How to properly Master a track

[Dragonfly]

I'm just getting into Mastering for my own projects, and I've never actually seen it done. What are the steps one takes when Mastering a song, or a whole album for that matter?

I'm also curious about how to use the LinMB or C4 plugin, I'm not sure what the proper way to go about listening to it.

I'd be using plugins mostly from Waves Diamond bundle, although I have TRacks as well, but would rather not use it.

thanks

[MASSIVE Master]

(this is one of the reasons I don't master my own mixes)

First listen to the track -

"Visualize" what the track *should* sound like if it needs to change -

Setup a chain of whatever the track is asking for to get it to sound that way -

Tweak until happy.

And I would hope, after spending $3800 on a Waves bundle that you would forget you even had T-Racks.

[Lindell]

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

I'd be using plugins mostly from Waves Diamond bundle,

Did you buy the Diamond Bundle?

[cgarges]

Originally Posted by Dragonfly

I'm just getting into Mastering for my own projects, and I've never actually seen it done.

I'd change that first.

It's amazing how much I learned the first time I attended a mastering session with somebody good. I'm still amazed every time I go to a session and I get better as an engineer every time (even if I come out feeling worse sometimes). There are plenty of people around who will do a really great job on most projects for less than $1k (sometimes considerably less). I'd recommend going to one of these people at least once and seeing what you get out of it.

Sometimes a learning experience is way cooler than buying a piece of gear.

Chris Garges
Charlotte, NC

[NathanEldred]

Take your material to a qualified mastering engineer (maybe even a variety of mastering engineers like I did) for a minimum of 5 years. Try and sit in with them if possible, if not ask them to take detailed notes of their process. If you haven't started with that, it will take you infinitely longer, if ever, to learn the craft by yourself. Also, study the subtle and sometimes not so subtle differences between albums from the last 60 years. Why are they different, what makes the ones that you really like better? Are you able to seperate the music from the sonics (i.e. emotional from intellectual) ?

[Confusionator]

Just use the Waves L3 Multiband. Slide the left-most control down until the sound is too crunchy, then back it back up a bit.

Make a subtle smile EQ with the multiband section on the right.

Compare your results with similar-style CDs and adjust your mix to taste.

This will get you 80% of the way there. For more, you need tons of experience, a great room, and a bazillion dollars in gear. But don't forget that, for your needs, 80% may well be enough.

Flame on, gentlemen!

[Dragonfly]

Originally Posted by Lindell

Did you buy the Diamond Bundle?

Yes I did.

I've been working in a number of studios for a while now picking up on different things, but it has been tracking and mixing mostly. I'm trying to teach myself to begin with and observe whenever i get the chance, but for me beings hands on is the best teaching tool.

[Jax]

OOF

[jasonare]

It's a good idea to get a basic understanding of mastering, but as a couple of guys have already said, once you wanna put out a release, pay to have it mastered elsewhere. One of the main guidelines with music is it's best never master your own material. By giving it to someone else, they will listen to it subjectively with fresh ears.

To do a basic master yourself for demo purposes here's what I do.

On the master bus first insert a EQ and boost and cut only a little where necessary. A little EQ is better than massive curves.

Then insert a compressor or multi-compressor, again with a sutle setting. Have a listen and trust your ears to what sounds best.

Finally insert a limiter or AD-limiter to boost your volume, but be careful not to allow any clipping or distorting.

Obviously with any master mix, if your running through a mixing desk make sure your master channels EQ's are set flat.

Hope this helps in some way.

[DeeDrive]

Originally Posted by Confusionator

Make a subtle smile EQ with the multiband section on the right.

I don't see how this is good advice at all. Have you heard his recording? Does it have to much midrage, and not enough low and high end? There is no "magic preset" for eq, and I think a lot of beginners hope that there is. Here's my advice:

There's 3 basic steps to mastering (although this may not be all the music needs):
EQ, Compression, and Limiting

EQ:

Listen to you tracks everywhere you can. Do you notice too much bass or treble on any particular system? Take notes, and use them when your mastering your audio. What might not seem obvious on a certain set of speakers will be clear as day on others, so this is why it helps to have great monitors. When I'm EQing, I like to sweep across the audio field, boosting every frequency looking for obvious areas that need to be cut, and then only cut by 1 or 2 db. If an area seems really bad, try widened the Q of the frequency your cutting, or cutting some frequencies near the problem frequency.

Compression:

A good place to start is a ratio of 1.25:1 or 1.5:1, and adjust the treshhold until the meters are moving a little bit. Play with the attack and release to make sure it still sounds natural, and don't over-do it. Try to make the compression as transparent as possible. The most expensive mastering compressors are usually inaudible most of the time.

Limiting:

Use an L1,L2,L3, whatever, and adjust the threshold until your meters are catching the peaks, and compare the volume to a commerical CD of a similar stlye. Generally the waves limiters are pretty easy to get a good level with. If you're recording at 24bit, now is a good time to dither down to 16-bit using the dither provided.

Most importantly, always A/B back to your original and listen carefully to make sure you've actually made improvements. Don't feel bad if you have to start over, because the EQ adjustments you made make the song sound worse. The goal here is not to turn every knob, it's to improve the quality of your audio. Hope this helps a little.

[Jay Kahrs]

Doing your own mastering is like performing your own dental surgery. You could...but why? LOL

I learned what to listen for and some of the little points from sitting in on numerous sessions with mastering engineers. I still learn new things every time I attend a session or get feedback from the ME and the investment (around $1K or so for a full length) is well worth it. You'll learn something from the process and most importantly the final product will sound better and that's gotta be worth something to you right?

Assuming that you don't want to learn from a real ME, then at the very least buy a copy of the Mastering Engineers Handbook which is by (I think) Bobby Owinski.

Probably the biggest thing to remember is that mastering is a two-part process. It's the last creative step where all the mixes will be made cohesive so it sounds like a record. The second step is also one of the most crucial and most overlooked points of mastering. It's the first step of the manufacturing and duplication process. It might not seem like a big deal until you have a disc rejected by a plant or your client gets 1000+ CD's back that are FUBAR. It's really about attention to detail and especially the little details.

I remember one run that came back with the ME's thumb print in the middle of the disc!