Mastering/pre-mastering On Computer, hints Options

[lepetitmartien]

ioGirl Jul 21 2002, 21:53

I now use Nuendo for putting tracks down. All midi. Audio for vocals.
When there's a need, I slice and dice audio in Recycle.
But yes, I'm looking for a complete solution.
I'm happy with my setup except where it comes to mastering.
I've got MegaZigaGigs of songs that I'd like to mater. I suspect that the problem is more so my skill level but if you personaly know of a software that makes the process more intuitive, let it know that I'm out to get it and that i'll probably even give it a bad name.
I came across Sonic Studio but don't have much info on it. Pyramix and others as well, but they're all PC apps.
Is this all overkill and should I just master the mastering skills, or will a software package really make a difference?

Yukulele Jul 22 2002, 21:22

Unfortunately, you can't do a "real" mastering with your computer, untill you have all the very expensive equipment needed for this kind of work.
But you can do pretty cool pre-masterings ;-)
Have a look to T-Racks (from ik-multimedia) for an integrated solution, or look at some articles about multi-band compression and dynamic eqs, and play with the nuendo vst plugins, or others.
What's needed here is a good hear.

damann Jul 23 2002, 06:57

i'm biased, but logic audio or whatever apple are going to re-brand it as.  
ioGirl: you say you use nuendo for midi and vocals. on this basis, logic, cubase, and performer are a more logical choice of application.
whenever i've used cubase it's crashed, that's why i use logic!
logic and dp have some GREAT mastering plugins. T-racks is also very good, if you're gentle with it!
Yukelele is right, ultimately, your "master" will be as good as your "ears".
at the end of the day, what works for YOU, works for you...

ioGirl Jul 23 2002, 17:20

Thanks much guys
Now have T-Racks. Will cover all the nuances of it. May be back to pester you guys.
Will look into multi-band compression and dynamic eqs.
Now, about a good set of ears...where can I pick up a pair at a good price?

damann Ecrit le Jul 27 2002, 05:20

on the subject of eq/compression.
(sorry lpm, also too lazy right now!)

(spank spank spank)

iogirl, maybe start a thread in audio/hardware entitled "mastering tips" or"eq/compression".  
in the mean time, you should set aside an hour or two to checkout uaudio.com. there IS a good book, a friend has it, i'll get the name for you...

Now you can digress ok

[Synthetic]

a lot of the mastering concept relies more on the mastering engineers ears than anything else. If you are like me and don't have any formal training in the sound world... you'll have to do a lot of trial-n-error to discover what works best for your music. I will throw in a few pointers I have picked up on the way that may help.

1) get a few CD's that you like the sound of and are familiar with (helps if they are in same genre as your music) and before even turning on your mastering setup... spend about 20 minutes listenig to the CD's on your system through the monitors. This well help you to learn what frequencies and levels should sound like as a guide.

2) if you have the ability... copy one of the tracks that best matches the sound of your music to your HD and pull it into your mastering session as another track. Then as you are mastering your music, refer to that commercial track as a reference and use it to guage the sound of your track. This will really help with gain levels so you know how hot to make the mix. It will also help you to hear if your mix is too muddy or too thin.

3) If you find yourself adding tons of compression or limiting to make your tracks sound louder... go back to the mix and try adjust levels to compensate and then return to mastering because if you compress too much or use too much brickwall limiting... the you lose a lot of the dynamics of your songs which makes them sound flat and 2D.

4) Spectrum analyzer is very useful for things that are hard to hear in the mix... many times it give a visual reference that is sometimes easier to work with. Also good to compare commercial tracks with your own using this as well.

There are hundreds of other tips out there that may be of use too... check the links posted by formatj or you can do some searching at www.prosoundwrb.com that may help you as well. Unfortumately, unless you work with many traditional instruments such as guitar, bass, and drums... some of the tutorials will leave you wondering how it relates to your music though.