Subject:Mastering

Posted by: the_learninator

Date:3/24/2005 10:03:28 AM

I just put together a song in ACID and it sounds really nice but I want to do whatever Mastering I can to it.

I saved it as an 192kbps mp3.

I've read books and various forum post on mastering but all of those involve REAL MASTERING! and I can't afford to ship it off to a mastering center or buy real mastering hardware. So my question is.

What in Sound Forge can I do to master this bad boy. I listen to my file and then a commercial music file and their music sounds like it's utilizing more of the speakers....not necissarily louder......it sounds fatter.....How do I get that full....fat sound..in Sound Forge

Please only answer if you have tips on what i can do in Sound Forge...I don't have to money to do anything else

Subject:RE: Mastering

Reply by: RNCMKG

Date:3/24/2005 10:49:48 AM

It is difficult to say anything specific but you might consider looking at some of the following...

- this mastering guide has been mentioned before and there is useful background info in here http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/ozone/guides.html

- run 'statistics' on your file and compare the RMS level to a similar commercial recording and I'll bet your file is much lower. You may also be able to see this through visual inspection of the waveforms. Then play with Wave Hammer to bring up the levels.
( as a side note read this article about level setting and avoid the 'louder is better' trap... http://www.prorec.com/prorec/articles.nsf/articles/8A133F52D0FD71AB86256C2E005DAF1C )

- use the spectrum analysis tool SF and compare to the commercial recording to your mix. Odds are you will see some big differences here that can help you focus on 'problem' areas.

- play around with the multiband compression tool in SF. This could help to perhaps tighten up the bass. Aalso check out the free VST multi-band plug called 'Endorphin' @ www.digitalfishphones.com for some additional coloration

- try out some different small room impulses in Acoustic Mirror to bring some cohesion to the overall mix.

I am certainly no expert but I found it worthwhile to learn a bit about what these tools do and to reference against a 'pro' sound. ...My 2 cents.

Subject:RE: Mastering

Reply by: Chienworks

Date:3/24/2005 11:55:35 AM

I would also suggest that if you are planning on doing any further processing that you save it from ACID as a WAV file rather than MP3. Every time you compress it you'll lose some of the quality.

Subject:RE: Mastering

Reply by: Rednroll

Date:3/24/2005 6:26:55 PM

"How do I get that full....fat sound..in Sound Forge"

Mix it right in Acid before you even get to Sound Forge. You want "fat" sound, mix it that way. I've replied to quite a few posts on mastering techniques and tools to use in these forums. Yours I can't help you much with, because it seems like you don't really understand what mastering does. Do yourself a favor and read through the above recommended materials. Then you can come back with some more focused questions.

Let me ask you a similar hypothetical question. How do you mix in Acid to get that "fat" sound? Answer, It depends on the music tracks in your music, and using the correct tools and knowing how to use them to achieve the sound you want. Now let me throw at you, that you can't use any of the Acid faders to get the proper blend of the instruments, because you can't afford to pay for the fader portion of Acid. Now tell me how you're going to properly mix that song. This is what you're saying to us. First thing is if you want the "fat" sound, you can achieve this in the mix, this is not the job of mastering. If mastering is needed to achieve that "fat sound", then your mix wasn't right to begin with and you're only putting a band aid on it through mastering.

Right now you're basically asking us, "How do I polish a turd, and I can only use half of a polishing kit to do the job?"