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Adding EQ To Previously Mastered Tracks?
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Old 1 week ago
  #1
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Adding EQ To Previously Mastered Tracks?
Is it possible to add subtle EQ to a song that has already been mastered, without mucking things up?

In this case I want to try and add some subtle high end "sheen". Since the song has already been limited and dithered, would I need to do anything else after the added EQ?

Basically, would re-rendering the file after the added EQ create any strange or unwanted artifacts that I may or "may not" hear?

Marc
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Old 1 week ago
  #2
ccg
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Is there a reason you can't send it back to the mastering engineer with that request?
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Old 1 week ago
  #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ccg View Post
Is there a reason you can't send it back to the mastering engineer with that request?
Lol... yes, because I did the mastering! Admittedly I'm not a mastering engineer. I mixed an 8 song album for a client who has no budget for mastering. In order to achieve what I think sounds "mastered", I had to use some analog gear. Recreating the settings in the analog chain will be very time consuming, and this is for my benefit,... to see if I like the masters with more "sheen". I obviously should have printed two versions, but alas I did not.
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Old 1 week ago
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Greg Reierson's Avatar
 

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Just add the EQ and run it through your safety limiter with no gain. Dither back to your target word length and you should be fine.

Re-dithering on top of noise-shaped dither can sometimes have unpredictable results if the music is very quiet. Otherwise, dither is typically well below audibility on most music. Let your ears be the final judge. If it sounds good it is good.
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Old 1 week ago
  #5
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So you printed the analog master...surely you didn't print the final digital limiting and dither on that file? Just use a copy of the original high res analog print (pre limiting and dither) to experiment with adding a little sheen, then add your final digital processing. Or am I missing something/reading your process wrong?
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Old 1 week ago
  #6
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eternalsound's Avatar
 

OP:

Yes, unless it's been "released" in some ...say, significant way.

Your question is more along fear of breaking a general rule more than anything else. Touch it it up if you want. However, if your ear is the one out of adjustment it's at your own peril, I guess.

As posted, yes, use the limiter.
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Old 1 week ago
  #7
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Jerry Tubb's Avatar
 

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Sure, you can do anything you want.

If your master is currently at 16-bit, and your EQ scenario is at 24-bit or 32,and you redither back to 16-bit,

you may hear a little sonic degradation, but it might be acceptable, just listen carefully.

If you can back up in the process, to your higher bit depth masters before you limited and reduced to 16-bit,

that would be much smarter imho.

best, JT
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Old 1 week ago
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Trakworx's Avatar
 

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Always always always save a high res, no-limiter version of every master.

It makes revisions a breeze with better results, and the OP's question need never come up!
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Old 1 week ago
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Greg Reierson's Avatar
 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trakworx View Post
Always always always save a high res, no-limiter version of every master.

It makes revisions a breeze with better results, and the OP's question need never come up!
Yes !!!!
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Old 1 week ago
  #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trakworx View Post
Always always always save a high res, no-limiter version of every master.

It makes revisions a breeze with better results, and the OP's question need never come up!
As usual, great advice!
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Old 1 week ago
  #11
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Justin P.'s Avatar
 

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Trakworx View Post
Always always always save a high res, no-limiter version of every master.

It makes revisions a breeze with better results, and the OP's question need never come up!
I don't understand how people can't work this way.

It's probably the same people that in 2019 need to ask for all their friends contact info on Facebook because their phone died or was lost, as if there wasn't a very easy way to avoid that situation
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