DIY mastering tricks

[headspin]

I must say, mastering is tricky stuff!
Wondering if the pros around here might throw a few bones to the little DIY kids like me...
Some tricks that have worked pretty good for me so far are parrallel compression, linear phase eq, sometimes using a few limiters....

Any tips are truly appreciated!

[Suade]

Just think of a mastering related topic and search this forum.....

[wado1942]

Trust your ears over meters and graphs.

[jackthebear]

Originally Posted by justin81

I must say, mastering is tricky stuff!
Wondering if the pros around here might throw a few bones to the little DIY kids like me...
Some tricks that have worked pretty good for me so far are parrallel compression, linear phase eq, sometimes using a few limiters....

Any tips are truly appreciated!

Think of this as a journey with no final destination.....just a lot of different stops along the way......a few cul de sacs......different alleys......no set pathway as such......and the GPS you're looking for doesn't really exist......despite others' claims to have written the book or whatever......so long as you're moving in a generally forward direction, you're enjoying yourself and taking some time to soak up the scenery......you're sweet.

Just roll up your sleeves and get to work.....you'll find your learning curve is steep initially and will then plateau out with (hopefully) more incremental improvements.....



Don't let anyone try to stop you either.....if you really want to do this.....go for it!!

[Bob Olhsson]

Do a really great mix and don't worry about mastering!

[jackthebear]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

Do a really great mix and don't worry about mastering!

C'mon Bob with all due respect.... there's plenty of room in the trough for all of our snouts surely....!!! If anything the trough is getting bigger and the slop is as tasty as it's ever been......

We won't be around forever......someone needs to take torch at some point.....

[DominicWyeth]

Oink Oink

[lu432]

My suggestion...

1) Learn about room acoustics... Don't just read about it, go into go rooms understand what they sound like and how they effect your mixing. Then go back to your mixing room and compare.

2) Listen to different monitors and understand how they effect your mixing and your mixing style.

3) Listen to gear, as much of it as you can, learn how it sounds, what it does to music, and how you can use it to your benefit.

4) Learn about every single format you can and why they are around, who uses them, and how to work with them.

5) Don't be afraid to make mistakes, and when you do be humble.

6) Always have fresh coffee around.

7) Listen to as many styles of music as you can and learn what they should sound like. What clients will want, and how to prepare yourself for working in a specific project.

8) Calibrate, Calibrate, Calibrate.

9) Charge reasonable prices, form a good alliance with a respectable plant, and be familiar with what should pass and what should be rejected.

10) Scrutinize everything and be sure to be anal about everything, if your not sure ask. Don't let something be printed if its not right.

11) Read about everything on audio forums not just gearslutz, educate yourself with other things as well like white papers, and manufacturer notes. Don't be afraid to take your time to learn something, its not going to come at you all at once.

12) All Analog and no digital makes jack a dull boy, learn what works in both arenas, and what sucks in both arenas. Build your own arsenal that satisfies your clients and what you need for a productive work flow.

13) Have fun its the music industry.


Just some suggestions in no particular order.

[Tarekith]

My DIY mastering guide:

..:: Mastering ::..

[666666]

Less is more. When in doubt, don't mess with things UNLESS you have a good reason.

Also, remember the rule: K.I.S.S.... I'm sure you know what this stands for.

The concept of "mastering tricks" might almost influence you to play extra games with the audio that are unnecessary... don't do that.

If you want to do good work in general, use SIMPLE tools and be sparing with everything. No need for an 89-band compressor and a string of ten limiters and nuclear powered equalizers etc etc etc. Don't get caught up in the hype.

In my opinion, UNLESS you are trying to salvage some severely damaged audio, stay away from all the gimmicks and "trickery", don't let it distract you, focus only on what you are HEARING, there's no reason why you can't yield good results with a basic eq, basic compressor / limiter and basic overall approach (assuming the audio is at least "decent" to start with).

I'll say it one last time, just as a reminder:

Less is more.

K.I.S.S.

[UnderTow]

Originally Posted by justin81

Any tips are truly appreciated!

If by DYI mastering you mean mastering your own mixes in the same room with the same speakers as you mixed on, then that isn't DYI mastering. That is just DYI Make It Louder.

The reason I say this is that if you feel anything needs to change, except the loudness of course, you should go back to the mix and fix it there instead of reducing your options and trying to fix the stereo mix.

Alistair

[KyleDiSanto]

I'm with UnderTow - If you mean DIY Mastering your own mixes...IMO it should not be called MASTERING. There is no objectivity. Just worry about the level balance between songs, dont try to EQ too much as you"ll be fighting your room (since you've mixed the songs on the same speakers).

What I used to do back in the day, was always have a few sets of speakers around the place that I could test on.

[Jerry Tubb]

YouTube - Husky Dog Sings with iPAD - Better than Bieber!

Perhaps Mishka will learn Har-Bal next!

enjoy!

JT

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by 666666

...When in doubt, don't mess with things UNLESS you have a good reason...

Exactly!

You always have the potential in mixing to not need mastering at all other than as someone covering your back when a lot of money is about to be spent on manufacturing, releasing and promoting the recording. This is because it's easy to be a bit too close to the project in order to really be objective.

[rumleymusic]

So good mixes don't really need mastering, and mastering cannot fix a bad mix so to quote a line from Office Space:

"What do ya say...ya DO here?"

But seriously. I have had to deal recently with some new young "mastering" engineers, who tend to slap on a session of Ozone before they even import the audio. I have had to reject several masters because they always came back worse than the original. Don't mess with it until you have tried it, as they say.

[Bob Olhsson]

We cover mixers' backs because one only gets to hear a mix for the first time once!

Mastering is about making the best possible first impression by adjusting the presentation of the mix. We also catch clicks, pops and other unintended artifacts that might distract a critical listener.

[joeaudio]

Originally Posted by justin81

I must say, mastering is tricky stuff!
Wondering if the pros around here might throw a few bones to the little DIY kids like me...
Some tricks that have worked pretty good for me so far are parrallel compression, linear phase eq, sometimes using a few limiters....

Any tips are truly appreciated!

How many limiters? Why tricks? Listen to the source carefully.
Can I do anything to make this better? If you feel you can make
the source sound better, turn the knobs (or push the mouse around)
until it does. Knowing what knobs to turn and how much to turn them only comes with time.

[jackthebear]

The general advice in this thread has been very good and I hope the kid takes in on board and finds it useful.....

I agree in principle that it's hard to objective once you've mixed the track....

However you never know this kid just mind find his calling by exploring mastering and shouldn't be discouraged.....

Even if he decides it's not going to be his schtick.......the knowledge he will gain will hold him in good stead.....

Once people understand what can.....and more importantly.....what CAN'T be achieved in mastering....then they will be able to go back and make those better mix decisions so that they can then get the optimum benefit from the mastering process....

One of my pet hates is the whole "black art" myth that gets perpetuated when it comes to mastering and how some MEs insist on unattended sessions to keep the mystique alive......

Frankly I think it's insecurity......in the same way that so many artists now can track and mix cheaply due to the availability and abundance of tools.....some MEs worry that will become extinct due to the same reason....

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by jackthebear

...One of my pet hates is the whole "black art" myth that gets perpetuated when it comes to mastering...

Mine too! The idea of leaving something for mastering is generally a bad idea. I want my own mixes to need nothing but peak limiting to set the appropriate level relative to the preceding track. Those kinds of contextual decisions do need to be left for mastering but that's about all.

[666666]

Originally Posted by joeaudio

...Knowing what knobs to turn and how much to turn them only comes with time...

Yes ...and just as important if not more important, knowing when NOT to turn knobs. These days there are so many cheap "mastering tools" available, the temptation is too great to alter things when they might be better left alone. For a novice "mastering engineer", the most difficult and challenging gig would be one where the audio doesn't actually need ANY tweaking at all... because the discipline and self control needed to actually NOT touch anything would be so immense.

Originally Posted by jackthebear

...One of my pet hates is the whole "black art" myth that gets perpetuated when it comes to mastering and how some MEs insist on unattended sessions to keep the mystique alive......

For many, it's a business, like any other business. This type of thing exists in all industries. When you have to pay the bills, you need to protect and secure your income. These days, sadly, everyone and their grandmother thinks they can master just because they have a limiter plug in on their computer. So actual mastering engineers get hurt here. Some real deal mastering engineers almost have to resort to a little "black magic", because otherwise, the ignorance of the masses might just about put them into extinction. It's not so much a matter of keeping "mystique" alive, but keeping good audio alive.

[joeaudio]

Mr. many sixes. Read. If you feel you can make the source sound better...........
The whole "Black Art" thing comes from the days when a mastering engineer
had to make a living by cutting lacquers.

[Nostalgic]

Originally Posted by wado1942

Trust your ears over meters and graphs.

But trust the meters when you see a huge spike that doesn't appear to belong... such as in the low mids or highs.

[diogo_c]

My tip: Don't spank 6 dbs of GR on that limiter!

[greggybud]

Instead of using a "few limiters" start with just one. Learn it well...it's strengths, weakness, coloration vs transparency, how far you can push it, and what kind of audio it works best with.

My "trick" is to use any limiter for just occasional peaks, therefore the majority of volume is obtained before it hits the limiter, therefore no need to waste endless hours reading Gearslutz posts ranting about the "best" limiter and how the L-2 sux and blah blah blah when there are several limiters that are indistinguishable if not pushed very hard.

Get your volume with proper gain staging, EQ, M/S, soft clipping, and compression not only in parallel but series too.

And realize that professional mixes are just that. Professional mixes are often pretty loud already which can make my job easier. As Bob said, then the focus is on the whole record for cohesiveness.

On the flip side, it's easy to hear mixes where the client relied on a limiter at the end of the chain for loudness, and unfortunately other than maybe an expander which won't get you far, it's not something that can be corrected.

[jackthebear]

Originally Posted by 666666

For many, it's a business, like any other business. This type of thing exists in all industries. When you have to pay the bills, you need to protect and secure your income. These days, sadly, everyone and their grandmother thinks they can master just because they have a limiter plug in on their computer. So actual mastering engineers get hurt here. Some real deal mastering engineers almost have to resort to a little "black magic", because otherwise, the ignorance of the masses might just about put them into extinction. It's not so much a matter of keeping "mystique" alive, but keeping good audio alive.

I hear what you're saying but the best protection is to provide the highest level of service and quality.....you can dress it up anyway you like and use gimmicks and mottos and all kinds of marketing spin......but when it comes down to it......you can fool people some of the time........ but not all of the time....

While there may be some ignorance amongst the masses.....there are many who are savvy enough to value what an good ME can bring to the table.....

[synthoid]

Every time I try a DIY master (pretty often) and I have the chance to compare it to the same mix mastered by a pro (also pretty often), I'm actually pretty discouraged about my abilities as a mastering engineer. I sometimes get reasonably close concerning EQ, but I'm usually not in the ballpark concerning loudness. Good mastering engineers seem to get several dBs, sometimes more like 5 or 6 dB, of additional power out of the song without seeming to hurt the transients or creating bad compression artifacts etc. I'm impressed.

-synthoid

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by jackthebear

.....there are many who are savvy enough to value what an good ME can bring to the table.....

Amen & Hallelujah!

JT

[Coyoteous]

Mastering tricks, DIY or not, are anything that works, and only that.

Of course, the only real trick is figuring out what works in context.

[Dutch Dave]

Originally Posted by greggybud

And realize that professional mixes are just that. Professional mixes are often pretty loud already which can make my job easier.

I remember other ME's saying that mixes need not be loud but leave headroom for the ME to work with.

I usually take the middle ground. No loud mix but also not soft. And I frequently push a limiter on the mixing buss real loud to see how my mix corresponds with louder volumes.

[huejahfink]

Originally Posted by Dutch Dave

I remember other ME's saying that mixes need not be loud but leave headroom for the ME to work with.

To me, a "loud mix" is not necessarily one with a high peak level as such, but more about the overall density and balance of the mix.