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Originally Posted by Peakly   You're the painter, and it sounds like the painting looks good in all kinds of different light. Nice job getting it to translate well on all those different systems.
Different musicians, mix engineers, mastering engineers, etc, will all have different opinions on how it sounds. But would their opinions be more valuable than your own? You're the artist - it's your piece of art. If you like how it sounds, go with it. |
Many people today DON'T know how to properly self critique their own work and tend to think everything they produce is a work of art.
I can say that a mastering job I just did for a client is GREAT! but unless some of my peers also agree it is GREAT! or it becomes a million seller, it is just my opinion.
To use your analogy when a painter finishes his "masterpiece" he may think it is GREAT! but until someone else offers to purchase it or writes a favorable review of the art it is still his or her opinion and nothing more.
To many "artists" today work in a vacuum and don't seek the advice or consul of others. Collaboration is the name of the game if you want your material to be of interest to more than yourself. I cannot tell you the amount of work I get in to master that is being heard for the first time and no one, up until it gets played here has heard the music or has given any suggestion about the overall quality of the material. The artist has written the music, played the music, recorded the music and mixed the music all without any input from another human being. They may think their stuff is top drawer material but in reality what they have created is bargain basement junque that is pleasing only to themselves. If you say anything about the quality of the playing or the mixing or the recording they get defensive and say it is their artistic vision and they are more than happy with it. So be it. Just remember that like in computers garbage in - garbage out.
If you are creating music for your own pleasure then everything is GREAT! no matter what you do, if you are creating music that will be enjoyed by the masses then you should do everything possible to make sure what you are doing is really the best and that includes getting someone to master your material that really knows what he or she is doing and has the ears, the monitoring setup and the equipment to do your material justice.
FWIW