Making a master (for your own band)

[updog]

This thread isn't really about my mastering chain, but about many other things that need to be considered when a final master CD is made. In this case, not particularily a commercial master, but a master for my own band.

I'm about to make a master for my band, for distributing to various parties. I want to make this master as good as I possibly could without actually knowing what I'm doing and not having the gear required for professional results. :zombie: I am, though, pretty happy with my mixes so far, and I've been able to mastering chain that allows the loudness to get close enough to commercial levels and compared to a plain mix it actually sounds better rather than worse.

There was recently talk about some sort of distribution codes that allow royalty payment to artists that must be applied into a master - would these be of any use in a band's demo or would they just be a waste of money and time, as at the end of the day, it's only a demo we're talking about?

I have tracked everything at 24 bit - when making a CD, should I be worried about dithering to 16 bits? Will it degrade the audio in ways I can't understand? Will Logic's dithering work well enough?

Any tips concerning this process - and anything else to remember when trying to get your band out there - are very welcome. As you can see, I don't really have any idea about this stuff.

 

[DanLights]

I am also interested in this, but want to take the question a bit further. I would like to know what is needed for the mastering (as stated by sopulurn, not the mastering chain, but the whole process of preparing for burning AND burning) of a full length album if done in a home studio. Codes, bitrate, what program is best to burn a master cd if I want to have it duplicated (or replicated, I forget the difference way too often), and any other things I miss out cause I obviously don't know.

Thanks to whoever pops in and helps!

 

[updog]

thanks Dan, I'm interested in those things as well.

I'm going to use WaveBurner that came with Logic Studio - I've heard it's a professional program but I haven't really used it yet. For making the basic stuff though - it seemed quite easy to grasp.

 

[-Noodles-]

There was recently talk about some sort of distribution codes that allow royalty payment to artists that must be applied into a master - would these be of any use in a band's demo or would they just be a waste of money and time, as at the end of the day, it's only a demo we're talking about?

I have tracked everything at 24 bit - when making a CD, should I be worried about dithering to 16 bits? Will it degrade the audio in ways I can't understand? Will Logic's dithering work well enough?

Any tips concerning this process - and anything else to remember when trying to get your band out there - are very welcome. As you can see, I don't really have any idea about this stuff.

Are you talking about ISRC codes? A label assigns them so that they know who gets the money from within that label. Each one is unique, because labels are named differently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Recording_Code

I wouldn't bother if you're not on a label, namely because you might not have the equipment to embed the code within the tracks.
I wouldn't dither to 16 bits until the master is being made, so all your tracks are 24 until you're burning the redbook master.

I master in Logic using (in order); Spectro, 2 EQs (one linear), Compressor (Peak), Compressor (RMS), EQ if required, Limiter, Spectro.

I can easily get mixes to be -4dBRMSFS without clipping and still sounding wicked. For that knowledge, you'd have to come to my classes ;-)
But it's all about making sure you're using tools correctly and understanding the materials.

Mastering isn't all about "how loud" - it's maintaining consistency (frequency and level) across an EP or LP.

 

[reg3n]

maybe it sounds like it has nothing to do with this, but it actually does, a LOT, and maybe you already know, but i found that correct gain staging on everything (everything EVERYTHING) leads to a louder, cleaner, smoother mix, that makes mastering a lot more "doable", as noodles says i wouldn't bother dithering before actually printing the "definitive" tracks after the mastering is done. One good example is when comparing my mixes before and after the corrected gain stages, on the "before" track, everything seems to be ok... but compared to the "after" version, the snare is just a bunch of noise, like "pfft!", the corrected version, sounds like PAHM! everything gets a lot more definition. Hope that made sense.

 

[waltz mastering]

Are you talking about ISRC codes? A label assigns them so that they know who gets the money from within that label. Each one is unique, because labels are named differently.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Standard_Recording_Code

I wouldn't bother if you're not on a label, namely because you might not have the equipment to embed the code within the tracks.

Any individual can purchase isrc codes. $75 in the US..not sure how much they are in the rest of the world.
https://usisrc.org/(S(d3tt32vauwpseo45oo15q555))/index.aspx
http://www.ifpi.org/content/section_resources/isrc.html
http://cdman.com/forwardthinking/does-your-band-need-isrc-codes

Digital distributors like CDBaby.com , Nimbet and Tunecore will embed them in your mp3's as part of a package deal. Isrc do not transfer from a wave file when converted to mp3.

 

[updog]

Yes, I'm talking about ISRC codes, forgot what they're called, thanks. So it wouldn't be beneficial to get them if you aren't certain the quality of your work would suffice for a label (meaning, the ISRC codes would be needed at a later date)? My stuff isn't probably good enough so I shouldn't worry there.

I guess what I want to know about dithering is, when I'll burn this redbook master, it gets dithered since it's going into a CD, right? Is there a possibility that this redbook will sound like shit after dithering and what can I do if that happens? Should I return to the mix in that situation?

By gain staging, do you mean leaving enough headroom in the mix? If so, I've taken that into consideration. Thanks for pointing it out, though.

Thanks for the replies guys, keep them coming! I'll probably think of more questions when I'll start doing the DIY master.

 

[Jarkko Mattheiszen]

Yes, I'm talking about ISRC codes, forgot what they're called, thanks. So it wouldn't be beneficial to get them if you aren't certain the quality of your work would suffice for a label (meaning, the ISRC codes would be needed at a later date)? My stuff isn't probably good enough so I shouldn't worry there.

Just do it. ISRC codes are not only for labels. The producer code is a one-time purchase and you can use it for the rest of your life. In Finland, you can get it from IFPI, formerly ÄKT. If your demo gets a cult following and the songs end up on radio, the ISRC codes are a must. There was a thread about this recently: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...rfc-ifc-codes-mastering-question-i-think.html

I guess what I want to know about dithering is, when I'll burn this redbook master, it gets dithered since it's going into a CD, right? Is there a possibility that this redbook will sound like shit after dithering and what can I do if that happens? Should I return to the mix in that situation?

If you're just making a master of your own demo, you can safely use whatever dithering plugin/option your DAW provides by default. When you're mixing down the mastertrack (which is what I do) or the individual tracks, insert the dither plugin in the master chain and set it to 16 bits.

 

[SimonTaddio_Qc]

the snare is just a bunch of noise, like "pfft!", the corrected version, sounds like PAHM! Hope that made sense.

 

[updog]

Just do it. ISRC codes are not only for labels. The producer code is a one-time purchase and you can use it for the rest of your life. In Finland, you can get it from IFPI, formerly ÄKT. If your demo gets a cult following and the songs end up on radio, the ISRC codes are a must. There was a thread about this recently: http://www.ultimatemetal.com/forum/...rfc-ifc-codes-mastering-question-i-think.html



If you're just making a master of your own demo, you can safely use whatever dithering plugin/option your DAW provides by default. When you're mixing down the mastertrack (which is what I do) or the individual tracks, insert the dither plugin in the master chain and set it to 16 bits.

Thanks. Think I missed that thread before as well. Looks like the codes aren't overly expensive.

 

[updog]

I read a bit about IRSC codes, but I'm still unsure of a couple of things...

So I'll buy the producer code... Does that mean I DON'T have to pay for each song individually, but just for one code? And all the individual tracks that I'm ever involved in making (as the producer code holder) use this code plus an unique numerical value?

 

[timislegend]

I read a bit about IRSC codes, but I'm still unsure of a couple of things...

So I'll buy the producer code... Does that mean I DON'T have to pay for each song individually, but just for one code? And all the individual tracks that I'm ever involved in making (as the producer code holder) use this code plus an unique numerical value?

you must obtain the registrant code... then each individual titles can generate an isrc.



~ How is an ISRC constructed?
An ISRC is made up of four elements:

* ISO Country, e.g. GB for the UK, or US for the USA, DE for Germany, etc
* Registrant Code, a three alpha-numeric unique reference
* Year of Reference, the last two digits of the current year, e.g. ‘03’ for 2003
* Designation Code, a five digit unique number, e.g. ‘00013’


The ISO Country Code and the Registrant Code are issued by the National Agencies or by the International ISRC Agency; the rest of the identifier is then allocated by the entity wishing to identify their sound or music video recordings.

 

[updog]

Okay, now I get it. Thanks Tim!


This is simpler than I first thought.