What exactly is mastering

[Peyton]

after a record a song on my computer i make sure everything sould equal and then i export it. Am i skipping a step?

[jbuntz]

Yeah. You are skipping the mastering part.

[Peyton]

Originally Posted by jbuntz

Yeah. You are skipping the mastering part.

did you read the topic

[djui5]

Originally Posted by Peyton

did you read the topic

You didn't exactly go into details about what your doing either. For all we know you could be mastering your own tracks, and don't realize it.

Proper mastering is something that should be handled by a professional mastering engineer.


For some reading, this might help


http://www.euphonicmasters.com/faq.php



http://www.musicianassist.com/archiv...T/a-0298-1.htm

[scruffydog]

Mastering is a process that occurs when the tracks are mixed and the record is about to be 'cut'.
The process involves everything from defineing the track running order to final mix polishing.A pro mastering engineer will have access to tools best suited to this opperation but we all have various tools in our computers that we use.
The envoroment it is done in is also important and at the cut the engineer will most likely have a very high quality monitor set-up as well as EQ and compression suited to this delicate task.
A few world famous mastering houses do exist and they seem to handle all the main releases between them.
http://mixonline.com/mag/audio_berni...man_mastering/
http://www.exchangemastering.co.uk/default.htm
http://www.abbeyroad.co.uk/mastering/
http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/aug0...rmastering.htm

For most of us it will simply involve listening to the mix in several different enviroments:studio/car/kitchen gheto blaster/front room hi fi/walkman and computer.
This enables us to check the balance and overall correctness of the mixes and allows us to add additional EQ and overall volume to tracks in order to bring some consistant feel to a collection of tracks.
posh EQ and posh compression are the standard tools for mastering professionally.

[Bob Olhsson]

Mastering is the last step in production and the first of manufacturing. It is often used as an expert second-opinion and a final opportunity to tweak the presentation of mixes within the context of each other and of the other recordings they will be competing with. It differs from mixing in that a mix alters the presentation of the music.

Making a great first impression on every listener is very important to the success of a recording and an artist. Mastering engineers try to minimize unintended distractions from mixes.

[scruffydog]

Yeahh..well put Bob..especially the bit about competition.

[Peyton]

Originally Posted by Randall

Perfectly stated Bob!! I did think my analogy wasn't a bad answer.
moving back to Nashville soon... let's have lunch!... I'm buying!

can i get some lunch?

[Dragonfly]

Originally Posted by Peyton

can i get some lunch?

no lunch for you





j/k

[scruffydog]

Randall is buying us all lunch then..but not dragon fly

[bunnerabb]

Corned beef on rye with mustard. Leave the fat on. Diet Pepsi, please. If you can't honk up for that, I'll take one of those mustard smothered street weenies. Ballpark wid ongions.

[tINY]

Mastering is where some idiot with a bunch of expensive equipment puts track info into the TOC, adjusts dead time between pieces and trys to take your carefully mixed artistic statement and make it sound as much like everything else on the radio (often ruining a sound you were after).

Mastering is a throwback to the days of Vinyl disks where there were things that could make a record sound bad when the 2-track tape sounded good. In the days of digital audio, where you can do your own rate conversion and formatting, they are a luxury that big labels perpetuate.

On a budget, if you know what you are after, you are better off saving the money and "mastering" yourself. They can smooth the manufacturing hand-off a bit. But if you are sharp and do your homework, there isn't a lot of value that they add past a little EQ/compression and a second opinion.

Of course, I have had hours of careful work with outboard processing gear ruined by mastering engineers before too....



-tINY

[pan60]

Originally Posted by tINY

Mastering is where some idiot with a bunch of expensive equipment puts track info into the TOC, adjusts dead time between pieces and trys to take your carefully mixed artistic statement and make it sound as much like everything else on the radio (often ruining a sound you were after).

-tINY

i absolutely love the way you put that.

[AlexLakis]

To some, mastering is a mystical, secretive art, whose incantations can only be spoken succesfully by a select chosen few. To some, mastering is 20 minutes with an L3 on the master bus. A "good" mastering job can make a crappy mix sound good. However, the same "good" mastering job can bring a great mix down to good. All in all, mastering is about putting a "final ear" on your project. If that ear belongs to someone you know and trust, or someone whose previous work is what you're looking for, then mastering will surely provide you with peace of mind, and an end result you'll be happy with. If you feel better off trusting your own ear, (or if you're just poor like me) then by all means, take a stab at it yourself.

[opentune]

Hey peyton, here´s a link to a pdf brochure.

http://www.massivemastering.com/asse...f_Your_Mix.pdf

I think it provides useful information. All the basics you need to know.

[nukmusic]

a good mastering job starts with a good mixdown.

[bunnerabb]

The mix is the interesting, fun little guy you send out into the world to join the party.

Mastering is the custom fitted tux that gets him in the front door.

[AnalogUniverse]

i was always revolted by the sight of 100 people standing around a room all wearing the same outfit... i figure if people are willing to give up part of what makes them unique just to be a member of this crowd, then i should really find a different party. if you need a tux to get in the door, then obviously no one there cares about what you want to express.

never worn a tux, never will... and i hold the same standard for my music.


unless of course it's all about the money, then by all means, do what you gotta do to get it

i'm not talking about all mastering here either, sometimes it's exactly what a mix needs, usually because of the "fresh ears" effect, but, there's a certain kind of mastering that's got nothing to do with the art

[bunnerabb]

AP / REUTERS} - An innocuous analogy was beaten half to death on a popular audio forum, today. Supects are being questioned.

[AnalogUniverse]

lol, sorry about that man... just struck a nerve with that one

[eyesore]

Originally Posted by tINY

Mastering is where some idiot with a bunch of expensive equipment puts track info into the TOC, adjusts dead time between pieces and trys to take your carefully mixed artistic statement and make it sound as much like everything else on the radio (often ruining a sound you were after).

Mastering is a throwback to the days of Vinyl disks where there were things that could make a record sound bad when the 2-track tape sounded good. In the days of digital audio, where you can do your own rate conversion and formatting, they are a luxury that big labels perpetuate.

On a budget, if you know what you are after, you are better off saving the money and "mastering" yourself. They can smooth the manufacturing hand-off a bit. But if you are sharp and do your homework, there isn't a lot of value that they add past a little EQ/compression and a second opinion.

Of course, I have had hours of careful work with outboard processing gear ruined by mastering engineers before too....



-tINY

Nice!

[lucey]

Originally Posted by tINY

Mastering is where some idiot with a bunch of expensive equipment puts track info into the TOC, adjusts dead time between pieces and trys to take your carefully mixed artistic statement and make it sound as much like everything else on the radio (often ruining a sound you were after).

Mastering is a throwback to the days of Vinyl disks where there were things that could make a record sound bad when the 2-track tape sounded good. In the days of digital audio, where you can do your own rate conversion and formatting, they are a luxury that big labels perpetuate.

On a budget, if you know what you are after, you are better off saving the money and "mastering" yourself. They can smooth the manufacturing hand-off a bit. But if you are sharp and do your homework, there isn't a lot of value that they add past a little EQ/compression and a second opinion.

Of course, I have had hours of careful work with outboard processing gear ruined by mastering engineers before too....



-tINY

ouch!

actually that's bad mastering.



Mastering completes the work ... taking the artistic intention to a more clear and undeniable level. It's easy to take for granted and impossible to do at a high level with plug ins.

It doesnt have to cost a fortune, most MEs who post here are very reasonable.

And in a world where anyone can make a record, it's a necessity to stand out.

[Rodney Gene]

To each his own...

It's easy to flap on and on about how Mastering 'hurts' your art and how much better off you would be to do it yourself etc. etc...But that would be looking at the 'modern' set and forget slammed up against the wall mastering jobs we hear so much of coming out the machine...

It has nothing to do with the 'idea' of mastering or why it exists...Or whay every beautiful 'classic' album we have ever heard had a ME's hand.

If you care enough to record the album...months of creative labor and detailed attention etc....Don't you care enough to have it 'finished'?

Master it yourself? Sure. Anybody can master thier own work...Just ask yourself...Do I know what the F' I am doing?...BTW, What are you doing?

What are you mastering? If you 'mixed' it then it doesn't need mastering by you...cause you already handled all you could during the mix...and you have already done what you are 'capable' of...What more are you going to do? Run it through a compressor and EQ? Bring up the 'volume'?

That ain't Mastering...

BTW...There are every kind of level of Pro Audio..and each one is valid. Only you know whether your music is worth professional Mastering.

There are plenty of high profile engineers and producers here on the site...Find out how many of them would like to 'master' thier own mixes...I can already tell you.

Peace and Respect,

[grahluk]

Originally Posted by AnalogUniverse

i was always revolted by the sight of 100 people standing around a room all wearing the same outfit... i figure if people are willing to give up part of what makes them unique just to be a member of this crowd, then i should really find a different party. if you need a tux to get in the door, then obviously no one there cares about what you want to express.
t

The trick is to wear the suit and not have the suit wear you. Maybe you would opt for the nudist party? There you are in ALL of your individuality. There's an audio analogy in there somewhere. TUX=L2'd and tweaked pop premastering, Nudist=bare bones minimalist live jazz premastering.

[SUPA FROST]

Originally Posted by tINY

Mastering is where some idiot with a bunch of expensive equipment puts track info into the TOC, adjusts dead time between pieces and trys to take your carefully mixed artistic statement and make it sound as much like everything else on the radio (often ruining a sound you were after).

Mastering is a throwback to the days of Vinyl disks where there were things that could make a record sound bad when the 2-track tape sounded good. In the days of digital audio, where you can do your own rate conversion and formatting, they are a luxury that big labels perpetuate.

On a budget, if you know what you are after, you are better off saving the money and "mastering" yourself. They can smooth the manufacturing hand-off a bit. But if you are sharp and do your homework, there isn't a lot of value that they add past a little EQ/compression and a second opinion.

Of course, I have had hours of careful work with outboard processing gear ruined by mastering engineers before too....



-tINY

AMEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!