PlanetZ forums - scopeusers.com

hi fellaZ,

for those of you who have been mastering, I'm just starting, what tools to use for that purpose. I' m doing some mastering on a friend's song, it sounds great at my end, but when rising up the volume at his end it distords, I'm I missing something? I went thru some guidelines about mastering but I'm not being successful, can anyone tell me what is the corresponding mastering tool for that,


regards,

didier

yes I should have put it in the tips and tricks forum,

cheers,

didier

Hello,

which plugins did you use for the recording specifically?

regards,
Shroomz

hi Shroomz II,

thanks for your quick reply, I've used vinco , psq and optimaster,

cheers,

didier

Hi didier,

I guess you're probably doing what a lot of people do here, which is insert your mastering chain plugins in the mix bus inserts of a Scope mixer like an STM-2448 or similar? If so, there's other ways to do it.. For example, you could consider chaining the plugins in parallel after your mixer & feed your mix through them that way. The benefit to that would be being able to accurately meter between the plugs by inserting a high resolution VU meter. The main reason I like to work that way is that you get much better metering not only of signal levels, but also of their dynamics. I made a meter called 'HighTimes' which is very usefull for all sorts of metering applications including mastering. You can find it here >>> http://www.planetz.com/forums/viewtopic ... 34&start=0

regards,
Shroomz

PS. That reminds me to update that VU meter!! It'll be even better with both peak & rms metering visible simultaneously!!

hmm, usually, i'd only use optimaster for mastering, not mixing.

really, mastering is more a state of mind and a process more than just a collection of devices.

during mixing, i wouldn't be trying to get a finished sound. i'd be trying to get just good balance of instruments and sonic space for each. that usually involves reverb, compressors on individual tracks and whatever special effects/delays needed to achieve the desired vibe.

then i switch to mastering, which is about 2 things.
1. final dynamics-i'll want to make sure that the track's loudness is comparible to other product in it's genre. for this i just want a clean, transparent brickwall limiter on the final output. i prefer to do this final limiting in very small progressive stages to avoid overly squashing anything. before tha, i'll use optimaster on the final mix to keep the bass in check and keep the mids and highs from becoming too harsh.

2. final eq-what sounds best on my monitors is not best for everywhere it can be played, and that is true regardless of the monitor involved(every transducer has it's strengths and weaknesses). however, there's a particular sound that i know(because i pretty much know my speaks) will sound good almost anywhere. for this, i want a clean, transparent, surgical eq. i've been very happy with bxdigital, but there are other good mastering eqs available from DAS and Wolf, among others.

i do sometimes use other devices such as psyq to try and repair deficiencies in the source material, but optimaster and bx are my main tools.

i'm sorry my info isn't more specific, and it's probably stuff you know, but that's how it is. mastering is just the final polish and there are a number of paths to a final product. there's really no substitute for experience. i'm just beginning to get comfortable with my tools after a few years.....

dubcotics wrote: but when rising up the volume at his end it distords, I'm I missing something?

if you push the master volume after having made your settings on f.e. the Optimaster, you will overfeed the Optimaster
Set the master level at zero db, and the channel levels (your mix levels) so that the peaks reach the zero master level.
Then apply your master plugs, and choose the proper compression level according style and personal prefs.
If you wanne hear the music louder, do that after the mastering chain, eighter in Scope (see Schroomz) or on your external mixer or whatever you are using.

dubcotics wrote:yes I should have put it in the tips and tricks forum,

NOOooo-o-o-o...are you one of those who think asking for a solution (a 'tipp' or 'trick') for a certain problem qualifies the question for the Tips and Tricks forum?