general mastering help

[thesurfis]

Hey, I hate to ask a non-specific question, but I have soo much difficulty with mastering. I just can't seem to get it to sound right/crisp, and all my music suffers from this.

What I'm asking for is just general info/help on this subject. There is too much cluster in my songs and the sounds are clashing/sounding muddy, but I can't seem to fix this. Help!

Should I render each track individually and apply eq/compression to that or is there a good program for this? Also what sort of values should I set?

[MASSIVE Master]

If you're not getting good sounding mixes, you're way off in the wrong thought process looking toward the mastering phase to fix it.

Most of the time, it's the source where the problem lies. Not even at the mixing stage as much as the source and the way that source is captured.

[thesurfis]

It is possibly the source, but I'm not sure. Most of my sounds are either recorded via protools or generated via Reason or some VST. Could I post an example song and then get some feedback on how to fix it? I'm terrible at describing.

[Xander]

Originally Posted by thesurfis

It is possibly the source, but I'm not sure. Most of my sounds are either recorded via protools or generated via Reason or some VST. Could I post an example song and then get some feedback on how to fix it? I'm terrible at describing.

Feel free to post a mix, but mastering is the last place you should be looking to fix this problem (literally). Get your sounds right, get your production right (often overlooked), and get your mix right. Mixing isn't as easy as it sounds (pun intended, because why not?)...

[CJ Mastering]

You definitely need to fix this in the mixing stage. Mastering is not where you fix things like this.

If your mix is muddy, then i suggest you read up and learn about complementary EQ techniques and procedures. A good book on mixing will help you also. There are many things that go into mixing a song that are unknown to you.

Cj

[Chris Bauer]

As everybody above has already said, mastering is not the cure to your problems. Think of mastering as the final 10% of polish. It can make a great mix sound amazing, but it can't turn a poor mix into a good one.

You need to go back to your mix and make sure that the instruments compliment each other in terms of the frequency spectrum they occupy and do not mask each other unnecessarily.

[IIIrd]

Originally Posted by Chris Bauer

As everybody above has already said, mastering is not the cure to your problems. Think of mastering as the final 10% of polish. It can make a great mix sound amazing, but it can't turn a poor mix into a good one.

You need to go back to your mix and make sure that the instruments compliment each other in terms of the frequency spectrum they occupy and do not mask each other unnecessarily.

+1

[huejahfink]

Thesurfis - An article I think you will find useful....

iZotope | Tips from the Pros: Dave Moulton on Spectral Management

[thesurfis]

Thanks for the replies all. Yeah it's definitely in the mix, I think my frequencies are clashing. Not sure about how to fix though.

[Cheebs Goat]

Originally Posted by CJ Mastering

You definitely need to fix this in the mixing stage. Mastering is not where you fix things like this.

Cj

I keep seeing people recommend fixing these sort of problems in mixing instead of waiting until mastering. It seems yesterday's foolish mistake is today's wise advise.

"Fix it in the mix" is a worn out joke, not something to strive for. If the song sounds bad at the start of mixing, it is already too late. It will not sound good after mixing. It will continue to not sound good after mastering.

Yes, it is "better" to fix it in mixing as opposed to fixing with mastering. But it is still too late. I'm checking back here in 30 years. My guess is by then people will be saying "I sent printed instructions out with the album for recommended media player EQ settings, but it still sounds bad".
"No no. You have to go back and take care of a problem like that in mastering".

[thesurfis]

I think I'm gonna first try to do some filters for each layer to remove the extra frequencies that are clashing. Let's see how this goes.

Also, thanks much for the article huejahfink!

[Cheebs Goat]

Originally Posted by thesurfis

I think I'm gonna first try to do some filters for each layer to remove the extra frequencies that are clashing. Let's see how this goes.

Also, thanks much for the article huejahfink!

99 times out of 100, the problem is not "extra frequencies clashing". There really isn't even such a thing as "extra" frequencies.

An instrument can make a good sound or a bad sound, but it is inaccurate to think bad sound - extra frequencies = good sound. That would mean good sound didn't exist before microphones and EQ.

If you recorded a bad sound, the best you can hope for after mixing is a bad sound that doesn't bother you as much.

Even if the sound is correct from the get-go, a part can have a good performance or a bad performance. Trust me, you do not want to muck around with editing a bad performance at mix time. By "bad performance" I don't necessarily mean wrong notes and squeaks and misses and muffles all over the place. Every note could be played correctly. But the details could be all wrong. Timing down to the microsecond. Dynamics well thought out. Accents. Attack strength. Consistency. This is where stuff really can clash. A good sound can literally change into a bad sound simply by handing an instrument to a different person without changing a single setting otherwise.

Seriously, look before the mix first. Play stuff over again. Really pay attention. Any unwanted clash should be gone before you even press record.

[StringBean]

The best thing I ever did was study the frequencies my sounds take up, and try to give each instrument it's own range in the spectrum. If your mix is lacking clarity and sounds muddy, you may indeed have multiple instruments battling for the same frequencies. Check out the low-mid range especially, starting around 250Hz. Mud builds up like a dam in that area.

[oldeanalogueguy]

Originally Posted by thesurfis

Hey, I hate to ask a non-specific question, but I have soo much difficulty with mastering. I just can't seem to get it to sound right/crisp, and all my music suffers from this.

What I'm asking for is just general info/help on this subject. There is too much cluster in my songs and the sounds are clashing/sounding muddy, but I can't seem to fix this. Help!

Should I render each track individually and apply eq/compression to that or is there a good program for this? Also what sort of values should I set?

sounds more like a mixing problem