Mastering audio and Buddhism

[aof21]

Originally Posted by AUDIOBOMBER

close your eyes
sit still
allow your breath to slow down.
focus yourself in the middle of your chest, a little to the right.
listen.


turn your knobs

This

[aof21]

Great thread!

A ME can make decisions about what to do with a song without "judging" it as "good" or "bad."

Of course you make decisions and judgments, but these judgments don't need to have a meaning applied to them like "oh this is really bad." Instead, the recording is what it is and the ME takes actions that are required based on the current state of the recording.

You're trying to help the music find its true self, to uncover the "ground" beneath the extremes, noise, and unnecessary extravagances.

You can't "try" too hard when mastering, as the point is to help the music find balance, by stripping away unnecessary elements, not push it to any extreme -- the middle way.

All of this sounds very much in line with Buddhist philosophies.

[Laurend]

"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them."

Dalai Lama

[Babaluma]

Nothing to add, just want to say thanks for this amazing thread, particularly MAzevedo's posts!

[jimmyboy7]

Originally Posted by SASMastering

Maybe thoughts of Christ on the cross would help a Christian mastering engineer maintain focus ?

As a Christian, I would say "no" to that statement, and I do think you said it as hyperbole I will say that judgement to me entails different context, the area most people have issue with is judging of people as not worthy or valuable for whatever reason. For the OP, as long as the intent is to help the music be all it can be, that's all that matters. On a side note, I do pray every morning before I start work that God blesses my hands, my ears and my mind to help create great music and release it into the world.

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by Laurend

"If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them."

Dalai Lama

I recall Bob Ludwig saying the same thing "Do No Harm".

First rule of mastering, and perhaps life in general.

JT

[lucey]

Originally Posted by PeteGJ

I've heard a few MEs say that their first rule is to do no harm. So there seems to be a natural if accidental connection with Buddhism right from the start.

I've also heard it said that to succeed in ones practice it helps to have an 'ear' for the teaching, which is often likened to having a musical ear.

Some excellent posts here.

Doing no harm is a great intention, yet in reality distortion of some kind is introduced for most people's work. The trick is what I call a positive compromise. Getting more than is given up. In this sense no harm is done, but some harm is done to get there.

Harmonic, phase or transient distortion is not a bad thing from a musicality standpoint. But it's a form of harm to some, and technically true.

This is where taste and drawing fine lines comes in.

[doorknocker]

Originally Posted by Red Mastering

one of fundamental part of Buddhism philosophy is rejecting a judgement

how any of 'signing bowl' engineers here, deal with it ?

this is a part of our job to judge other's folk music, although it's rather from technical point of view,
it's colliding with Buddhism philosophy,

anyway, it could be an interesting discussion

I always thought that mastering is all about judgement, and control.

Frankly, as a engineer/artist that's what I'm looking for in the sense that knowing about the MEs ability to judge, criticize (if necessary) and work according to certain 'rules' (i.e loudness, dynamics, conversion quality) helps me being more intuitive in the mixing process.

At best, the ME will be able to complete a somewhat unfinished piece of work. And this might be the Zen part:

Put the Yang to my Ying, brighten up my say coherent and organic but somewhat dark mix and thus let the music/message come across better because it'll be clearer/more powerful and more convincing.

Complement the picture but let go of your ego: If the mix is great you don't do anything to it. And what could be more Zen that that?

[ksandvik]

When you let go of judgement, especially judgement against you yourself, you realize the boundless universe of any kind of music that could be created. It's a way to get liberated instead of becoming bound. *)

*) also called 'beginner's mind'

[Red Mastering]

trying to bump up, this nice discussion we had,
before it will drown underneath another 'bestmasteringlimiter' thread
I hope to add some thoughts,
just need to pick up myself from the mad busy day schedule

[GJ999x]

Originally Posted by Red Mastering

trying to bump up, this nice discussion we had,
before it will drown underneath another 'bestmasteringlimiter' thread
I hope to add some thoughts,
just need to pick up myself from the mad busy day schedule

great work.... we could all do with a break from bestmasterlimiter, i seem to have bumped into trolls accidentally on every thread today...

[polybonk]

I think that the error here is the context within which the use of the word "judgment" is being applied.

"Judgment" in a spiritual context like that taught by great avatars like the Buddha as well as various saints and sages throughout time has a very specific meaning and purpose.

In the words of Carl Sagan. "If you wish to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe."

Within the process of spiritual transformation ( the exploration of internal subjectively verifiable phenomena for the purpose of improving ones experience of subjective reality as well as that of others )
"Judgement" is the function of labeling a perceived phenomenon from an absolute positionality as good/bad right/wrong etc etc.
This fixity of belief is easily seen as an error when one has the humility to admit that the human mind lacks the context of the universe.
The relinquishment of this kind of judgment frees one from covering the world with "should's", frees room in ones heart for forgiveness and acceptance of the world and others.

Making a judgment call on music in a mastering context is really a process of discernment based on technical and aesthetic considerations. This is quite a different context and hence a different meaning of the word.

It is worth noting that "judgement" from a spiritual perspective is not bad or wrong, but merely an error to be corrected if ones pathway is that of altruistic love, compassion or enlightenment.

[finetuner]

Every time I start working on a song, I create a (subjective) ideal of how I'd like that song to sound. This becomes the mental reference to which I compare and make judgement calls for action to get as close as I can.

This process can be exciting and rewarding or become frustrating when needing to accept that the ideal is too far off of reality.

Yesterday I felt in that situation and it struck me that during my work, in a way I'm darn busy not accepting what is.
It made me think about this thread.
Still I get paid for it, making use of the quality side of my perfectionism.

I wonder: how many of you (especially M.E.'s) consider themselves as perfectionists?

[Red Mastering]

Originally Posted by finetuner

I wonder: how many of you (especially M.E.'s) consider themselves as perfectionists?

considering yourself is a self judgement, therefore should not be created in your mind (first place)

[finetuner]

Originally Posted by Red Mastering

considering yourself is a self judgement

Agreed.
Being a mortal, living in a dualistic world I'm not without that

Originally Posted by Red Mastering

therefore should not be created in your mind

It won't, as soon as I'm enlightened ;-)

[polybonk]

Originally Posted by Red Mastering

considering yourself is a self judgement, therefore should not be created in your mind (first place)

It really depends on how you actually use the convenience of language tho doesn't it?

I can say "I consider myself a perfectionist".
If I am using the convenience of language to say that I engage in action that the world calls perfecting something and do not stop until an goal (aesthetic, engineering etc) is reached.

Where is the error?


I can say "I consider myself a perfectionist".
If I believe my sense of self identity, consciousness, I - is "perfectionist".

Then is this not now an error?