How Do You Guys DIY Master Stuff?

[C_F_H_13]

I took my first crack at "mastering" a record I had been working on. I was really happy with the mixes, but no matter what combination of compressors, maximizers, EQ, and remixing I did, I could never get the mixest loud enough to compete with other records, without the mix falling apart.

Now I know that a mastering engineer is always gonna do a better job (or hopefully)....but what tricks do you guys use to put that final polish on something??

 

[KeithRT99]

mastering is hard to get right, but if you're just doing it for demo purposes it won't matter if its prefect, just get it close. go light on the compression, i usually go with a ratio under 2:1, and use some eq to get rid of annoying stuff like too much low end rumble, or too much honky mids. also bring up some high end or bass or mids if necessary. slap a l2 on there to bring the mix up to a "normal" level" that's pretty much what i do, it's not perfect but it works for demos.

i also use a waves max bass on there to "make it slap cuz".

 

[STINNETT]

I just try to make sure that everything is reasonably tame as far as peaks go in the mixing phase, and I like to keep a decent amount of headroom with everything.

If the mix is under control, I usually don't do anything but insert on L2 on the 2 track to bring up the level to where I want it. Possibly some subtle EQ. If I can't do that cleanly or if the EQ is more than just a touch, I'll go back and re-address something with the mix. That's the luxury of doing it all yourself. I can't compete with a professional mastering engineer, but If there is a problem, I can still tweak the mix.

 

[cobhc]

Yeah I used to run my mastering chain on the master buss while mixing to see what it would all sound like once it was mastered, but I think it's better to seperate the two processes. And I guess when you're going master a mix, leave a day in between the mixing and the mastering so you have fresh ears.

 

[stringyo]

Yeah, always seperate the two. Never try to master while you're mixing. All though I have heard of many pro engineers mixing with a compressor on the main buss...but not a full-on mastering chain.

I also seperate tracking from mixing, I used to find that when I was tracking my own stuff I'd start dicking around with the mix and not ever get anything done. I'll track all the instruments and do very rough mixes with absolutely no effects, comps, or anything. Then I'll start from scratch with all the tracks and do the final mix where I apply comps, EQs, and effects. I'll then master the stereo track.

Your mastering effects, if applied right, should affect the mix very minimally...or at least in my view. I first use a parametric EQ with very gentle cuts and boosts to get the song sounding right. I'll then use a C4 compressor or another multiband compressor to boost the low end a bit and to keep the peaks calm so the loudness maximizer isn't going crazy. The key here with using the multiband on your stereo mix is the attack and release times...those can REALLY alter your mix, so be careful not to bury your drums with attack times that are too fast...just try to keep some of the larger peaks under control. I'm in agreement that 2:1 is a good ratio for the multiband on the stereo mix.

Ultimately if all you really want is hot mixes, you should really use limiters or comps with heavy ratios during mixdown...don't just depend on your loudness maximizer plugs during mastering.