Mastering
From DNBWiki
Mastering is the process that a tune goes through after the mixdown to give it more volume, maybe a final touch of eq for brightness or fullness, and a level of similarity/cohesion with other tunes that are to be released together before it gets pressed. The post-processing (also called mastering) normally is based on 3 steps:
- equalization (see equalizer)
- (multiband-)compressing (with a compressor)
- limiting (see limiter)
For mastering services visit Heathmans Mastering Beau Thomas is the resident DnB expert. They also provide a dubplate/acetate cutting service - £50 for a double sided plate.
It can be noted that professional mastering engineers use equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds (their monitors alone!), and years of experience at their jobs. Home "mastering" should therefore always be taken with a grain of salt, but with multiband compression and peak limiter plugins like the Waves L1/L2/L3 or "mastering suites" like the Izotope Ozone, bedroom producers can take some steps to imitate the professional mastering service.
Mixing & Mastering Tips
KEY :
"Tracking" = Recording.
"Mixing" = Leveling tracks after tracking.
"Mastering" = Fine tuning EQ, Levels, Compression / Limiting over the master stereo track. AFTER mixdown or bounce.
[this should be done in three distinct stages, seperatley, if possible]
TIPS :
Choose your instrumentation. according to which frequency spaces need attention
Dont be afraid to make commitments early in the process [Known as the British Style as opposed to American style]
What frequency will the sound occupy ? Track it right from the start
Make it MONO. it is easier to mix and gives better transparency. Synths were always MONO until recently [stereo is cheesy]
Hard panning. dont be afraid to use this dying art. guitar/reese solos etc. gives great seperation
Boost the bass correctly (careful here) at the frequency of the root note, up one, two, or three octaves above.. use a tight Q factor.
Set up AUX [FX/Delay] template. It forces you to determine the space in which your song will live early in the process
No SOLO when mixing. EQ and MIX must be done in CONTEXT
Flip the phase. on each channel - before mixing. to compensate for phase delays introduced by plug ins during tracking
Start FRESH. reset fader positions and kill FX - after tracking, before mixing
No headphones for mixing. they do not acuratley reproduce bass frequencies, and do not allow you to hear phase cancellation
Dual compression. use two light compressors instead of one heavy compressor. [vocals]
Avoid reverb on vocals. use delay if you have to. reverb pushes sound to the back of the mix
Always CUT with EQ. if you have to resort to EQ, always cut, never boost.
Keep it down when mixing. dont push all your tracks in to the red, raise the level on the master.
Who's the star ? The instrumentation should support the vocal. not vice-versa. change the instruments not the vocal.
Mix bottom to top (1) : Beats [Kick, Snare, Hi Hat] (2) : bass (3) : chords, melody (4) : vocals
use this configuration for busses also (eg. beats, bass, synth & chords, vocals)
Summary :
(1) : Perfect your MIX
(2) : Balance your frequencies
(3) : Acheive good seperation
oh and somehow try and enjoy yourself while remembering all this.. good luck.
peace - Joshua Hayne 2007 (joshhayne@gmail.com)
