Mastering tips

[Jonbeatz]

Anyone have any tips when mastering hip hop, rap, trap music using Izotope Ozone 5 Advanced? Like how are u suppose to use compression, is 8.0 level threshold enough for limiting, how about equalization? Any tips cuz I heard ma beats compared to some professional producer and it's a slight difference but it sounds more alive compared to mine, just by alittle but I got good hearing I can tell the difference! Check out soundclick.com/JONBEATZ to hear some music I put up for reference. Let me know what you think!

[ritelec]

Originally Posted by Jonbeatz

how are u suppose to use compression, how about equalization? ma beats compared to some professional producer and it's a slight difference but it sounds more alive compared to mine, just by alittle

Interesting.

Asking how to use equalization and compression and your mix/master is only slightly different than pro's.

Interesting.


??? maybe some type of prodigy.......ya never know.

[StringBean]

Mastering is a galaxy far, far away

[Jonbeatz]

Well so far my masters come out really good but I just wana know what other people think about Diz subject, doesn't hurt to find out on some opinions.

[wado1942]

What they're saying is learning to use compression and EQ is something you do before you even mix (because it's often part of the mix), forget mastering for now because it's a lot more delicate.

[JohnnyReverb]

1st of all, you should lay down a bit of your ego. its like a disease, everyone hears everything, everbody knows it all.. there are simply no tricks for a process that requires a different approach EVERYTIME.. just send your mixes to a professional studio, because you will second anything anybody would say here!

cheers

[Jonbeatz]

What? Ok anyways what I'm asking is I need to know if when compressing are u suppose to use a lot of compression ratio? I mean when are u suppose to use compression when mastering and how and why is it used?

[squirreltrench]

When mastering, always use a compressor with a 7.3577:1 ratio, a threshold of -10.18 to -10.19 db, and a knee of .918 to .976. Those are the "secret" compressor settings that all the mastering gearslutz on here don't want you to know when they say that "it all depends."

And if your compressor doesn't have the degree of accuracy I listed above, then clearly, it isn't a mastering compressor.

[squirreltrench]

Or a suppose I could go out on a limb and agree with previous posters who are basically telling you, if you have to ask these kind of questions, you are not ready to master things yourself. These are the kinds of things that mastering engineers spend years learning through experience.

[Camera]

Eq is the secret to loud in mastering.

The real magic is in the midrange. Get that right, and you're on your way.

Experience is the key here. Keep mastering and keep judging your work.

[crying1986]

These threads are so depressing. Not because of the answers, but because of the questions.

Painful.

[GMR]

I was told that my threshold should be at -10.23, and this came directly from a the top mastering guys !!!

Originally Posted by squirreltrench

When mastering, always use a compressor with a 7.3577:1 ratio, a threshold of -10.18 to -10.19 db, and a knee of .918 to .976. Those are the "secret" compressor settings that all the mastering gearslutz on here don't want you to know when they say that "it all depends."

And if your compressor doesn't have the degree of accuracy I listed above, then clearly, it isn't a mastering compressor.

[wado1942]

Originally Posted by Jonbeatz

What? Ok anyways what I'm asking is I need to know if when compressing are u suppose to use a lot of compression ratio? I mean when are u suppose to use compression when mastering and how and why is it used?

You have to listen and do what your ears tell you to do. You obviously don't have a grasp on the basic mixing tools yet, so I suggest you try and learn how compression works there first because it's both more forgiving and more effective at that stage, especially on vocals. You skipped over steps 3-9 and went straight to steps 10-13. There's no magic settings. Even if you give five mastering engineers the same mix for them to master, you'd get five different compression settings at each house. It's all about taste and what the song needs.

[squirreltrench]

Originally Posted by Jonbeatz

What? Ok anyways what I'm asking is I need to know if when compressing are u suppose to use a lot of compression ratio? I mean when are u suppose to use compression when mastering and how and why is it used?

I apologize for being so snarky in my previous two comments on this thread.

Let me give a kind answer.

I understand that everyone has to start somewhere.

wadop1942 is right on the money when he says you have skipped several steps. When you create music, you first have to get the mix right before you proceed to the mastering stage. Mixing is an entire art form in its own right. Mastering is an entire art form in its own right.

Often, but not always, mastering engineers were mixers, musicians, and or producers before they became mastering engineers. They (usually) have as much talent, knowledge and skill as a mixing engineer, plus have additional expertise as well.

In the old days, mix engineers often worked in less-than-optimal monitoring conditions, and mastering was the last stop on the way to pressing vinyl. Mastering was a black art that only a few people really understood, and very very few people understood how important the monitoring environment is to mastering.

But today, thanks to advances in technology, and advances in knowledge (thanks to new books, Gearslutz, Dave Pensado's web show, etc), mastering is not necessary every single time... in some cases, a mastering engineer will discover that the track delivered by the mixer can not be improved on. Other times, they will hear things that the mixer overlooked because of repetitive listening, being too close to the music, etc. and change/fix it. Other times the track *was* mixed in a sub-optimal environment, and the mastering engineer can compensate with fixes.

This is all a very simplified and condensed view of things.

I would start with several things before worrying about compression in the mastering stage.

1) Read the Gearslutz section on Studio Building/Acoustics. If you can't hear your mixes accurately, you're never going to be able to balance it well.
2.) Build or buy yourself some broadband absorbers based on what you read, here or elsewhere and especially place them in the early reflection points of your room for better stereo imaging, and better ability to put the right verb/delay on your tracks.
3.) Start watching Dave Pensado's web show
4.) Buy yourself some books on the topic, such as Mixing Secrets for the Small Studio by Mike Senior and Mastering Audio by Bob Katz

[CJ Mastering]

Originally Posted by Jonbeatz

What? Ok anyways what I'm asking is I need to know if when compressing are u suppose to use a lot of compression ratio? I mean when are u suppose to use compression when mastering and how and why is it used?

There are no rigjht or wrong answers for these types of questions. Every song will need different compressor settings and Eq settings.

Use your ears to determine what each song needs. This is why you need to learn how to uyse these things. No one can tell you what settings you need. irts on a song by song basis.

[kraemon]

Originally Posted by crying1986

These threads are so depressing. Not because of the answers, but because of the questions.

Painful.

It's depressing that you can't ask a question on an internet forum without a ********* like yourself making such a snobby remark....

we get it....you have years of experience mastering, and you learned the hard way...

it's 2012 and forums like this are meant for questions to be asked (dumb and smart alike). if you don't like it, start an elitist mastering forum where you can ask yourself the questions that you'd like to hear. i suggest for starters "Why am I such a douchbag"

When you get the answer, let me know...

[SFB]

In my experience with mastering, less is definitely more. The way you mix your beats will have a much greater effect on the overall result than whatever you do in the mastering stage. If you mixed your beat correctly then you should only need very small amounts of compression and eq when you are mastering.

If you focus on getting your beats to sound good before mastering, you will get much better results. The arrangment, the sequencing, the way you eq and/or compress each individual track, sidechaining so that certain frequencies don't interfere with each other, HP and LP filtering, automation, skillful use of delay and reverb, etc. Pay attention to all of these things and you will notice small improvements to the clarity of your mix which will then translate to a more polished commercial sounding master at the end of the day.

[Jonbeatz]

Kraemon I couldn't have said it better. Datz wat these forums are for! Asking questions stupid or good questions, and SFB thanks.