First time mastering advice

[foundations]

its my first time using the ozone masteriing suite. i am just wondering how many of you use reverb on your master... because i like what it does to my cymbals but its giving my guitars some extra fizz which im not keen on

any opinions on my mix are also welcome

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15846363/James Pohl Ambidjent Groove.mp3

 

[kronk_1985]

When mastering, you need to remember that a little does alot.. eg. A 4db bump in EQ on a single track vs a 4db in EQ across the whole mix will produce vastly different results..

If you find yourself wanting to do alot in the mastering plug-in, stop what you're doing and go back to the mix.

 

[foundations]

yeah i understand that. i just want to know about the reverb though realy?

 

[Tommy Evans]

Reverb on the maste bus? That's usually a no-no dude.

 

[jackbraglia]

if you want more verb on your cymbals, add it in the mix. Mastering reverb should only be used if something really needs it (and you don't have access to the mix), and usually shouldn't be applied to the entire track. The only time I ever used mastering reverb was when I was mastering for this punk/metal band, and they were going for that super raw guitar sound, which is all fine and dandy, but the guitars desperately needed a touch of reverb. So I used ozone's mid-side processing to apply a bit of reverb only to the sides, where the guitars lie obviously. Applying reverb to the entire mix would be a serious mistake.

Also, a tip with ozone, DON'T use that damn loudness maximizer, it sounds like garbage. I only use ozone for mid-side processing and because its exciter is multi-band. Just about every other aspect of that plug-in is useless IMO

 

[X14Halo]

Holy shit that mix sounds amazing, and the musicians are outstanding. Would it be possible for you to post an isolated mono guitar track so I can see what it sounds like?

 

[OneDaySky]

yeah i understand that. i just want to know about the reverb though realy?

Im also rather against reverb on the 2 buss, but i know Chango studios puts reverb on the buss to give all the songs on a album a consistent place.

 

[foundations]

ok. so no reverb on the master channel then. anyone have any tips for my overall mix?

 

[DanLights]

some people use it, but very subtle if they do. Personally, I've never found a place for it in the master buss, I tend to use plenty within the mix already. If you like what it's doing to your cymbals but not to your guitars, then add that in the mix only to the cymbals.

 

[foundations]

ive got rid of the reverb now, Iv also cut the guitars at around 4Khz coz ther was something i didnt like... any1 tell me if they prefer it with the cut?
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/15846363/Ambidjent Groove Master.mp3

 

[iarebrandon]

i must be the only one....

i usually add about 5%.

 

[Mago]

Reverb on the maste bus? That's usually a no-no dude.

Wouldn't say so really.
I think that I read on here a few times that quite a few of the "big ones" use mastering reverb.

 

[tghRF]

I use a very small amount of reverb on the master bus, almost always in fact. I am far from being a professional though.

 

[foundations]

can any1 tell me if they prefer the cut ive made to the guitar EQ?

 

[foundations]

would anyone say the guitars have been high passed too much?

 

[kronk_1985]

that's normally something for you dude.. but in that first riff, those things that sound like muted strings being strummed, if they're supposed to be chuggs, then yes. the HPF is way too high. What have you got it set at?