended a mastering session at a "top" London facility, this was a few years ago and the hourly charge was close to £200, he told me about his experiences, and to be honest with you they wasted their money and ended up with mediocre results.

A few bits of advice I would offer:

Get the mastering engineer to work on one track to start with, if you don't like the results, you haven't committed yourself to spending a load of money only to have to go elsewhere to get the result you want.

If you can do two or three versions of a mix, usually at least one additional one with a vocal up a couple of db.

Remember, if it sounds good, it is good.

Be realistic. I've done mastering sessions where the end result, you wouldn't have believed it was the same recording, equally as well there are times when the best mastering is to do very little and also the times where nothing is going to straighten out the mess the track/mix is.

This of course isn't a complete answer to everything mastering, there are books on that and even they don't cover it all. Just balance off your requirements and budget and try to get some vision of what you hope to achieve.

[Roland Clarke]

Sorry, somthing I meant to mention in the above thread, I do suggest that you look out for mastering houses that use proper CD mastering programs, Sadie, Sequioa, Pyramix, Sonic Studio. You can make CD masters on most software, however, those that really know what they are doing have the right tools and these programs have specific tools for things such as ISRC codes, CD Text, etc and the pro's know this, that's why they use them.

[jimfisheye]

Give the mastering house the full quality print of the mix in the original format with no conversions.
Ex: Track at 24 bit 96kHz. Mix at 24/96. Deliver 24/96 mix with no conversions or final limiting or normalization. Only tracked/mixed at 24/44.1? Then deliver the 24/44.1 mix.

Make a full quality master (at 24/96 or 24/44.1 for the above examples). Then make reduced quality versions (like CD) as needed.

Now you can choose to make an extra squashed CD version (for portables or radio play) and still keep the real master for more serious distribution.

[JFreak]

Best way = DDP