MasterinG

scizz wrote:when i said "tracks" i meant songs

My bad..........

what I do is save presets of all the lmastering fx for tracks that I know are going on the same disc/comp and tweak a lil as necessary for each track

cooocooo1 wrote:

scizz wrote:when i said "tracks" i meant songs

My bad..........

what I do is save presets of all the lmastering fx for tracks that I know are going on the same disc/comp and tweak a lil as necessary for each track

what about compression do u compress each track to make them all sound on the same level and after that do u run the whole compilation thru 1 compressor? and how hard do u compress usually?
how loud is loud enough? cos i can never get it sounding as loud as the pro stuff. unless i lose some sound quality..

what about eqing what is your goal/mind state when eq-ing the masters

about ozone... i've tried using it (version 1) it's cool, but not loud enough.

tnx for the replies, keep it coming..
peace

about ozone... i've tried using it (version 1) it's cool, but not loud enough.

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what?!?!?!? you can get mad gain reduction using the multiband limiter/comp/expander combo- all three on all four bands and combining that with the loudness maximiser(which i don't use)....still have delays and harmonic distortion to play with too...

greg

dubmunkey wrote:about ozone... i've tried using it (version 1) it's cool, but not loud enough.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>


what?!?!?!? you can get mad gain reduction using the multiband limiter/comp/expander combo- all three on all four bands and combining that with the loudness maximiser(which i don't use)....still have delays and harmonic distortion to play with too...

greg

can u tell me how u use all of that, as in steps and purposes.

first i make sure i have trecorded the tune as loud as possible- my kicks often peak at -3db, and the rest of the tune peaks at say -0.3db

i use the eq first- scoop out any real low bottom below 30-hz.....

next is generally the multiband compressor- you know the thin bar which shows the peak values of the particular frequency? i usually set the limiter threshold to the peak value of that freq band, then grab the compressor and decide what i need to apply to the particular range-

i often use 0-100hz band 1
100-1000hz band 2
1000-10000hz band 3
10000-20000hz band 4 (see the pattern?)

this breaks it down into bass end, low mid, high mid and top end- usually using slower times and high ratios for low frequencies and faster times with lower ratios for higher freqnecies- gotta look at the att/rel settings for each to make sure they are all acting properly- i generally dont touch the maximiser after it as the compression has limited the peak values of the bands, compressed everything below those thresholds and if needed expanded very low sounds upwards to be louder- this reduces your dynamic range but gives more consistancy and loudness as the freqs are balanced, contain energy but dont rob each others headroom

generally these days im using two waves rcls, or a waves multuiband into an l2...ill try and find the techniques ive used for these bits...

greg

greg



but there are better ways of coaxing loudness out of your tunes

thanks greg i'll try that tonight
waves stuff is cool too, i use the ultra-maximizer to boost, it is pretty effective, haven't yet mastered the RCL compressors but why don't u use outboard compressors? aren't they better ? (except for the noise they produce maybe)

well i will get flamed for this but i inherited those dx plugs- if i had the money it would be a finalizer or something hard- depends on the tune- sometimes i want that pump which i can only really get from using a singleband comp over the whole mix- other times ill use multiband- but im really only following suggested settings- i could learn an awful lot more believe me!!!



greg

rcl tip: have had a lot of success with using two Waves RCL's. They are in my opinion the best software compressor. The fisrt in the chain I set it to a very soft compresion preset. "Master opto" with the gain reduction at -6db and the threshold not to deep. maybe -4 into the level of the track. This fills in the bottom but leaves all the punch and dynamics. It does lessen the level, and that is where the second RCL comes in. Set it to "loud and Proud". Boost the gain reduction up until the loudest part of the song is just at the zero DB level. Leave the threshold at zero. The maximizers are much harsher and flaten out the dynamics. Nothing can compare to a tube compressor and tube leveling amplifyer, but the waves RCL is the closest software alternative that I have come across.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

seriously try and find the mastering with isotope ozone dvd....he explains every function visually and although its for a rock song you soon get the idea and the inspiration!!! there is a pdf on there site too

greg

YO! ozone is the SH*T! i just had to get used to it.
ozone+ultramaximizer combo is a killer!
anyway just thought i'd let u know
peace

which Ultramaximer are you talking about? Behringer Hardware or maybe BBE?

I believe he's refering to the Waves L1 Ultramaximizer(or the L2 or L3)

yup, that's the one.(waves L1)

you cant use it by itself tho and you cant overuse it, it kills the dynamics but gets your mix really loud

i used it moderately after ozone to get a decent level

elmacaco wrote:high pass filter

oh thanks =)

im just now gettin to this!

scizz wrote:yup, that's the one.(waves L1)

you cant use it by itself tho and you cant overuse it, it kills the dynamics but gets your mix really loud

i used it moderately after ozone to get a decent level

I use it by itself all the time(although not on the master bus).............it's just a limiter

hey dub you r mixing those kicks too loud.
try mixing your kicks at -6db
u will see how everything balances out nice at this level
i used to do the same thing until i saw what these cats were doing at the hit factory here in ny
The problem is that when a track is peaking close to 0db and then u put a multiband compresser and then a limiter they have less and less space to work. and then when u apply the effect you lose the dynamics. my tracks generally peak at between -2.5 and -1.5.
I shoot for -2db before mastering. this is my mastering chain:

sony oxford eq
pultec sometimes
uad-1 precision limiter
sony inflator
once all is done i normalize to -0.03

I have been getting sick sounding tracks using this method and a lot of mixing and mastering work because of my sound and don't claim to be a mastering engineer. my boy got a track mastered at sterling sound in the city and when i heard it i told him that i could do better and did so in 10 minutes.