Understanding mastering

[CalumJC]

Hi all, looking for a little advice here.

I fully understand that a mix should be as good as you can get it before mastering and mastering is just the "icing on the cake" type of thing.

But whenever im happy with a mix even the lightest mastering will change how it all sounds, itll bring the drums way up and accentuate frequencies, so i find myself having to adjust levels and EQ after i start mastering.

Anyone know why this might be?

p.s. I only use light comp with about -2 gain reduction and a light 2:1 ratio so im not over compressing.

 

[egan.]

If 2dB of reduction is radically changing your balance and frequency response something is wrong.

 

[Heabow]

If you meant 2buss compressor, you have to apply it - like all other processing - when you're mixing, once you're quite happy with the overall sound.

 

[mva801]

Of course it will change how it sounds. If you're using compression, do like Heabow said and start mixing INTO the compressor earlier on. I also like to mix with an L2 or something on some of the time, so I can tell how it will react. Certain things will pop out more, snare drums will have less snap, so it's important to check what a limiter will do to your mix before you get that far. Especially with metal, it's all so damn squashed these days. Nothing worse than making a mix you're stoked on and then finding out that the toms and or snare are peaking a little too much and won't allow you decent volume without clipping or pumping.

 

[jackbraglia]

maybe you shouldn't be mastering your own tracks...

 

[Fox Mulder]

My advice to you would be to mix as you'd normally would, occasionally checking with a buscomp>limiter to see how things turn out in the "commercially squashed" perspective. Issues in terms of the loudness contours of our hearing together with the amount of frequency masking in the mix become more obvious.

Whether or not you should master yourself is debatable. IMO it's not something to spend a fortune on, considering most of the consumers end up listening via digitally inferior means. Set up a M/S plugin on a mp3 track, solo the sides. I'm confident you'll know what I mean.

 

[jackbraglia]

IMO it's not something to spend a fortune on, considering most of the consumers end up listening via digitally inferior means.

in reality, this is why good mastering is so important. but you're right, you don't have to spend a fortune on it. getting a fresh perspective is the most valuable aspect of mastering. you're selling your mixes short by mastering them yourself.

 

[Downtime]

p.s. I only use light comp with about -2 gain reduction and a light 2:1 ratio so im not over compressing.

Is this everything you're doing in the master-stage? If that's the case, you really should check your levels while mixing. Is your mix clipping the whole time?

-2 db gain is close to nothing in terms of the ongoing loudness-war. Did you ever try to get about 6db headroom in your mix? If not, give it a chance and test what happens.

itll bring the drums way up

Thats weird, the transients would be the first thing to crush in most cases. Could you post the levels you get in your mix (like 1.2 above 0 on my master in the mixer window) and your exact signal chain on the bus?

Sebastian

 

[waltz mastering]

But whenever im happy with a mix even the lightest mastering will change how it all sounds, itll bring the drums way up and accentuate frequencies, so i find myself having to adjust levels and EQ after i start mastering.

Have you tried using a very slow attack and quicker release on the comp or no comp at all? Start with no gain reduction and a 1.5:1 ratio with the threshold at unity.. turn the threshold until the sounds starts to go south and then back off a little until you like it. Stuff can tend to be over compressed at the tracking or mixing stage these days, so often, ..not very much or any is needed when mastering. Also depends what kind of comp you are using.
The mastering stage should stay very transparent to an already good mix. gl

 

[CalumJC]

Wow thanks for all your replies guys.

At the moment this is only a hobby with the occasional band wanting some work done so I'm not too bothered about ultra high quality (not to say I don't want to work my way up to that level) so I'm not going to be paying for outside mastering.

Typically my mastering chain will consist of 2-3 different types of very light compression and then a limiter. In the past I've gotten quite decent results but moving to a mac and logic has set me back a few stages so its hard getting to grips with new plugins

Ill definitely try some of the things everyone has suggested though
Thanks again.

 

[Jack Pirate]

Maybe the compressor that you are using is adding a bit of saturation to your tracks and bringing out frequencies that were not so prominent before. I don't know what compressors you're using, but some of them are not transparent, they add some saturation.

 

[Daybreak]

I have found that the drums do pop out more when I'm putting a compressor on the master channel, with settings like, say, 25 attack - 100 release - 2:1 ratio. I guess it lets the transients pass through and puts everything else down. On the other hand, when putting a brickwall limiter, the guitars and more midrange-y instruments tend to pop out more.

But you say it "changes how it all sounds", in which way? Does it screw up your balance or change the tonal character of the whole mix? As others have said, a few compressors add some saturation, so if you don't want that, make sure you use a more transparent compressor.

 

[Fox Mulder]

Cheers man!

Typically my mastering chain will consist of 2-3 different types of very light compression and then a limiter.

What's your opinion on using more compression during the mixing stage and a single, light compressor while mastering?

 

[Bay Studio]

I didn´t read all the posts, but...Try mixing INTO your mastering chain. I never master a stereo track, only in the session, due to changes later on.

When i´m mixing a track, i always tend to have my snare a tad louder than i usually mix it, because i´ve learned that it sits well after i´ve applied my mastering chain.

 

[Deuteronomy]

Mix with the limiter,and remove it before you export the mix.
If you are not sure about your mastering skills,then use a master engineer,at the same time you can practise and get better on mastering.
Keep in mind that some of the best producers do not master their albums,colin richardson,neil kernon,peter tagtgren,nordstrom,etc

 

[abaga129]

Try this.
Open up your daw, import an old mix that you've done but haven't listened to in a few months. You should immediately notice things that you don't like about. Use any means neccesary to fix the track and make it the best you can.
I think its a great exercise and helps learn new problem solving techniques with an already mixed song

 

[jackbraglia]

Keep in mind that some of the best producers do not master their albums,colin richardson,neil kernon,peter tagtgren,nordstrom,etc

pretty much NONE of the best producers/engineers master their own work. why would they? not having the $$$ is the only reason to master your own stuff

 

[mva801]

Andy masters his own stuff...

 

[Sethis]

getting a fresh perspective is the most valuable aspect of mastering.

You are right, this is the most common reason to let another person master your mix. But why is this reason so important? I mean whether good or bad, your mix has a certain character to it. Why would you want somebody else to alter your creation based on their own perspective? You don't see any painter sending their painting to another guy to paint again over it.

 

[Heabow]

Jacob hansen, Tue Madsen master their own stuff among others. But yeah, they probably mix in a different way when they also do the mastering. And they know their shit too