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Topic: Making the case for mastering |
Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 6:33 pm |
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| I didn't read it, but I always go to have my things mastered by someone other than myself. That guy has better ears than me, and by the time I'm ready to master, I've lost all perspective and he can give me an objective view on what needs to happen. |
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Mike Neer
From:
NJ
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 7:21 pm
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Mastering is absolutely essential to a great final product. It's also very important to have a mix engineer who is aware of the mastering process and leaves room for the mastering engineer to do his job.
Most mastering engineers are willing to work out a deal with bands/musicians--drop off your masters, leave the engineer alone with it, he'll do it when he can (within a reasonable amount of time), and you'll get a good break. If you need to be there, you're going to pay more. Also, there are a few excellent MEs out there in each city/region, but there are also those who have the power to ruin your final product. Get the best you can afford and get lots of references!
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Links to streaming music, websites, YouTube: Links |
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Bob Hoffnar
From:
Austin, Tx
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Posted 12 Jan 2010 11:06 pm
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Its good to make sure your mastering guy is on the same page as you. My favorite guy works with mostly classical chamber musicians. He doesn't use much compression at all. He is into clear articulation and open dynamic range. This works for me but has little to do with what a mastering guy who is into pop music will do. One guy who is very big in the "Americana/Roots" music scene does this cheezy mid range dip on everything to get his big sound. I find it annoying but his clients love it.
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Bob |
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Jack Stoner
From:
Kansas City, MO
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 3:23 am
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I'm remixing - as much as I can, a recording a local singer did recently in Nashville. The mix he got - a "take it" type deal with no recourse - is OK for "modern" sounds with everything mixed up with the singer but not what he wanted for traditional country music. It also sounds like his voice is totally dry. It was not a good mix also as it sounds too bassy on most car and home stereo systems. It doesn't sound bad on my studio monitors, but other than a studio no one else has that. Goes back to the old mix it so it sounds good on a "transistor radio".
Fortunately he also has the band tracks, so I recorded new voice tracks (with Sonar 8.5) and will mix it to his liking (and he says I do a better job of mixing and is going to send a copy to the Nashville studio). The only "mastering" software I have is what comes with Sonar Professional Edition. |
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Barry Blackwood
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 8:30 am
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| One guy who is very big in the "Americana/Roots" music scene does this cheezy mid range dip on everything to get his big sound. |
Bob - no capice. Can you explain?  |
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Mark van Allen
From:
Watkinsville, Ga. USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 10:58 am
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I would generally agree that mastering by an accomplished engineer with great chops, sensitive ear, and good gear improves nearly every project.
I've heard many records that were truly night and day better after mastering.
The main issue for most of my clients is the added expense. Many people run through their recording budget, even with the best intentions, to the point where the extra $700- $1500 for mastering can be a dealbreaker.
In such cases I'll try to print a mix that leaves room for future mastering work when they can get back to it, and then a mix that has some additional EQ and compression to taste for an immediate pressing.
On my own band's first studio recording, we used a local mastering engineer with great success, and were all happy with the results. The third record, we took to the same guy, and for whatever reason it came back sounding like it had a blanket on it. The band was really bummed out. I ended up using a light high-end lift and slight low mid bump on a NightPro EQ, with some light compression and look-ahead limiting, and it came out sounding great.
I would not call myself a mastering engineer by any stretch, I think some projects benefit from very light tweezing, where others can use some heavy surgery. |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 11:18 am
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I'm aware of the contributions of great recording engineers and great rooms (like Columbia Records stone church or RCA Nashville) but I don't know a whole lot about the mastering process so I'm finding this discussion very interesting. I recall David Lindley telling me how he shadowed mastering engineer Joe Gastwirt around as he showed him his mystery black box for bettering a mix. Even in something as lowly as Garage band you can sometimes hear truly dramatic differences from changes in EQ. What famous recordings were made way better my the mastering engineer?[/quote]
Last edited by Andy Volk on 13 Jan 2010 11:59 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Mark Roeder
From:
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 11:40 am
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To my ear good Mastering is very noticable when it is not there, but you don't think about it when its done well. It's an art I wish I knew more about.
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https://www.facebook.com/TheBestWesterns |
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Andy Volk
From:
Boston, MA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 11:58 am
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| Me too. |
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Jim Mathis
From:
Overland Park, Kansas, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 1:53 pm
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It seems to me that mastering for a musician is similar to what an editor is to a writer. The editor may not be better, but he is somebody else, and that is a good thing.
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Jim@MathisPhoto.net |
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chas smith R.I.P.
From:
Encino, CA, USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 6:19 pm
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| Quote: |
| how he shadowed mastering engineer Joe Gastwirt around as he showed him his mystery black box for bettering a mix. |
Joe mastered my first 2 cd's then Kevin Gray at Acoustech Mastering did a couple and then Scott Fraser did the last one. Kevin and Joe had a black box that the Sonic Solutions track went through, that did some voodoo to the bit stream. Then the master goes to a pressing plant that has another black box that does something.
I've compared my final to the finished cd and the finished cd sounds noticeably better.
Joe was using a very early Sonic Solutions program that ran in os 7.3, that he thought was the best sounding. |
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 13 Jan 2010 8:36 pm
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| If it's recorded right, you won't need much at all. |
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