I think about her when I'm Mastering !!

Just push the big ol' MASTERING button on the console. Oh, and get some kleenex...

What do I need to do inside of Sonar to set it up for mastering a song ?? I'm using Sonar 7 producer edition ......

I dunno, what does your song need? whats your song lacking?
what does mastering mean to you?
I ask because asking such a question that can never be answered makes me wonder. There are no set things to do and there are no rules. You do what your song needs and every song is different.
Maybe you need to read the Ozone pdf on mastering. Its not too long and it contains alot of good info. other than that, there are books on the subject of mastering. yuo may want to check a few out
Cj

Start reading:

http://www.google.ca/sear...meta=&aq=f&oq=

Best thing that ever happened to me with regards to mastering, and I am by no means an expert was to sit in with several mastering engineers while they mastered, not my stuff, but other songs. Watch listen and learn. You can read all the books you want, but until you work with someone and try it yourself, you're not going to get good at it.

Trial and error, that's the way.  Even if you save presets or templates, there is no such thing as one size fits all.  Every song is different, (unless you're The Ramones, in which case, same is good).

Hey! I'm the first guy to twiddle the knobs and sliders and see what happens. Sure you can take the shotgun approach. Trial and error will eventually teach you something. But it's a long hard road with iffy fish taco stands every 100 miles or so.

Fundamental knowledge of sound and how it interacts with the human ear makes the process so much easier. Trust me, I tried both ways.

Hey! I'm the first guy to twiddle the knobs and sliders and see what happens

No, its one of my favorite ways to learn.
It reminds me of the first girl i was with. Lets twiddle with that and see what happens. Its kinds how i learned .. Nevermind!!!!!!
 
There are just so many ways to learn. I think the original poster wanted an answer. I dont think one can be given, except learn the trade  and learn it good and have patience, cause its not learned overnoght and its a vast topic
Cj

Why not watch some brain surgery also. You can watch just about anything. It doesn't replace knowing what your doing. It also doesn't replace the knowledge you get form studying the subject.

If you want to be a parrot, the you can copy what the engineer is doing. but then you better write and compose every song exactly how that one sounds or your SOL
Cj

...wicked


Not much.  Get thee a multiband compressor, a limiter, and a good linear phase EQ that you like

IMO you don't need a multi-band compressor when working on your own material. If something needs that type of brutal treatment, fix it in the mix. Even when working on other people's material is a multi-band compressor rarely needed.

Linear phase equalisation is also rarely needed. That is a bit of a fad due to marketing. Don't forget that everything is a compromise. Linear phase EQs have their own downside compared to minimum phase designs: Pre-ringing or pre-echo.

UnderTow

For example, if you just need or just have a problem with your kids, a multiband compressor can just fix

 
WOW fix the kids ... I want one!
 
Dude

Very good points CJ but I think I understand what Undertow is saying. If you do need a lot of work in the mastering phase it may be best to revisit the mix and correct it there. To me mastering should be easy and as simple as possible. I know its not but it should not require heavy handed redoing of the mix either.  To me mastering is getting as much "quality" out of the song as possible for distribution. This should be done with a fine small scalpel not a meat cleaver.

I dont think i ever came across anyone who said lets use this so we can destroy the song.

LOL I don't know about that. Someone has with the loudness wars.

If we're talking "amount" of compression than yeah, if it needs a lot it sounds like a mix thing.

However, I wouldn't consider doing any kind of "ghetto mastering" without a multiband compressor. And the two times I've sent my stuff out for mastering and gotten to sit that's exactly what they had in their toolbox. In fact I would say it's the preferred tool. EQ is static, and limiters don't have the soft finesse of a multiband. What else do you use as a mastering tool, nice language?

CJaysMusic

IMO you don't need a multi-band compressor when working on your own material. If something needs that type of brutal treatment, fix it in the mix

Undertow, Multi bands are not just for brutal adjustments. They can be used for small critical adjustments without effecting the other band frequencies.

Actually they can't. By definition a multi-band compressor affects the full frequency range of your mix. Each band is separated by two filters. The filters are either minimum phase (Think Waves C4) and thus cause phase shifts right through your mix. Or they are phase linear and thus cause pre and post ringing right through your mix.

Either way a multi-band compressor is a rather brutal tool especially considering that you have full access to the mix.

For example, if you just need or just have a problem with your kids, a multiband compressor can just fix the mids without effecting the high range or low end or lower mid range or higher mid range.

Why would you have a problem with your mids that can not be fixed in the mix? usually this is due to a single instrument that has issues. It will always be less brutal to fix that single instrument issue than to affect ALL instruments in your mix during mastering.

Next up is of course to EQ the full mix. More often than not that is all that is needed. It is VERY unlikely that someone has a dynamic issue in the mids of their mix on ALL instruments and that that somehow was not picked up during mixing but is suddenly picked up while "mastering" the same mix in the same studio on the same monitors by the same person.

Anyway, the whole concept of "mastering" your own mixes in your own studio doesn't really make much sense.  Making your mixes louder (for whatever reason), sure. Adjusting mixes to form a whole for an album, sure. You might even want to call that mastering. I would still just revert to the  mixes anyway as that always gives more control.

Mastering is typically done by someone else in a different studio. There are good reasons for that.

Also how does one call something brutal when you dont even know the context of the settings and song. It could have a ration of 1:3 with a threshold of -0.5 and a slow attack and slow release and minimal gain reduction. Those settings are not brutal
 

It is the whole device that is brutal. A bit like using a jackhammer to delicately sculpt marble. You can put the jackhammer on it's lowest setting, you are still using a brutal device that is inappropriate in the vast majortity of situations.

Multi-band compressors have been marketed into popularity. Most high-end mastering engineers rarely use them. Minimum phase EQs, broad-band compressors, limiters, good converters and good monitors in a good space are the usual tools of the trade.

Even when working on other people's material is a multi-band compressor rarely needed.

Undertow, how do you know?? how can you know what other songs need. how can you tell what direction those songs are going?

Like every other ME: Good converters, good monitors, good acoustics and experience.

UnderTow

Actually they can't. By definition a multi-band compressor affects the full frequency range of your mix. Each band is separated by two filters. The filters are either minimum phase (Think Waves C4) and thus cause phase shifts right through your mix. Or they are phase linear and thus cause pre and post ringing right through your mix.

Undertow, there are mutes and solo buttons on the mutliband compressors also. You can effect only one band when using a multiband.
I never heard any phase shifts when using 1 or 2 of the 4 or 5 bands. I guess you forgott to type in "May" cause,  cause you said "and cause" and this isnt right. Your assuming too much. There's an awfull lot of assuming going on here and one should never assume that a multiband will butcher a song when masgtering it.
Thats like saying everyone hates Rap music. yuor assuming too much with no hard data
Cj