I usually try to keep my mixes as dynamic as possible but last time
i thought lets try to make it louder.
I choose this track as loudness reference because i like
its relation between loudness and Dynamics/Punch.
I use Fabfilter proL as last tool in my mastering chain and
i had to boost my track about 13db to get it as loud as my reference track…
Doing that my track was completely destroyed. I lost all my Transients
and it sounded really bad.
I know that Mefjus uses various analyser Tools for production and mixing.
Stereo Image, Dynamics, frequency analyser and what have you.
I am not very experienced and so my question is which analyser plugins do you use.
And maybe someone can give some good values to start with
regarding loudness and Dynamics.
Mastering is an art in itself! Unfortunately manufacturers put out plugins that often are capable of delivering but only in the hands of the experienced few.
This is why most artists send their material to a mastering house!
That said it’s an area well worth exploring & an understanding of multiband compression would be my first port of call.
Do a Google search, you’ll find loads of stuff on line about it.
Cheers
I agree that it should be left to a mastering house, but for trying to understand and apply the process I find these videos extreamly helpful to gain the experience direct from the pros, just because he’s using waves doesn’t mean that you can’t try and apply the methods to the tools you use and know.
Even mastering engineers prefer to send their own work to a third party to get mastered because of the connection they have to the material, but for a lot of folk DIY mastering is the only option …
I am one of those people who got little other choice then to do everything myself… that’s why I usually leave what I put out as album/ep… until I forgot the mood I had I made it in… which sometimes can take a few months… before I “master” it… and when I say master I mean:
turn everything in a whole… with comparable levels and impact (song A isn’t that much bassier then song B… song C isn’t louder as song D etc etc)
usually keep one of the previous albums as reference…
so does this give me “mastering house quality” I bet not… but alteast you can listen to my stuff in 1 go without changing volume or eq… and it will sound the sameish on most systems…
Thanks for chiming in guys
This document and the vids are really helpful.
I still have a lot to learn about this subject.
I think my main mistake was at the mixing stage.
The mix was to quiet and i had to push my compressor and limiter too hard. Also the top end sounded to harsh and loud.
I agree that it should be left to a mastering house, but for trying to understand and apply the process I find these videos extreamly helpful to gain the experience direct from the pros, just because he’s using waves doesn’t mean that you can’t try and apply the methods to the tools you use and know.
Even mastering engineers prefer to send their own work to a third party to get mastered because of the connection they have to the material, but for a lot of folk DIY mastering is the only option …[/quote]
Yep, I’m in total agreement which is why I said 'it’s an area well worth exploring’!
It’s definitely do-able, Ive Mastered a few albums myself, but I think it warrants a lot more attention than first meet the eye, or indeed ear! These videos are indeed helpful & I’m not suggesting for one minute that everyone should use a mastering house.
Once you understand the complexities involved however, you know why those that can afford it, do!
Please keep in mind that the human ear is perceiving “loudness” not in terms of “peak” and also not in terms of air pressure changes only.
The human ear is very sensitive to certain frequency areas. So if you play back a 2000hz sine tone at the same level as a 100hz sine tone, these tones will be perceived unequally “loud”.
So keep in mind that bass frequencies will steal a lot of loudness if you reach maximum level with your mix.
Yes, excellent point bolandross, makes me think about my monitoring setup which is not really cut out for getting any real feedback down in the sub/bass range.
Funny that, i noticed recently when i listened back to a recording of one of my first gigs, one track in particular stood out where the bass had been pushed to a stupid level, in the moment, and sucked all the life out of the track, sounded great/mental on the system but defiantly ruined what the track was supposed to be…
I agree that it should be left to a mastering house, but for trying to understand and apply the process I find these videos extreamly helpful to gain the experience direct from the pros, just because he’s using waves doesn’t mean that you can’t try and apply the methods to the tools you use and know.
Even mastering engineers prefer to send their own work to a third party to get mastered because of the connection they have to the material, but for a lot of folk DIY mastering is the only option …[/quote]
Yep, I’m in total agreement which is why I said 'it’s an area well worth exploring’!
It’s definitely do-able, Ive Mastered a few albums myself, but I think it warrants a lot more attention than first meet the eye, or indeed ear! These videos are indeed helpful & I’m not suggesting for one minute that everyone should use a mastering house.
Once you understand the complexities involved however, you know why those that can afford it, do![/quote]
Sorry mate, you did say it was worth exploring and i got all defensive and shit with the “just because he’s using waves” bit.haha
You have been through the process a few times and am curious to know about the complexities involved and how you and how it related to the work you’ve mastered.
Umm… assuming i have a perfectly balanced mix to begin with and want to do a bit of home mastering, i start with a mindset that i want to preserve the dynamics of the track, add as little colour as possible, raise the level to acceptable, and maybe think about Fletcher Munson for a bit… Is there anything else i should be considering before I’m balls deep into mastering my track and trying to hear the difference an extra 0.3db of gain reduction on my compressor makes
When i can afford to and feel my works good enough ill definitely be getting it mastered professionally…
