getting a track ready for mastering - my first time...

[pseudonym]

Hey,

What's the best practice for getting your track ready for mastering in terms of the levels of sound etc...

I've been using vintage warmer, UAD plugs and an outboard exciter on my track to make it sound as big as possible, but will that spoil the job the professional mastering dudes will do?

is it best to just deliver a clean sounding mix without beefing up the bottom end and making the high end polished with excitement?

or is anything I do to make the sound richer and warmer just going to add to the quality of master?

I'm getting myself hyped about having a track that's good enough to be mastered (after about 8 years of practice - damn I'm slow...)

so, in my heightened state of hype, I'd love to hear from anyone who's been though this process and can tell me what it's like to send and receive from a pro mastering studio...

cheers,

pseudo

[Tomer=Trance]

Personaly this is how i finish a mix:
peaks: avarage peaks are between -6 to -4 db you dont have to get it any louder and then be forced to use a limited on the 2Bus to get thos nasty digital distorted +0db peaks under control.
The mastering engineer has better tools and methods to geting it loud and squashed. :mrgreen:

stereo enhancment- avoid it,he will take care of that side aswell.

2Bus compression: that i usualy like to do just to "glue the mix" usualy 1.5\2:1 ratio with 2-4 db of GR.

EQ on 2Bus: if you really feel like you need it ,use it but use it gently because it will be hard to correct in the mastering stage if your Eqing is not what the mastering engineer has in mind.

ah and the format of course ,44.1khz 24bit Wav :wink:

good luck :D

[pseudonym]

wicked, thanks tomer :)


how much sexier does one of your records sound when it comes back from mastering?

[jasedee]

You need to speak to the mastering engineer to find out what the ME expects. If you're tracks are at 24bit, leave them at 24bit, but yeah, just find out from the ME what is best for him/her.

As for additional processing, why not bring in both versions? There's no harm in bringing in multiple mixes and going through them with the ME.

Alot of the time, if your tracks are well mixed, the difference between the non-mastered and mastered versions are very slight. Overall loudness, and some fine tuning to make the mixes translate onto other systems.

I've only been through the process twice, both with mid-level ME's, and I think next time I'll really go to town and book in with one of the top guys. It really is a great experience hearing your track being played through a pair of $20k monitors in a $100k treated room.

Be sure to speak up if you're hearing something you dont like.

Have fun mate!

[pseudonym]

Hey,

I got in touch with LOUD recordings, and they recommend delivering three mixes. One without treatment, one with half treatment, and one as big as I can get it. LOUD are regarded as one of the best in the UK, but I'll not be able to actually go down to their studio :(

Actually, maybe I'm lying... My mum lives in the same town as their studio.

"No, really mum, I'm coming to visit you because I want to spend some quality time with you... honest..."

[Gopal]

My advice, Leave at least 5db of headroom

Don't do any dithering

Don't use any exciters

Use as little comression as you can get away with


The first two are absolutely essential

[pseudonym]

ta Gopal..

Your drumstation 2, do you recommend it? I'm looking for one and can't find one :(

[Gopal]

Pseudonym, I love my Drumstation 2, it is probably one of my best purchases so far. If you listen to the track "Drunken Strut" in my soundclick link you'll hear it in action. It is completely unprocessed in that track. No compression, no reverb, just subtle eq on the mixing desk. If you want to write techno or electro or something similar and you want authentic 808 and 909 sounds it simply cannot be beaten. Would cost 5-6 times as much for the real things that sound EXACTLY the same. I just wish it had a 909 style step sequencer.

[pseudonym]

right then...

where's my Drumstation 2!?


So, what's the difference between a Drumstation, and the D-Station?


-- damn cool track btw :p



I can't believe that's with no compression etc... It just sounds right - cuts through your mix, has plenty of bounce and bottom... grrr -

I've spent days trying to make my kicks sound right with EQ and compression etc, and even the Virus has some ace kicks, but I just can't get it sounding right like that immediately does...

woe is me

[pseudonym]

hey,

got myself a drumstation coming tomorrow...


bit of flash cash and a friend who didn't want theirs anymore - yee ha!

[Gopal]

Congratulations dude!!!

You're gonna love it!

Is it a version 2?

The sound is the same of both, but the version 1 doesn't have enough voices to do everything you might want at once. If you do one thing at a time and then bounce, there will be no difference, but it's handy to have the polyphony :)

[pseudonym]

:)

I'm not sure if it's version 2... apparently version 2's have an orange stripe along the bottom of the front panel - I asked the guy I'm buying it from and he says there's an orange stripe along the top... No idea then :)

[Gopal]

Mine's got an orange stripe along the top. You'll be sweet dude :)

[pseudonym]

siiiiiik

It's coming today, can't wait to perforate those eardrums...

[pseudonym]

ahhhhh


the elusive perfect kick drum is mine...


Drumstation 909 Kick > Valve Compressor + Exciter = Bliss



Thanks for the encouragement Gopal...

[Gopal]

You're most welcome dude.

The kick is perfect straight outta the box, but what did it for me even more is the hihats. Fuck they sound awesome with no effects at all, just eq.


I just wish I had a valve compressor to run things through. What one have you got and what do you think of it?

[pseudonym]

you're right, it is a perfectly round kick straight out of the box, but I'm going for that 'www.1.fm -> club' / 'EDR Club' compressed kick sound where the kick is almost invisible, but still with plenty of bounce and impact - it's hard to describe - it's like a rubber bubble with no thump whatsoever...

the valve I use is a TL Audio Ivory 5021. I love it.

http://www.tlaudio.co.uk/tlaudio/docs/review/5021rev.htm

It makes my sounds smoother than a baby's backside. When they're coming from the Virus to begin with... it's pure silk dude :) Highly recommended!

[pseudonym]

that's so weird - I've put a drumstation kick into the track I've been working on - it registers much more strongly on the master bus compressor - resonates really nicely in my ears on headphones, and has that nice balloon sound in pro records, and suddenly my mix is completely out of whack... Everything is too loud. It's like the old kick was stealing a load of bandwidth...

has anyone else had this?

[The girl next door]

Hey,

What's the best practice for getting your track ready for mastering in terms of the levels of sound etc...

I've been using vintage warmer, UAD plugs and an outboard exciter on my track to make it sound as big as possible, but will that spoil the job the professional mastering dudes will do?

is it best to just deliver a clean sounding mix without beefing up the bottom end and making the high end polished with excitement?

or is anything I do to make the sound richer and warmer just going to add to the quality of master?

I'm getting myself hyped about having a track that's good enough to be mastered (after about 8 years of practice - damn I'm slow...)

so, in my heightened state of hype, I'd love to hear from anyone who's been though this process and can tell me what it's like to send and receive from a pro mastering studio...

cheers,

pseudo
I think you should also ask this question on the sound on sound forum..Them guys have an answer for everything :D good forum!!