mastering tutorial

[marty]

i've found this mastering tutorial a while ago and thought why not sharing it with all the other forum producers.

the tutorial is written for the t-racks mastering tool but in the end every mastering suite contains an eq, a compressor and a limiter, isn't it?

i've used this tutorial on the last two el rakkas tracks "play another dubplate" and "warlord's daughta" and in comparison to our previous tracks it's soundwise a big leap forward.

but less talk, more rock, here's the link:

http://www.makesomenoise.co.uk/modules. ... icle&sid=2

hope you dig this as much as we do

[daft cunt]

"You are using an Invalid IP to access this site!"
WTF?!

[seis]

Same here

[twatty vagitis]

for those that cant view the site this is what it says:

"Get a clear, crisp and pumping track that will cut through any dancefloor, by following GameOver's tutorial on getting the best out of t-tracks.



1. Dont use presents, they wont give you the best possible sound.

2. Instead, turn on EQ, and adjust so it sounds good. (its a good idea to have a professional quality recording as a reference track, try and get the EQ'ing similiar to the chosed track).

3. Then turn on the Compressor, leave the ratio any where between 12-3 o'clock on the dial. Then increase the drive until you are peaking aroung -6.

4. Then turn on the Limiter, Keep release time low, and increase the drive so you add a further 2db's onto the meter.

5. Then you can adjust the output dial, so it isnt clipping (but you want to get it as close as it can without showing any RED).

6. Then click the Process button...

(If you are working in 24Bit, then set the options to dither to 16Bit when mastering).

7. The final stage (and should always be the final stage in mastering) is to normalise the track. I find soundforge good for this, Normalise to -16DB.

Then you should have a clear, crisp and pumping track that will cut through any dancefloor.


Normalising tips
Normalise to -16 RMS, (not peak). this will boost the overall loudness of the track, normalising to peak will only boost the level, so if you have a loud peak, then evrything will be raised preportionally, so quieter moments will still remain quiet.

After normalising to -16 RMS, then you could then normalise to -2 to 0dbs using peak if you wish (although i dont find a great advantage in this)

I suggested soundforge, as wavelab doesnt offer RMS, only PEAK."

[grizzle]

You can download a guide to Ozones Izotope mastering plug-in for free

It's written by Bob Katz and at 64 pages long it has loads of info. Just click to DOWNLOAD GUIDE

[jtransition]

2. Instead, turn on EQ, and adjust so it sounds good. (its a good idea to have a professional quality recording as a reference track, try and get the EQ'ing similiar to the chosed track).

3. Then turn on the Compressor, leave the ratio any where between 12-3 o'clock on the dial. Then increase the drive until you are peaking aroung -6.

4. Then turn on the Limiter, Keep release time low, and increase the drive so you add a further 2db's onto the meter.

5. Then you can adjust the output dial, so it isnt clipping (but you want to get it as close as it can without showing any RED).

6. Then click the Process button...

(If you are working in 24Bit, then set the options to dither to 16Bit when mastering).

7. The final stage (and should always be the final stage in mastering) is to normalise the track. I find soundforge good for this, Normalise to -16DB.

Then you should have a clear, crisp and pumping track that will cut through any dancefloor.


Normalising tips
Normalise to -16 RMS, (not peak). this will boost the overall loudness of the track, normalising to peak will only boost the level, so if you have a loud peak, then evrything will be raised preportionally, so quieter moments will still remain quiet.

After normalising to -16 RMS, then you could then normalise to -2 to 0dbs using peak if you wish (although i dont find a great advantage in this)

I suggested soundforge, as wavelab doesnt offer RMS, only PEAK."

It`s innacurate and unqualified posts like this that make my job so much harder
Jason

[Vice T]

2. Instead, turn on EQ, and adjust so it sounds good. (its a good idea to have a professional quality recording as a reference track, try and get the EQ'ing similiar to the chosed track).

3. Then turn on the Compressor, leave the ratio any where between 12-3 o'clock on the dial. Then increase the drive until you are peaking aroung -6.

4. Then turn on the Limiter, Keep release time low, and increase the drive so you add a further 2db's onto the meter.

5. Then you can adjust the output dial, so it isnt clipping (but you want to get it as close as it can without showing any RED).

6. Then click the Process button...

(If you are working in 24Bit, then set the options to dither to 16Bit when mastering).

7. The final stage (and should always be the final stage in mastering) is to normalise the track. I find soundforge good for this, Normalise to -16DB.

Then you should have a clear, crisp and pumping track that will cut through any dancefloor.


Normalising tips
Normalise to -16 RMS, (not peak). this will boost the overall loudness of the track, normalising to peak will only boost the level, so if you have a loud peak, then evrything will be raised preportionally, so quieter moments will still remain quiet.

After normalising to -16 RMS, then you could then normalise to -2 to 0dbs using peak if you wish (although i dont find a great advantage in this)

I suggested soundforge, as wavelab doesnt offer RMS, only PEAK."

It`s innacurate and unqualified posts like this that make my job so much harder
Jason

You get what you pay for, Yeah?

[jtransition]

You get what you pay for, Yeah?

Good point,But what these people seem to forget it that the first thing that you do as a mastering engineer is Listen to the track simple as that, all this tosh about Normalising and turning your ratio to 3 oclock is miss information.
Jason

[unempty]

That's just all wrong, but hilarious though. I love how the article says to avoid presets and then proceeds to give an exactly defined "ultimate" preset chain for all cases. I believe proper english would be - bollocks.

In short, unless you focus your work as a mastering engineer, with a dedicated studio (with all that entails), and spend many years practicing, you're not going to get a proper master. It's an entirely different field than mixing, so as a musicmaker the cards are moistly stacked against you from the start.

Your one big advantage, though, is knowing how you hear things in your head and how you'd like the track to sound. A good ME is good at translating your description into process, and is well familiar with the limits of the medium and using it best. That's why, if you're publishing a track commercially, it's almost always a better idea to spend some cash on mastering. Than way you can focus on mixing and making music.

However, that's of course not always an option.

Basically, to put some final touches on your mixes without hiring an ME, do whatever sounds good outside the linear safety of your monitoring chain (e.g real-life listening environments). Mastering is about making a good mix sound brilliant in a sub-par playback setting. By learning the basics of medium limitations, the importance of dynamics and what works (the "magic sauce"), we can at least get somewhat in the same county as a "paid" master - even if we're not on the same block.

And sometimes, it'll end up sounding just right.

Typically, as "cheap mastering", use a touch of compression to glue the mix, some EQ to make it shine and to filter high and low boundaries and then possibly some saturation effect over it if it sounds good - and always go very very easy. If you have to work alot on the 2-channel, go back and remix instead.

For level management, use calibrated K-system metering to aim RMS levels within the realm of retail or broadcast masters. PSP Vintage Meter can do it for free if configured right (600ms intergration time, and set zero reference to -14, -12 or -20 depending on what dynamic range you're going for).

Never "hard"-normalize more than once, or use compressor auto-makeup to raise levels. Just use the faders to increase levels, and use compression to tame unwanted peaks.

It's definitely well worth learning mastering techniques, even if for no other reason than to get better at mixing and to be able to do rudimentary "home masters". Katz' Mastering Audio is an awesome book for learning, and there's plenty on the web.

Just some quick tips

[Littlefoot]

You get what you pay for, Yeah?

Good point,But what these people seem to forget it that the first thing that you do as a mastering engineer is Listen to the track simple as that, all this tosh about Normalising and turning your ratio to 3 oclock is miss information.
Jason

i am at a loss based on the fact that there appears to be a standard setting of parameters on here.. master the tune you're listening to, not a combination of every dance tune approximated by some geeza with a plugin and too much time!

[decklyn]

While all the bashing of the process makes sense, because there is now "way" or there wouldn't be all these expensive mastering engineers, it doesn't matter what you do as long as it sounds good. And if this process is giving El Rakkas good results, then big 'em up, and it might help some people with setting the final levels on thier releases.