Gearslutz.com - View Single Post - A couple noob questions

1) How much does an interface matter in mastering? If you are using external converters, what other aspects of an interface are important?

2) Do you use reference material? I've been thinking about this as of late. In mixing, you use reference material to compare how your balances, EQ, etc. sit against another pro mix. In mastering, would you only use a reference to compare "loudness" to your competition? When making creative decisions (EQ, compression, etc.), isn't the track itself the only reference you need since the mix engineer has already decided how he wants the music to sound? If you were using an outside reference mix and determined that the song you are mastering is not as bright as the competition, is it a mastering engineer's place to make it sound as bright, or has the mix engineer already decided that's what the mix should sound like and it should only be tweaked if it is a problem?

17th April 2012	#1
NotchontheRocks Gear addict Joined: Nov 2011 Location: Ohio Posts: 477 Thread Starter	A couple noob questions 1) How much does an interface matter in mastering? If you are using external converters, what other aspects of an interface are important? 2) Do you use reference material? I've been thinking about this as of late. In mixing, you use reference material to compare how your balances, EQ, etc. sit against another pro mix. In mastering, would you only use a reference to compare "loudness" to your competition? When making creative decisions (EQ, compression, etc.), isn't the track itself the only reference you need since the mix engineer has already decided how he wants the music to sound? If you were using an outside reference mix and determined that the song you are mastering is not as bright as the competition, is it a mastering engineer's place to make it sound as bright, or has the mix engineer already decided that's what the mix should sound like and it should only be tweaked if it is a problem?