I know this sound's stupid but what to expect a mix sound like after being mastered

[HIGHENDONLY]

I never had anything professionally mastered. My mixes sound great already. So i was wondering what can i expect a good mix to sound after being mastered. Like what goes on in the process to a mix and what kinda changes should i look for after a mix is mastered...Sorry for sounding dumb guy's, but i'm still kinda new to recording world..

[brethes]

Originally Posted by HIGHENDONLY

I never had anything professionally mastered. My mixes sound great already. So i was wondering what can i expect a good mix to sound after being mastered. Like what goes on in the process to a mix and what kinda changes should i look for after a mix is mastered...Sorry for sounding dumb guy's, but i'm still kinda new to recording world..

If your mixes sound great on all the different systems you've checked them on, the mastering engineer should only need to make minimal adjustments to volumes & EQs to ensure cohesion between all the tracks of an album.

[yareck]

Originally Posted by HIGHENDONLY

I never had anything professionally mastered. My mixes sound great already. So i was wondering what can i expect a good mix to sound after being mastered. Like what goes on in the process to a mix and what kinda changes should i look for after a mix is mastered...Sorry for sounding dumb guy's, but i'm still kinda new to recording world..

If you're listening to other tracks from your genre, do they have something else what you can't achieve during the mixing process? Maybe some glue, additional shimmer, deeper bass, more space and details, some power if needed...that might be mastering...
But if you think it's perfect, and ME will share your opinion, you probably will not hear anything surprising after the mastering is done.

[HIGHENDONLY]

Thanks

[aivoryuk]

one consideration i would add is, although you may think your mix may sound great, their may be some 'problems' within the mix that you may not be aware of due to your listening environment (referencing does help but can't pick up everything). A mastering engineer listening environment is the key as it will be good enough to pick up things that you may not of and (hopefully) correct it and make it translate to other listening environments.

[lucey]

Originally Posted by HIGHENDONLY

I never had anything professionally mastered. My mixes sound great already. So i was wondering what can i expect a good mix to sound after being mastered. Like what goes on in the process to a mix and what kinda changes should i look for after a mix is mastered...Sorry for sounding dumb guy's, but i'm still kinda new to recording world..

A processed track will be more balanced than the mix, to sound more constent on more systems. Past that basic step, it depends on what you ask for and the communication both ways. Yes each ME has an ear and a chain to bias their work, but they can still go many directions. It's our job to satisfy your taste, so getting to know that taste is essential. Like with most shopping, if you know what you want and can express it you might just get it, but if you dont know what you want ... then you will know as soon as you hear something come back! Listen, talk, listen. It's not hard to have it go well with mutual respect between you and the ME.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by HIGHENDONLY

what can i expect a good mix to sound after being mastered.

A good mastering engineer can take a mix you think sounds great and make it even better. Especially if your control room is less than optimal. A good mastering room is very flat, and a good mastering engineer knows how to find and fix resonances and other problems. Last year I had a mix I thought was pretty near perfect, but when I sent it to Brian Lucey he made it even better.

So listen to Brian's advice.

--Ethan

[L_Nix_Mastering]

A recording engineer knows how to make a great song, but it takes a mastering engineer to make a song sound great - whether it's being played through a car stereo, a portable CD player or a top of the line stereo system. With mastering, a professional engineer will optimize the sound of your CD, making it sound punchy, warm and full, while raising the overall level and highlighting details that aren't already apparent.

In the recording studio, you record one song at a time, which results in songs that all peak at different levels and may have different EQ's. A mastering engineer unifies the CD by using EQ and compression to give it a consistent sound from track to track. Mastering can raise your album's overall level through the careful use of compression, so your album is as hot as a major label release.

The difference between a mastered song and an unmastered one really becomes apparent when the two are played back to back over the radio. Radio stations compress songs so much that unmastered ones wind up with too much low end or sound weak and tinny. If you're planning to promote your CD to radio stations, mastering is a must, since it keeps you in control of the EQ and compression.

Another vital part of mastering is the digital editing. This process includes: cleaning up between tracks, fade outs/ins, sequencing, and making sure the album "flows" properly. It can also be used to "clean up" songs for the radio using reversing and replacing words not allowed on the air with the instrumental track. Editing can also be used to remove unwanted "pops" and "ticks".

A real advantage of the mastering is that an unbiased sound professional has the opportunity to evaluate your master and determine how to get the most out of your product. After you've spent weeks or even months in a recording studio listening to your CD over and over again, a fresh pair of ears can put the project into perspective for you and let you know whether or not your CD will benefit from mastering. After all, you only have one chance to make your music sound its best. The choice is up to you!

[yareck]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Last year I had a mix I thought was pretty near perfect, but when I sent it to Brian Lucey he made it even better.

So listen to Brian's advice.

--Ethan

[masteringhouse]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

A good mastering engineer can take a mix you think sounds great and make it even better. Especially if your control room is less than optimal. A good mastering room is very flat, and a good mastering engineer knows how to find and fix resonances and other problems. Last year I had a mix I thought was pretty near perfect, but when I sent it to Brian Lucey he made it even better.

So listen to Brian's advice.

--Ethan

I saw the video here:

A Cello Rondo - Google Video

That cat can play, and I don't mean the one on Ethan's shoulder.

[lucey]

Originally Posted by masteringhouse

That cat can play, and I don't mean the one on Ethan's shoulder.

Amen.

Ethan is too kind, he did 99.9% of the hard work, my bit was easy What a crazy challenge that would be to undertake from start to finish.

[bcgood]

Originally Posted by masteringhouse

I saw the video here:

A Cello Rondo - Google Video

That cat can play, and I don't mean the one on Ethan's shoulder.

Wow, I had no idea. That is really nice Ethan, actually nice is a little weak to describe it. Very creative and soothing yet adventurous. I had no clue you possessed these sort of skills, kudos to you and bravo sir, bravo!

bcgood

[Unclenny]

Originally Posted by masteringhouse

A Cello Rondo - Google Video

That cat can play

That is a fact!

[thethrillfactor]

Originally Posted by L_Nix_Mastering

A recording engineer knows how to make a great song, but it takes a mastering engineer to make a song sound great - whether it's being played through a car stereo, a portable CD player or a top of the line stereo system. With mastering, a professional engineer will optimize the sound of your CD, making it sound punchy, warm and full, while raising the overall level and highlighting details that aren't already apparent.

In the recording studio, you record one song at a time, which results in songs that all peak at different levels and may have different EQ's. A mastering engineer unifies the CD by using EQ and compression to give it a consistent sound from track to track. Mastering can raise your album's overall level through the careful use of compression, so your album is as hot as a major label release.

The difference between a mastered song and an unmastered one really becomes apparent when the two are played back to back over the radio. Radio stations compress songs so much that unmastered ones wind up with too much low end or sound weak and tinny. If you're planning to promote your CD to radio stations, mastering is a must, since it keeps you in control of the EQ and compression.

Another vital part of mastering is the digital editing. This process includes: cleaning up between tracks, fade outs/ins, sequencing, and making sure the album "flows" properly. It can also be used to "clean up" songs for the radio using reversing and replacing words not allowed on the air with the instrumental track. Editing can also be used to remove unwanted "pops" and "ticks".

A real advantage of the mastering is that an unbiased sound professional has the opportunity to evaluate your master and determine how to get the most out of your product. After you've spent weeks or even months in a recording studio listening to your CD over and over again, a fresh pair of ears can put the project into perspective for you and let you know whether or not your CD will benefit from mastering. After all, you only have one chance to make your music sound its best. The choice is up to you!

I am sorry to say i totally disagree with your entire post.

If i as a recording/mixing engineer were to leave all these decisions up to the ME i would be basically out of a job because the projects would never get to an ME in the first place.

The mixes should on their own translate everywhere. You shouldn't need someone else's opinion to make that happen. Its really the opinion of the artists and the production team that matters most in the assembly of the songs themselves. You really don't need an ME to do this and in some mastering houses the assistants handle this chore.

I think where and ME's opinion can come in play if there is doubt in any of the above. Now this is not always the case but it can happen especially if there alots of different production teams involved in the record as a whole. If its just one producer or the band producing themselves i think the role of the recording/mixing engineer becomes more important.

Again the role of the ME in the production process has become more relevant in modern times. It wasn't always this way and it doesn't mean it will stay this way either.

Especially now as more and more people are doing everything themselves.

[Ethan Winer]

Originally Posted by bcgood

Wow, I had no idea. That is really nice Ethan, actually nice is a little weak to describe it. Very creative and soothing yet adventurous. I had no clue you possessed these sort of skills, kudos to you and bravo sir, bravo!

Hey, thanks guys! Wait 'til you see the next one.

I've been working on the music for my next video since last July, and it's much more ambitious than my cello video. I'm aiming for 30 of "me" on stage by the end. It's mostly electric guitars, but there's drums, cello, violins, harmonica, organ, four kinds of basses, and even a banjo. (Yes, I'm serious.) This time I plan to get Brian Lucey involved earlier in the process. I hope to have a rough mix to him within a few weeks.

--Ethan

[Ravian]

Originally Posted by Ethan Winer

Hey, thanks guys! Wait 'til you see the next one.

I've been working on the music for my next video since last July, and it's much more ambitious than my cello video. I'm aiming for 30 of "me" on stage by the end. It's mostly electric guitars, but there's drums, cello, violins, harmonica, organ, four kinds of basses, and even a banjo. (Yes, I'm serious.) This time I plan to get Brian Lucey involved earlier in the process. I hope to have a rough mix to him within a few weeks.

--Ethan

Nice thumbsup

You got skills.
i def. wanna see the next 1.