a question about Mastering Studios

[Reag1502]

I am working on my demo, and would love to get it professionally mastered, but have some questions. I work with Cubase, and use the Wave mastering plug ins, ans well as the Sound Forge Wave Hammer limiters when I do it myself. Before I take my songs to a mastering faculity should I not compress anything at all and let them do it, or should I still use the Wave Hammer compressors, as well as there's? Basically is it No effects before the mastering studio, or with effects? Thanks

[DeeDrive]

Generally it's better to leave any bus compression or limiting off the master before sending it off for mastering. Unless it's a special effect that is critical to the way the song sounds, you should leave dynamics control to the ME. The ME can always add more compression, but it's nearly impossible to remove if it's overdone. You check check the "mixing tips" section at www.jonaspark.com for more info on the subject of getting your master ready.

[Brad Blackwood]

I'm not sure where the bad advice of avoiding compression on the mix buss came from, but it's wrong. Consider the following:
1] Buss compression rather drastically alters the balances of your mix - something that you as the mix engineer can adjust to insure the mix retains the vision you have for it. If left to the mastering engineer, you have no idea if your mix will come back better, worse, or just different.
2] Some mastering engineers would have you believe they have better judgment and ability than you do regarding all things audio. This isn't true.

Assuming your buss compressor isn't broken and it sounds they way you want it to, use it. If you are nervous about what it's doing or unsure of yourself, you can always send both compressed and uncompressed mixes. A good general rule of thumb is this: do nothing to make it louder, do everything to make it sound better...

[Reag1502]

thanks for the replies. What about adding compression to individual tracks. Like when I am adding compression to my vocals. Is that cool to leave on?

[Darius van H]

Send both, that way the masterererer can get an idea of the loudness and sound you like, but may be able to achieve the same thing more gracefully.........D

[jayfrigo]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

thanks for the replies. What about adding compression to individual tracks. Like when I am adding compression to my vocals. Is that cool to leave on?

Yes. No problem. Leave it on. Of course, be reasonable when adding compression, especially mix bus compression. Many people when still refining their mixing skills add lots of compression because they think they are "supposed" to. Use as much as you need to get the desired effect, but don't simply keep adding with no clear goal or reason in mind.

The other thing that must be stressed again is not to do anything for level. This means avoid hard limiting and/or clipping the mix bus. This is the only real "no-no" is mixing before mastering. Other than that, make it sound as close to the way you want it to as possible. Mastering is not remixing. We're going to take our cue from you.

[Bob Olhsson]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

thanks for the replies. What about adding compression to individual tracks. Like when I am adding compression to my vocals. Is that cool to leave on?

That often yields better results than buss compression and makes the mix less susceptible to subsequent compression changing the balance such as at a radio station.

The common idea that compressing the bus or master will cause broadcast compression to have less of an effect isn't true. There's no substitute for getting really solid balances and riding the faders to keep them that way.

[Jerry Tubb]

Originally Posted by Darius van H

Send both, that way the masterererer can get an idea of the loudness and sound you like, but may be able to achieve the same thing more gracefully.........D

Yo Darius, I agree.

I had a session like this today and we chose the uncompressed, actually un-limited one to work with.

But it was cool funky latin jazz, less compression & limiting suited the material better.

If it had been hard rock, the decision might have been different.

Cheers JT

[bob katz]

Originally Posted by Bob Olhsson

That often yields better results than buss compression and makes the mix less susceptible to subsequent compression changing the balance such as at a radio station.

The common idea that compressing the bus or master will cause broadcast compression to have less of an effect isn't true. There's no substitute for getting really solid balances and riding the faders to keep them that way.

Right on. To add to this advice: If you are not sweating bullets when you're mixing, you're probably overcompressing. In other words, don't let the compressors do the mixing work for you. Watch any good "classic" mixing engineer, and you'll find that moving the faders is the majority of his work.

BK

[lucey]

Originally Posted by Reag1502

Before I take my songs to a mastering faculity should I not compress anything at all and let them do it, or should I still use the Wave Hammer compressors, as well as there's? Basically is it No effects before the mastering studio, or with effects? Thanks

Some good ideas here

thumbsup

[masteringhouse]

Originally Posted by bob katz

Right on. To add to this advice: If you are not sweating bullets when you're mixing, you're probably overcompressing. In other words, don't let the compressors do the mixing work for you. Watch any good "classic" mixing engineer, and you'll find that moving the faders is the majority of his work.

BK

Other tips include automating track volumes (saves a lot of sweat) and separating a track if there are wide swings in the volume levels. For example if the vocal alternates between a softer quiet part and then screams, separate the tracks and adjust the volumes appropriately.

This is obvious for most folks on this board, but I've seen some use a compressor to automatically make level adjustments between wildly varing parts with the results being one part overly compressed, and the other possibly not having enough.

[bob katz]

Originally Posted by masteringhouse

Other tips include automating track volumes (saves a lot of sweat) and separating a track if there are wide swings in the volume levels. For example if the vocal alternates between a softer quiet part and then screams, separate the tracks and adjust the volumes appropriately.

This is obvious for most folks on this board, but I've seen some use a compressor to automatically make level adjustments between wildly varing parts with the results being one part overly compressed, and the other possibly not having enough.

Good comments, Tom.

BK