EQ, limiting, compression, and all that jazz -Sound Forge - PC

Subject:EQ, limiting, compression, and all that jazz Posted by: rockrev Date:1/17/2003 9:02:00 AM MULTI-BAND DYNAMICS A beautiful bitch is she . . . as in, you've got to know how to handle her . . . if you do . . . well, you'll have a wonderful evening. This much I know, but I'm not quite sure how to handle her yet. I've been working on a particular rock mix for about 3 days now. All of this mastering with limiting is new to me, as I have just now upgraded to the pro version. So here's what I'm doing (as far as mastering in general) - tell me if I'm digging in the wrong place . . . 1. EQ - smooth out lows, adjust mids (as needed), and tweak up the highs. 2. Multi-band Dynamics - right now I'm using 4 bands: 70hz low-shelf, 1.5:1, -2db cut; 380hz band-notch, 1.5:1, -1db; 1.2k band-notch, 1.5:1, -2.0db; 12k high-shelf, 1.5:1, 2.0 db boost. I have no idea on what to do with the attack/release times . . . I left them default for now. As far as threshold goes, well I just captured it for all of them. What did I accomplish? Well, I succeeded in making my wave form more level (without sounding dry or squashed). Is there more that could be done? Probably. Am I missing something? Probably (many things). 3. WaveHammer - on the compressor I'm using the following settings: -11.5 threshold (tip of the thick of the wave form), 1.5:1 ratio, .5db boost; on the volume maximizer I'm using these settings: -11.5 threshold and a -0.1 peak out. Again, I still have no idea what to do with the release time. Oh, I'm also using smooth saturation on the compressor. Ok, well any suggestions and or additional info one could provide would be great. I'm also not opposed to investing in some additional plugins (if needed). I'm simply trying to master some demos (not a CD project) and looking for that "Drowning" sound from Hootie and the Blowfish. Thanks, rockrev

MULTI-BAND DYNAMICS

A beautiful bitch is she . . . as in, you've got to know how to handle her . . . if you do . . . well, you'll have a wonderful evening. This much I know, but I'm not quite sure how to handle her yet.

I've been working on a particular rock mix for about 3 days now. All of this mastering with limiting is new to me, as I have just now upgraded to the pro version. So here's what I'm doing (as far as mastering in general) - tell me if I'm digging in the wrong place . . .

1. EQ - smooth out lows, adjust mids (as needed), and tweak up the highs.

2. Multi-band Dynamics - right now I'm using 4 bands: 70hz low-shelf, 1.5:1, -2db cut; 380hz band-notch, 1.5:1, -1db; 1.2k band-notch, 1.5:1, -2.0db; 12k high-shelf, 1.5:1, 2.0 db boost. I have no idea on what to do with the attack/release times . . . I left them default for now. As far as threshold goes, well I just captured it for all of them. What did I accomplish? Well, I succeeded in making my wave form more level (without sounding dry or squashed). Is there more that could be done? Probably. Am I missing something? Probably (many things).

3. WaveHammer - on the compressor I'm using the following settings: -11.5 threshold (tip of the thick of the wave form), 1.5:1 ratio, .5db boost; on the volume maximizer I'm using these settings: -11.5 threshold and a -0.1 peak out. Again, I still have no idea what to do with the release time. Oh, I'm also using smooth saturation on the compressor.

Ok, well any suggestions and or additional info one could provide would be great. I'm also not opposed to investing in some additional plugins (if needed). I'm simply trying to master some demos (not a CD project) and looking for that "Drowning" sound from Hootie and the Blowfish.

Thanks,

rockrev