Cheep outboard mastering gear ?

Hi all

I fancyed geting a bit of outboar mastering gear around £100 Uk

I am very new to all this so ot sure what to look for

would this be any good ?

http://www.zoom.co.jp/english/products/rfx2000/

Thanks

Norrie

Thats what I thought but I wasnt sure because it said about mastering in it

I dont think that is the one for me :)

Thanks

Norrie

Ok maybe I should have worded that a bit different.....

I was hopeing to maybe be pointed in the right direction of something second hand worth learning with ? Somwhere to start. I dont know what prices mastering tools come in at for someone to learn on. I havent the first clue I am just wanting to learn

Norrie, you'll get more mileage from spending your money on some decent mastering software than any hardware equivalent.

There aren't that many boxes around that will do all the various bits of mastering processing in the same box - the TC Finalizer might be one, but they're about a grand new. 

I  have no idea what they go for S/H.

Norrie,

Go to the Ozone website  and download the FREE mastering guides and read them, study them, and glean the information they contain. Even if you don't buy the O4 software.

It's not just having the tools/software to master, it's knowing what you are doing when you change a parameter, and understanding why you even need to change it...or not, that matters most, and will help you as you work on this aspect of recording and mixing.

Try the Art II Pro VLA compresser.  It retails in australia for 600-700 so a couple hundred pounds.  It is an excellent unit in terms of what it does and how it sounds.  This pro-**** is a moot question and argument anything can be pro if you know how to use it.  If you don't how to use stuff then it will never sound pro.  Simple!!!!!

“In Search Of The Lost Digital Chord”
Down with the false Gods. (Audio Schools)
Viva la Revolution
Sonar Forever, Pro Tools Never
Ben B.C.T (Bachelor of Creative Technology)
http://www.myspace.com/audiomystics

An observation only... it is a LOT easier to learn to get the "pro" sound using decent tools!

Using poorly designed or poorly executed tools will add so many layers of complexity to the process that it is self defeating.

This was not an issue 20 years ago, almost all mastering rigs were custom made, and the way you learned was by working in a mastering facility. Sadly, that's mostly gone today.

Much as I despise the idea that you can do equivalent work with a 'mastering' plug-in suite, in terms of learning how dynamics processors an filters fit into the process that's an excellent starting point, assuming:
1) you know what to listen for
-and-
2) your monitoring environment will allow you to hear it.

That is really where the art of mastering is enabled... a great monitoring environment and ears that know the environment, and what sounds good!

Have fun...

dr.hash


Mastering is the understanding of what it is you are mastering.  For instance if you want to master an a acoustic guitar duo you don't want to push the average level to hard and you want to keep the dynamics a much as possible.  If it is rock or hard rock you can push the average level to -12db and if you want to rally kill the dynamics -9db.  Don't forget it is the average level that is important.

My suggestion to you is find a song that is similar to the one you are mastering, import it into Sonar and use the RMS meters and the Analyzer, this will give you a rough idea of where to aim for in terms of mastering.

“In Search Of The Lost Digital Chord”
Down with the false Gods. (Audio Schools)
Viva la Revolution
Sonar Forever, Pro Tools Never
Ben B.C.T (Bachelor of Creative Technology)
http://www.myspace.com/audiomystics

No offence ment ot you DR hash but I was asking about gear not about how to do it.

I have some mastering tools I just fancyed trying some working out of the box as you say I have a friend who works mostly out the box and fancyed giveing it a go to see if it was for me or not before spending a couple of grand on some gear

Thanks though

Norrie

Thanks MIke :D

Thats exactly why I started this thread :)

I have the funds to go out and get some very good gear but wasnt sure if mixing out of the box was for me so I am holding on to the funds untill I know for sure

So basicaly like you said I am looking for some advice on some cheep second hand gear to see how I find doing it out of the box rather than a plug in :)

I dont want to throw all my eggs in one basket if you know what I meen and I dont want to make the wrong choice but I would like to try mixing out of the box I think you get what I meen

I apologise I am not very good at explaining my self and I am really sorry about that

Norrie