Small mastering contest ;)

Hey guys, thanks to everyone who posted a version. The mix we have here is a result of some accommodations I had to make and I need to go back in time a bit to an older version and take things in a slightly different direction.
 
I don't really understand the point of this. Is it to see who does a better job at making your song sound different?

Pre-mastering (what you refer to as mastering in this thread) isn't about making audio sound different or "better" (although it could be a side effect). IMO, it's about compiling a playlist to an error free medium, making sure that the project as a whole sounds cohesive, and that the songs translate well to other playback systems. Corrective changes in EQ and adding compression may or may not be used to individual songs in a playlist. It's almost a guarantee that with modern productions a brick wall limiter and/or clipping AD converters on the way back ITB will be used to obtain loudness.

Nothing will replace a qualified ME, but I think too much stock is put into how much better the mastering process will make a song sound. If the difference is significant (other than volume) either there was something seriously wrong with the mix or the ME is overstepping his bounds. If I'm mixing an album I'm mixing it so the songs sound like they should sound. The songs are sent to the ME to compile the album and make sure it is "right."

The reason I don't get this is because asking someone to pre-master one song is asking them to either make it sound different or louder. I've worked on albums where only one song had any EQ changes, and the only thing I had to do was bring up the volume and compile the playlist. I'd personally find it hard to judge a persons ME skills and listening ability based off of what they do to one song.

Sorry for the rant.
 
TRA said:
I don't really understand the point of this. Is it to see who does a better job at making your song sound different?

Pre-mastering (what you refer to as mastering in this thread) isn't about making audio sound different or "better" (although it could be a side effect). IMO, it's about compiling a playlist to an error free medium, making sure that the project as a whole sounds cohesive, and that the songs translate well to other playback systems. Corrective changes in EQ and adding compression may or may not be used to individual songs in a playlist. It's almost a guarantee that with modern productions a brick wall limiter and/or clipping AD converters on the way back ITB will be used to obtain loudness.

Nothing will replace a qualified ME, but I think too much stock is put into how much better the mastering process will make a song sound. If the difference is significant (other than volume) either there was something seriously wrong with the mix or the ME is overstepping his bounds. If I'm mixing an album I'm mixing it so the songs sound like they should sound. The songs are sent to the ME to compile the album and make sure it is "right."

The reason I don't get this is because asking someone to pre-master one song is asking them to either make it sound different or louder. I've worked on albums where only one song had any EQ changes, and the only thing I had to do was bring up the volume and compile the playlist. I'd personally find it hard to judge a persons ME skills and listening ability based off of what they do to one song.

Sorry for the rant.
Click to expand...

Hey Tra, although what you say isn't wrong by any means, you still have to leave room for the entire mastering equation, as you even said. If we do want to be technical about it, sonic adjustments can be "pre-mastering" and creating a pro compliation in a red-book standard can be "mastering". But, it happened to be, in this case, sonic adjustments were needed to make the track shine. Now what doesn't make sense to me is that the OP did not really give any detailed feedback on these versions. So in that sense, I'm not sure what the point was of this post.
 
Either way this is all good practice for everyone who takes part... and yer the main reason for this thread WAS to obtain the best mastered version of the song but everyone SHOULD see it as a point of reference to reflect on everyones work to help each other.

Dont see audio as a contest... See it as an experience.
 
TranscendingMusic said:
Hey Tra, although what you say isn't wrong by any means, you still have to leave room for the entire mastering equation, as you even said. If we do want to be technical about it, sonic adjustments can be "pre-mastering" and creating a pro compliation in a red-book standard can be "mastering". But, it happened to be, in this case, sonic adjustments were needed to make the track shine. Now what doesn't make sense to me is that the OP did not really give any detailed feedback on these versions. So in that sense, I'm not sure what the point was of this post.
Click to expand...

My point is that you don't have any other tracks to compare this to in order to make any adjustments. Why would I blindly start making adjustments to this song with out hearing any of the other songs in the playlist?

Like I said, I mix a song to sound like I want it to sound. If track 2 needs some corrective EQ because it sounds too dark between tracks 1 and 3 then you make that step. Making adjustments to a single song is like going to an art gallery and adding/erasing things from a picture because you don't think it looks right.
 
TRA said:
My point is that you don't have any other tracks to compare this to in order to make any adjustments. Why would I blindly start making adjustments to this song with out hearing any of the other songs in the playlist?

Like I said, I mix a song to sound like I want it to sound. If track 2 needs some corrective EQ because it sounds too dark between tracks 1 and 3 then you make that step. Making adjustments to a single song is like going to an art gallery and adding/erasing things from a picture because you don't think it looks right.
Click to expand...


Trust me, I agree. I do like to make the most sonic adjustments while mixing, aside from the best place: the tracking stage. But, sometimes re-mixes are not possible. As far as making adjustments such as in this situation:
In and of itself, a track can have faults like perhaps to muddy, too boomy, etc etc. If these technical errors can be corrected, in my experience, it also can pave the way for the track to start taking form. And the markers of that form, and this is general, are punchiness, clarity, balance, fullness. For an album, this makes much more sense because there's context but this means that on a single song basis, there is something to shoot for; it is not entirely, blind.
 
Hey guys.. don't worry there will be a winner.. ;)

QV (studio tech) is almost done with a new mix of the song and i'll post the new file in here.. he wasn't satisfied with the previous one.. so stay tuned :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

James-Doolan
Reamping/Raw Guitar Tone challange
Replies
41
Views
3K
F.O.H.
jeffadies
J
FailsafeRecords
Mastering contest, best win pack of plugins !!!
Replies
52
Views
5K
Practice Room
Heabow
H
J
Reverb in Mastering Chain
Replies
26
Views
8K
F.O.H.
Maamar Huq
M
Splat88
Anyone up for mastering a track?
Replies
66
Views
4K
F.O.H.
rcg
R
jauernis
Quick DI shootout (jdi, great river, fireface)
Replies
9
Views
1K
F.O.H.
devouredremains
D
Top Bottom
Back