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Mastering

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  • 14-03-2012 2:17am
    #1
    WasterEx
    Registered Users Posts: 543 ✭✭✭


    I use Ableton for my productions.
    I do master all my tracks but I don't feel like they have been optimized to the max. I can still hear an 'unclean' sound compared to other mastered tracks if you get me. I've messed around with frequencies, compressors and multibands.
    What should I do to master a track 'properly'? A quick lesson please. :pac: lol


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    #2
    Neurojazz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,759 ✭✭✭Neurojazz


    Can of worms really here, as you'll always be fighting with the gear you monitor with and room you are in (that affects the sound you hear due to waves bouncing around the room) - so will stunt your efforts to learn in some ways.

    Getting the right gear to do the job is expensive, but also knowing what to do simple tools (like eq etc, again is only going to teach you certain things in a bad room/crap speakers)

    Apart from going to a mastering house (much cheaper and better results) the only thing i'd say would improve mixes the most is to learn about MS processing.

    This is where you have bass frequencies/lead instruments in the center channel (mono) and all the fx and other instruments panned around in the stereo field - this gives you mix much more 'space & air' - most people just stack stuff in the same place and ends up like mud.

    Then google 'gain staging'

    That will help you prep your material for going to a proper mastering suite.

    Hope that helps!


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    #3
    paulo6891
    Registered Users Posts: 352 ✭✭paulo6891


    How much does one of these mastering houses charge to get a song mastered? I'm probably getting close to the stage where my productions are getting decent so I may as well get them mastered 100% instead of doing them myself and getting 80% in return.


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    #4
    Neurojazz
    Registered Users Posts: 1,759 ✭✭✭Neurojazz


    paulo6891 wrote: »
    How much does one of these mastering houses charge to get a song mastered? I'm probably getting close to the stage where my productions are getting decent so I may as well get them mastered 100% instead of doing them myself and getting 80% in return.

    Not much really 50 euros upwards, it's worth googling around and might even find something locally and you can approach from a couple of angles... some places will take stems for a little extra and really smack it into shape.

    Do some research on the studio/mastering house and checkout their end results to make sure you'd be happy going there also.

    150 euros would be typical of a top notch mastering with stems and paying more for a place stuffed with top gear.


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    #5
    WasterEx
    Registered Users Posts: 543 ✭✭✭WasterEx


    Great info, nice post.
    Yeah I heard that the size of the room, the position your in, the monitors etc have a major effect when it comes to mastering a track.

    A lot of my tracks are missing that 'space and air' to breath.
    Deffinitley going to have a look into MS processing and staging.
    Hopfully I'll find a good mastering house somewhere.

    Cheers :)


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