Mastering With Outboard Gear

[Thor]

What is it exactly you hope to accomplish by getting outboard analogue gear? How will it improve your business? Probably the first thing to ask, imho. If you work ITB and are comfortable with the paradigm and doing good there, maybe stick to it?

Cheers,
Thor

[Virtalahde]

You'll soon get the usual suggestions about making sure your room, monitoring and conversion is working well.

That said, I was very close to trying out the Daking FET II. I eventually got a pair of NTP 179-120's, but something in my head said they could work really well.

[LP2006]

Originally Posted by sheriff

Hey. im Considering upgrading my setup to do mainly Analog/ outboard mastering. i'd like to start small and work my way up starting with Compressors (hav my eyes on the daking Fet ii but i'll need 2)

is it even suggested, or shld i get more UAD plugins and continue to master in the box?

If you are interested, give it a shot. Maybe pick up a piece or two of outboard secondhand to see if it does anything for you. That way, if you don't like it, you can just re-sell the stuff without losing much.

[WBM]

I'll get an outboard that could be use on most of the music with great flexibility, look on the forum

[sheriff]

Originally Posted by LP2006

If you are interested, give it a shot. Maybe pick up a piece or two of outboard secondhand to see if it does anything for you. That way, if you don't like it, you can just re-sell the stuff without losing much.

Yea thats what i was thinkin. but im really just tryin to giv it a chance to c if it does anything for me. if it helps my sound and/or workflow where mastering is concerned.
Usinig UAD apollo Quad. decent plugins from all over. nice genelec 8030s and an 8' sub. i really like smaller speakers by the way. and they workin well. lookin to adda dbox for mixing purposes
but the outboard gear is just to take away some the harshness the digital domain gives. and even tho i ain workin with the higest of high converters and monitors they work quite well...and plug ins as well...im jus considering it as maybe being a step up for me

[sheriff]

Oh yea....and Mid/Side processing. this interests me. and IMO seems to sound better out of the box

[Joe_caithness]

Yeah get some analogue boxes, life's too short, only one way to find out if you like it more than plugins!

[kiopo]

Well I don't really know of any pro mastering engineers who have migrated to working entirely ITB, so it's a worthwhile investment if you already have the conversion sorted and decent monitoring.

[sheriff]

Agreed! So it's settled. Where's a good place to start tho? The options for analog gear are so vast. It's so easy to mis-judge something and make a bad investment.

[kiopo]

Originally Posted by sheriff

Agreed! So it's settled. Where's a good place to start tho? The options for analog gear are so vast. It's so easy to mis-judge something and make a bad investment.

Probably avoid anything too esoteric and go for a workhorse. There's plenty of information on most pieces of gear around though, and these things don't tend to lose value too much once they're second hand, so you can always chop and change later if you end up not liking it.

I would probably go for a compressor / limiter too as a starting point, but really if you're thinking long term and want to have a few good pieces of outboard, it doesn't matter too much where you start.

[Scott003]

Analog does as only analog can, digital emulates and does an ok job, in addition to what only digital can. Mastering otb seems like only a good idea, specially with good ad/da. Id say pick somethin for flavor, be it eq or comp. I love adding final shadings or small tweaks with an analog eq. Also, a comp with built in parallel could be great (lika unicomp)

[Twerk]

For me, the most important factor in using my analog gear, is that it's just more fun. I think plug-ins sound great. But to me, they're not fun to use. And when I'm having fun, that comes through in my decision making process.

[kiopo]

Originally Posted by Twerk

For me, the most important factor in using my analog gear, is that it's just more fun. I think plug-ins sound great. But to me, they're not fun to use. And when I'm having fun, that comes through in my decision making process.

Ha I have to agree with this. It's definitely more fun to twiddle knobs than click, insert plugin, click fake knob, get frustrated at mouse sensitivity, etc

[Scott003]

Originally Posted by Twerk

For me, the most important factor in using my analog gear, is that it's just more fun. I think plug-ins sound great. But to me, they're not fun to use. And when I'm having fun, that comes through in my decision making process.

+1. I read somewhere the best thing to do when working on music (in context composing) is to switch off your monitor, right brain left brain stuff they claimed. But I definitely think not staring at a screen is good.

[sheriff]

Wow. Really helpfull all around. Really appreciate it. An I must admit knobs are fun. I do enjoying using my preamps for this very reason.
I'll b starting with a comp/limiter. A really sexy lookin one to makey wife jealous

[Twerk]

Originally Posted by sheriff

Wow. Really helpfull all around. Really appreciate it. An I must admit knobs are fun. I do enjoying using my preamps for this very reason.
I'll b starting with a comp/limiter. A really sexy lookin one to makey wife jealous

The first one I'd look at right now is the Knif Vari-Mu II.

She should almost divorce you for that.

[Joe_caithness]

Originally Posted by Twerk

For me, the most important factor in using my analog gear, is that it's just more fun. I think plug-ins sound great. But to me, they're not fun to use. And when I'm having fun, that comes through in my decision making process.

Yep! I agree, I love the hands on nature, the sound of things changing in realtime as I move my hand, that plus a good tune puts in hard in the mastering zone!

[Joe_caithness]

Also as far as "what to get" how about something a few different "modes"?

TF Pro (Ted Fletcher) does a few of these compressors for example. Quite a lot of new gear has transformer options on in/out electronics also. That kinda stuff is a great way to hear how analogue signals are affected dynamically in real time.

[sheriff]

Originally Posted by Joe_caithness

Also as far as "what to get" how about something a few different "modes"?

TF Pro (Ted Fletcher) does a few of these compressors for example. Quite a lot of new gear has transformer options on in/out electronics also. That kinda stuff is a great way to hear how analogue signals are affected dynamically in real time.

Great suggestion. Ill chk that out

[sheriff]

Originally Posted by Twerk

The first one I'd look at right now is the Knif Vari-Mu II.

She should almost divorce you for that.

I did. And she is threatening to leav. Lol. She hates u bro. I'm sorry. Lol. But I might get it either way

[philip]

Originally Posted by Scott003

+1. I read somewhere the best thing to do when working on music (in context composing) is to switch off your monitor, right brain left brain stuff they claimed. But I definitely think not staring at a screen is good.

In that case you have to work blindfolded. Seeing is believing and your brain always prioritize sight over sound. To make my self clear: there is no difference looking at a virtual knob on the screen or the real deal in terms of fooling or not fooling your hearing.

[Twerk]

Originally Posted by philip

In that case you have to work blindfolded. Seeing is believing and your brain always prioritize sight over sound. To make my self clear: there is no difference looking at a virtual knob on the screen or the real deal in terms of fooling or not fooling your hearing.

I agree, visual bias can be misleading in both situations. Especially when you think you've just added 2dB at 1.5kHz, it's now sounding *perfect*, but then you realize the bypass switch was on. Doh! But the tactile nature of turning a real knob with your hand doesn't require you to look at the knob while you're doing it. The same could be said about mousing a virtual knob, but mousing just doesn't provide the necessary physical feedback. Especially when turning stepped Elma's. Mmmm.

FWIW, I don't look at my hands when I'm adjusting the equipment. I usually close my eyes and listen.

[sheriff]

FWIW, I don't look at my hands when I'm adjusting the equipment. I usually close my eyes and listen.[/QUOTE]

Agreed. I wanna do that. Listen n feel the music. N not just do...

[sheriff]

How About the Daking FET II? or wld i need 2 of those for mastering

[Waltz Mastering]

Originally Posted by sheriff

How About the Daking FET II? or wld i need 2 of those for mastering

Yes. You would need 2.
In the same price range is the Foote P3s ME and API 2500

... Smart C1 or C2, Obsidian, Rolls 755 etc

[Scott003]

Could get a pair of fmr pbc6a's, I've read a lot of positive things, if you're lookin for color.

[sheriff]

Ooh ok. Nice I'm likin the options. More things for me to research.

Was also lookin at the Elysia xpressor. But it isn't so colored. Cleaner and precise but not colored so much. Which is a good thing. The price too. I do need money for eqs and a dangerous master and/or liaison

[huejahfink]

Originally Posted by Joe_caithness

Yep! I agree, I love the hands on nature, the sound of things changing in realtime as I move my hand, that plus a good tune puts in hard in the mastering zone!

Originally Posted by Twerk

The same could be said about mousing a virtual knob, but mousing just doesn't provide the necessary physical feedback. Especially when turning stepped Elma's. Mmmm.

FWIW, I don't look at my hands when I'm adjusting the equipment. I usually close my eyes and listen.

I've got a couple of my main plugins mapped out with controllers which makes the decision making aspect of processing much more intuitive and flowing than squinting at graphs and mousing around.
I'm surprised more people don't do that for ITB control in mastering?

(sorry I know this is slightly OT but I just thought it was worth remarking upon)

[Twerk]

Originally Posted by huejahfink

I've got a couple of my main plugins mapped out with controllers which makes the decision making aspect of processing much more intuitive and flowing than squinting at graphs and mousing around.
I'm surprised more people don't do that for ITB control in mastering?

(sorry I know this is slightly OT but I just thought it was worth remarking upon)

I was using TouchOSC for a while but eventually grew annoyed with it. What are you using for a controller?