A Few Mastering Questions?

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TheEdster75
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2011/03/21 12:43:05 (permalink)

A Few Mastering Questions?

I have a few questions on Mastering here:

#1. Is it better to Master a song by applying your mastering plug-ins on your master bus, or should you export your mix to a wav file and then import it into a program such as WaveLab and then apply your mastering plug-ins there?

#2. What should a mastering chain look like? Meaning, what plug-ins, like Multi-Ban Compressor, Limiter, EQ and in what order should they go?

I am a heavy metal artist, just to give you an idea of what style and possible the sound I want, but I know many people have many different ways to do things, so I appreciate all ideas on this... Thanks!!
#1

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    CJaysMusic
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    Re:A Few Mastering Questions? 2011/03/21 13:13:38 (permalink)
    1.) Yes and yes. Use what you have and it can be done both ways

    2.)The mastering chain should consist of the tools that each song needs. There is no  standard chain and settings. You use only what is needed and each song will need different things done to it.
    Multi Band comps are rarely used in mastering. If they need to be used, then the mix itself is faulty and the mix should be fixed.
    Cj

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    Philip
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    Re:A Few Mastering Questions? 2011/03/21 14:57:00 (permalink)
    +1 and -1: IMHO, JMO, Subjective, etc.:

    Multicomps when used strategically can add polish in the same way EQ does in a car stereo system (or the bass, mids, treble controls) ... and it can do it quickly.  Or later, when your/my ears are better trained, we *might* be able to fix in the mix.

    For examples:

    1) You want to enhance the highs (2kHz to 20kHz) per se (all of them) ... to give you upper mids more clarity and brightness (not just listening on the road) ... and you/I "Love that sound".  I'm not about to fix it in the mix --haha!  I'll fix it on the master buss (with Ozone4's multicomp module).  Next time on the road, I can run it flat (no treble), and hear clarity

    2) You've listened on your car stereo and discovered your low end needs more energy to drive your subs:  Run a comp (slightly, like <1dcbl or with compression in the 200 - 800 Hz range +/-) that compresses some of your lower mids, to allow the <200Hz more relative energy in the mix.

    3) You want to apply tape saturation to the lows and mids only.  You can apply several decibals of saturation to the lows and mids then reduce it in the multi-comp ... again, if you "love the sound"

    4) You want to widen the highs (5kHz+) so the sizzle is panned away from vocal center: Multicomp the highs with upward compression 5-10 dcbs and widen them with the stereo widener afterwards. 

    5) Of course, per CJ, you can do a lot of this 'better in the mix'.


    Philip  
    (Isa 5:12 And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD)

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    jsaras
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    Re:A Few Mastering Questions? 2011/03/21 16:23:53 (permalink)
    I generally agree with CJ here.

    If you are trying to home-master several songs (and not just one) I would suggest working with the stereo mixes.  Some mastering engineers like to work with mix stems as well which makes it easier to address many common issues.

    Metal music in particular is defined by (too much) loudness and impact.   The only way to really achieve that sound to have the goal in mind from the very beginning while recording, mixing and finally, the mastering.   If things are recorded poorly there's no amount of maul-da-band compressors/exciters that will make it sound great.  If it's done right, it's a breeze to master it with a touch of high-quality single-band compression and some limiting.

    I know I must sound rather cranky.  To make a positive suggestion, why not post your mix on the songs forum and get some feedback as to where your mix stands? 

    Cheers,
    Jonas


    http://www.audiorecordingandservices.com ("one minute free" mastering)

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