Recalling Masters - How are you doing it

[Strut78]

I thought It might be nice to share how we are recording the settings of our gear, signal paths etc for recalling tracks when clients request minor changes. Although most changes seem to be in relation to the sequencing of the record and not the sonics, I still find it important to have everything written down for those instances where recalling the whole signal path is required.

I am really just hoping to share what I do and to find out what others are doing. Hopefully sharing this information might provide us all with new ideas and better/more efficient ways of working.

Over the past year I have put together a one page sheet with the faceplate of each piece of my gear, my signal flow and patching as well as recording the gain of the signal path. I run many pieces of my gear at unity gain so normally it is just the last piece in the chain or my Dangerous Master that provides the gain staging in my signal path. Each song is written down on one sheet each and then any further changes are recorded on the same sheet using a different coloured pen. Here is my current sheet:



It would be great to see what everyone else is doing and to hopefully generate some new ideas.

[inlinenl]

Hi Simon,
I never make note's on single tracks, only on pre-run tracks of albums ..
I use my ears to recall and my memory ... it takes max. 20min to recall/setup a sound ... I always find it a challenge to be better as the master I did before ...

[Strut78]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

Hi Simon,
I never make note's on single tracks, only on pre-run tracks of albums ..
I use my ears to recall and my memory ... it takes max. 20min to recall/setup a sound ... I always find it a challenge to be better as the master I did before ...

Thanks for the reply, I can imagine many people working this way, but I find it beneficial for me, especially as I am still moving pieces of gear around in my signal path. I find there is obviously a balance between using the recall sheet and matching by ear, but for me the settings are just an easy starting point.

anyone else?

[Dave Rose]

Text file saved in the track folder, also include comments/instructions from the client and anything else to help me remember the session

[inlinenl]

latest recall sheet attached .. just laying in the studio with the other papers like schedule reminder .. until the project is finished .. I keep them stored for some time ..

it should be fast .. most off the time the EQ settings are important ..

[I.R.Baboon]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

Hi Simon,
I never make note's on single tracks, only on pre-run tracks of albums ..
I use my ears to recall and my memory ... it takes max. 20min to recall/setup a sound ... I always find it a challenge to be better as the master I did before ...

This doesn't make any sense to me. What happens when an artist or producer sends you a radio edit a week later or wants to make a small mix change? Why would you want to re-invent the wheel when you could simply use your notes to get the sound exactly the same as before? I dunno, maybe you're some kind of savant who can remember every track he works on but i know i couldn't. Personally i use an excel sheet where i just punch in the numeric settings of the gear as i've found this the fastest way. No need to use paper for this (who wants all that paper floating around the studio?! )

To me it's unthinkable that any serious, pro, busy ME wouldn't note his settings.

[24-96 Mastering]

I use pictorial recall sheets, see attached photo (showing front and back).

[Virtalahde]

Complete written-down notes and stepped switches everywhere, so I can recall with a 100% accuracy.

To me, nothing else makes sense. In need of a recall (say, for the occasional vocals +0.5dB mix), why spend extra time comparing and figuring out what exactly did you do a few weeks back?

[Strut78]

Originally Posted by 24-96 Mastering

I use pictorial recall sheets, see attached photo (showing front and back).

Hi, that's pretty similar to mine as above, do you run a tone through your analog path to help with recording the gain of the chain?

I find this helps especially for projects where you are pushing the ad convertors.

I would love to have just a spread sheet with just numerical values but I have a few non-mastering versions of some gear (massive passive, stc-8).

[inlinenl]

Originally Posted by I.R.Baboon

This doesn't make any sense to me. What happens when an artist or producer sends you a radio edit a week later or wants to make a small mix change? Why would you want to re-invent the wheel when you could simply use your notes to get the sound exactly the same as before? I dunno, maybe you're some kind of savant who can remember every track he works on but i know i couldn't. Personally i use an excel sheet where i just punch in the numeric settings of the gear as i've found this the fastest way. No need to use paper for this (who wants all that paper floating around the studio?! )

To me it's unthinkable that any serious, pro, busy ME wouldn't note his settings.

think the unthinkable

well any producer who thinks after a week he needs a radio-edit and sends it for mastering again is questionable ...
most of the time they tell me some edit or diff version is coming and I make the notes ..
I always get close to what I did before .. it's good ear/gear training ..

maybe in 2% I need a recall ... you see/feel all the time lost in making notes you never use ..

[Virtalahde]

Originally Posted by 24-96 Mastering

I use pictorial recall sheets, see attached photo (showing front and back).

Is your source WC or WaveLab?

[I.R.Baboon]

Originally Posted by Virtalahde

Complete written-down notes and stepped switches everywhere, so I can recall with a 100% accuracy.

To me, nothing else makes sense. In need of a recall (say, for the occasional vocals +0.5dB mix), why spend extra time comparing and figuring out what exactly did you do a few weeks back?

Agreed. I'd even go as far as to say it's dishonest not to do it, unless you actually tell your client "no problem, but maybe the sound will be a bit different 'cause i didn't note my settings" - because of course all clients would expect that you note your settings and would be capable of 100% recall.

[I.R.Baboon]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

think the unthinkable

well any producer who thinks after a week he needs a radio-edit and sends it for mastering again is questionable ...
most of the time they tell me some edit or diff version is coming and I make the notes ..
I always get close to what I did before .. it's good ear/gear training ..

maybe in 2% I need a recall ... you see/feel all the time lost in making notes you never use ..

Nonsense.

No, maybe you're right. Next time a client asks two weeks later for a radio edit, I'll tell him he's "questionable" - should be great for the network building, that.

Lost time? you need to run it through your analog chain in real time, right? See if you can guess when i note my settings.

[PBM]

Originally Posted by 24-96 Mastering

I use pictorial recall sheets, see attached photo (showing front and back).

Me too. Everything I need is here: Teaboy Audio Recall Sheet Software-Home


Cheers,

Eric

[Virtalahde]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

you see/feel all the time lost in making notes you never use ..

I write my notes down while I'm capturing, so no time lost there.

[inlinenl]

I like to listen and take a step back while I'm @ the capture ..

[Strut78]

Originally Posted by inlinenl

I like to listen and take a step back while I'm @ the capture ..

I always do two captures, one with the limiter and one without, so I listen intently the first pass and write on the second, it really only takes two minutes to record everything. Although sometime a few minutes silence between tracks is nice too.

[gregor z]

I have a Numbers spreadsheet, some of the values are pre set, so I can just choose them from pop up menu. Some of them I enter numerically.

100% recall , it takes me 3 minutes to write down everything and I can store it next to the project file for eventual revision.

I always make notes, as clients sometimes decide that they want to make a minor change in their mix, they send the updated file and I run it through the same settings as before.

This is how it looks like:

[Waltz Mastering]

I use recall charts similar to Robin.

[Brad Blackwood]

I just make notes in order of the playback chain and save it as a text doc in the project folder. Everything's switched so recalls are quick and easy.

They look like this:

Track title:
WL playback @ 0
Ibis M: c=3f, +0.5, 220, q3
S: c=3f; +0.5, 208, q3; +0.5, f3, q3; +0.5, 1k57, shelf
Davelizer: flat
BPEQ: 1k2, +0.5, 1.4q
OCL2: HPF:150, fast, thr:1
STC8: thr:1, 8,2,8, gain=0
wedge: +0.5, 90, gain = 4.0

Takes about a minute to note everything, maybe two minutes to recall a track. Why anyone wouldn't take notes is beyond me - especially when the label calls and wants you to run exactly the same processing with the vocup version.

Also, paperless is where it's at, imo.

[jac]

Originally Posted by PBM

Me too. Everything I need is here: Teaboy Audio Recall Sheet Software-Home

+1 thumbsup

[dave-G]

Originally Posted by Brad Blackwood

I just make notes in order of the playback chain and save it as a text doc in the project folder. Everything's switched so recalls are quick and easy.

They look like this:

Track title:
WL playback @ 0
Ibis M: c=3f, +0.5, 220, q3
S: c=3f; +0.5, 208, q3; +0.5, f3, q3; +0.5, 1k57, shelf
Davelizer: flat
BPEQ: 1k2, +0.5, 1.4q
OCL2: HPF:150, fast, thr:1
STC8: thr:1, 8,2,8, gain=0
wedge: +0.5, 90, gain = 4.0

Takes about a minute to note everything, maybe two minutes to recall a track. Why anyone wouldn't take notes is beyond me - especially when the label calls and wants you to run exactly the same processing with the vocup version.

Also, paperless is where it's at, imo.

This looks just like how I do it ... simple text files or PDFs are the most likely to be openable in 10 years, too.

Though your +0.5 @ 220 on the M is wild ... just outta control, man. What were you thinking?

-Dave

[Brad Blackwood]

Originally Posted by dave-G

Though your +0.5 @ 220 on the M is wild ... just outta control, man. What were you thinking?

Yah, I know, mea culpa.

"If it's that bad, you should've asked for a remix..."

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by Strut78

Hi, that's pretty similar to mine as above, do you run a tone through your analog path to help with recording the gain of the chain?

No, I only use a tone for L/R matching; though it's a neat idea to record it. Personally, I've just been using the actual recorded track for a chain gain reference, if needed.

Originally Posted by Virtalahde

Is your source WC or WaveLab?

That's WL for Wavelab.

Originally Posted by I.R.Baboon

Agreed. I'd even go as far as to say it's dishonest not to do it, unless you actually tell your client "no problem, but maybe the sound will be a bit different 'cause i didn't note my settings" - because of course all clients would expect that you note your settings and would be capable of 100% recall.

I too find it hard to imagine not noting settings. I pretty much consider it a necessity. That said, if Inlinenl's methods work for him and his clients (and it would appear that they do), then what's there to criticise...

Originally Posted by PBM

Me too. Everything I need is here: Teaboy Audio Recall Sheet Software-Home

Interesting. Though I find the concept of a monthly fee a bit annoying. Is it worth it? What does it do that a normal recall sheet doesn't?

[PBM]

Originally Posted by 24-96 Mastering

Interesting. Though I find the concept of a monthly fee a bit annoying. Is it worth it? What does it do that a normal recall sheet doesn't?

I actually only use the free pdf re-call sheets - the monthly fee is for a much more hi-tech solution which seems a tad over the top to me.

A good source of pdf manuals for all kinds of gear too.

Cheers,

Eric

[KyleDiSanto]

Recall picture templates here. Just fill in the settings. Recall in 2 minutes

[ed littman]

Here's my template. 2 songs per side....

[masteringhouse]

I use a Neo Office "Word" document that has tables for each piece of analog and external digital gear (e.g. Weiss). The document is stored in the folder for the session. All software parameters are recalled through automation in the DAW.

[24-96 Mastering]

Originally Posted by ed littman

Here's my template. 2 songs per side....

Very compact & tidy. I love it!

[Lion]

Originally Posted by 24-96 Mastering

I use pictorial recall sheets, see attached photo (showing front and back).

Hi Robin,

do you mind sharing or PM me your Sontec recall sheet please ?

I started to make one but it's not finished because i'm a bit slow with photoshop like programms... THough i will try to finish it.

Concerning recall, i use a mix of text notes like Brad and other and hardware pictures like Robin and other...
For sure it's better and easy if your hardware is all switched (especially for the EQ) but depending on the hardware you can live without switched version. You can also buy regular version (not the mastering one) and mod it with your needs.

Lionel