Subject:Mastering In SF - Tricks -n- Tips

Posted by: DJ_Nitro

Date:12/6/2001 10:21:39 AM

Ok, This seems to be the ((HOT)) topic on the board. So let's spill the beans and get some secrets and answers out of the way. Then EVERY one will be happy :) (mostly me)

Add Questions:
1) When applying Compression,Norm,etc.. to your file. Is there be a level your file should be set at first? Ex: -6.0

2)After applying Compression/Norm I lose some high end. Is this normal or Am I using too much. How can I regain that high end.

3) Is there a way to capture the RMS settings in SF of Major Label Recording and set them to your file?

4)Is there a way to capture the EQing of a Major Label Recording and set them to your file?

5) What is a good RMS setting for Hip-Hop & R&B? I found in Rock 12 RMS is good for me.

My final products sound great. But just like a Musician there's always room for improving and you can never stop learning.

Subject:RE: Mastering In SF - Tricks -n- Tips

Reply by: beetlefan

Date:12/6/2001 2:54:05 PM

DJNitro asked:

1) When applying Compression,Norm,etc.. to your file. Is there be a level your file should be set at first? Ex: -6.0

Compression tends to lower the overall volume of a mix. If you peak normalize, it's good to give yourself -.02, or -.04 headroom for processing and so that older converters in some CD players will play the CD without distortion.

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2)After applying Compression/Norm I lose some high end. Is this normal or Am I using too much. How can I regain that high end.

It is normal to lose a bit of high end when normalizing but if you are losing enough to realkly need a high frequency boost, you are probably overdioing it. The effects of good compression should not be heard. You'll have to use your ears.

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3) Is there a way to capture the RMS settings in SF of Major Label Recording and set them to your file?

Yes. Open the file you wish to use as your model, open the normalization tool, amd press the scan file button. Note the results of the RMS in the lower left hand corner of the box and use that to RMS normalize your own file. Easy. Here, setting the release is critical. The default is 200. I like to set the attack to 1. Unless you are working in 32-bit float, I recommend you check the "Apply compression if clipping occurs" option. I use this tool all the time.

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4)Is there a way to capture the EQing of a Major Label Recording and set them to your file? That's something you'll need a third party plug-in, like Steinburgs's Free Filter, if it is still being made. I would love for this mastering tool included in an audio editor.

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5) What is a good RMS setting for Hip-Hop & R&B? I found in Rock 12 RMS is good for me.

Go by the example of commercial releases, but be careful not to overdo it. You don't really have to get as loud as commercial CDs. It usually depends on the material in question but 14-12 db is good. You'll have to use your ears.
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My final products sound great. But just like a Musician there's always room for improving and you can never stop learning.

When you stop learning it's time to do something else in life.
Cheers!

Subject:RE: Mastering In SF - Tricks -n- Tips

Reply by: Rednroll

Date:12/6/2001 4:44:20 PM

"Compression tends to lower the overall volume of a mix. If you peak normalize, it's good to give yourself -.02, or -.04 headroom for processing and so that older converters in some CD players will play the CD without distortion."

Once again WRONG!!!
Please don't listen to this dimm wits advice. Compression does not tend to lower the overall volume of your mixes!!! Infact, compression is primarily used in mastering to RAISE the overall volume.

As a simple answer to the original post. There is NO preset numbers that works for every song and if you approach mastering with that sense of mind, you will never be a good mastering engineer. You may be able to achieve OK results, but No one comes to a mastering engineer that is only able to achieve OK results. Just like no one comes to an OK mixing engineer to mix their song. The same thing for eqing and using someone elses template. Free Filter does do this but, It may work for that song, but may not work for your song, due to the music content and type. Every song needs to be handled using multiple learned techniques. Mastering is not a simple One button process!!! Mastering....just like Mixing of music is a learned skill. You need to read many articles that can be found in EQ magazine, Keyboard, and Electronic musician and learn some tricks on how to approach a song for mastering how the pros do it. Then you need to experiment with a lot of tools and understand how they work and effect your mixes. It's usually the people who spend a lot of time learning these tools and comparing their mastered material to commercially mastered material, that are successful mastering engineers and they know the limitations of these tools and how they effect different types of music. Most of the mastering tools in Sound Forge like the Wave Hammer feature are geared towards you "One button mastering engineers". I guarantee that my mastering is much better than any of these software one button plugins. Most pros do not use these one button software plugins, because they know how to properly do it and therefore aren't limited to a general template.

If you truly want a good RMS value to match to, then buy a CD and play it through a VU meter and see what that value is and then master your material to that same VU meter value. Of course using compression techniques to RAISE your overall Volume.

Regards,
Brian Franz
The Groove Factory Mastering

Subject:RE: Mastering In SF - Tricks -n- Tips

Reply by: VU-1

Date:12/6/2001 11:30:58 PM

Incidentally -
Although volume adjustment is a big part of Mastering, there are alot of other things to consider in the Mastering process. As Red says, there is no "one step solution" to Mastering. Each song needs to be treated individually to achieve optimum results.
As far as capturing & copying sonic signatures from mainstream music and applying it to your stuff.....I don't know how anyone else feels about it, but I think that's cheating. It's OK to tailor your sound after another song (supposing its in the same musical genre) but to try to copy settings is not a real good way to learn the art & science of Mastering. While Mastering a project, I occaisionally run an FFT on a song to see where the EQ curve is sitting compared to that of another similar major label release and I often feel that I am cheating myself out of valuable lessons by not relying totally on my ears. (Just my thougts on the matter.)

Jeff Lowes
On-Track Recording