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How important is mastering?

Substandard

Substandard

Oct 15, 2009
392
218
Seattle
iceteethmusic.com
#1
My band just finished tracking our first record and actually spent.
We're shopping around for a good mastering house and I was wondering if you had any advice or suggestions on a great place for an experimental rock band.

It's a 6 song EP that sits about 32 minutes. We've got a budget of only about 600 to throw at mastering.

Side questions:
How much should I expect out of mastering? Are there any tips you have for getting a good mix out of a trio?

If you're feeling fancy you can check out a live recording. here:
YouTube - Youth PastoR - Testy
also: YouTube - Youth PastoR - Railroad Champion

EDIT: The reason I ask you is because of your vast experience in so many situations you may have some special insight.
 
#4
Dave Cooley @ Elysian Mastering
CD Mastering Studios : Los Angeles : Elysian Masters : Online Audio Mastering Studios : Hip Hop Music Mastering: Indie Rock Mastering : Stones Throw : Mixing and Mastering

Great pricing, and his taste is impeccable. But I'm not sure $600 will be enough. Send him a note regardless.

I have no idea about particular mix tips for a trio. I'm not sure that scenario requires something special; you just need to make it sound good. Just spend some time listening to trios you love and direct your mixer appropriately.

Don't expect mastering to fix a poor mix. It will do nothing for that. It may pull out certain vocals, enhance the strength of the bottom, bring out the top and the "air" of a track. But it's not going to fix your scene if your mix sucks. Not that it does, just saying.
 
#5
i have a question...i understood the need for pro mastering back in the days of lp's and tapes since there were compensations to be made for the formats. i also kind of understand it for when you record onto analog tape and transfer it to a digital format. but i see way less of a need for it when your basic computer can hold everything you'd need for mastering with the exception of really expensive tube processing gear.

so what am i missing here? is it just running it through the really expensive outboard stuff that most of us don't have? does it really make that much of a difference to have it professionally mastered in this day and age?
 
#6
Substandard said:
My band just finished tracking our first record and actually spent.
We're shopping around for a good mastering house and I was wondering if you had any advice or suggestions on a great place for an experimental rock band.

It's a 6 song EP that sits about 32 minutes. We've got a budget of only about 600 to throw at mastering.

Side questions:
How much should I expect out of mastering? Are there any tips you have for getting a good mix out of a trio?

If you're feeling fancy you can check out a live recording. here:
YouTube - Youth PastoR - Testy
also: YouTube - Youth PastoR - Railroad Champion

EDIT: The reason I ask you is because of your vast experience in so many situations you may have some special insight.
Click to expand...

damn, that was awesome. reminds me if Tool went more 'noise-core'.
 
#7
JimmyM said:
i have a question...i understood the need for pro mastering back in the days of lp's and tapes since there were compensations to be made for the formats. i also kind of understand it for when you record onto analog tape and transfer it to a digital format. but i see way less of a need for it when your basic computer can hold everything you'd need for mastering with the exception of really expensive tube processing gear.

so what am i missing here? is it just running it through the really expensive outboard stuff that most of us don't have? does it really make that much of a difference to have it professionally mastered in this day and age?
Click to expand...

Like screaminglucy said in post # 2, mastering of digital media (CD's) mostly consists of bringing up the level or volume on a disc. Have you ever put in a CD and it just didnt seem to have the volume of the last disc you put in? Here is where this type of mastering comes in. It sorta optimizes the burn of a CD.
 
#8
Substandard said:
My band just finished tracking our first record and actually spent.
We're shopping around for a good mastering house and I was wondering if you had any advice or suggestions on a great place for an experimental rock band.

It's a 6 song EP that sits about 32 minutes. We've got a budget of only about 600 to throw at mastering.

Side questions:
How much should I expect out of mastering? Are there any tips you have for getting a good mix out of a trio?

If you're feeling fancy you can check out a live recording. here:
YouTube - Youth PastoR - Testy
also: YouTube - Youth PastoR - Railroad Champion

EDIT: The reason I ask you is because of your vast experience in so many situations you may have some special insight.
Click to expand...

Bravo. Reminds me of Jesus Lizard, early PJHarvey, early Tool

I can't answer your question, just a bravo
 
#11
JimmyM said:
i have a question...i understood the need for pro mastering back in the days of lp's and tapes since there were compensations to be made for the formats. i also kind of understand it for when you record onto analog tape and transfer it to a digital format. but i see way less of a need for it when your basic computer can hold everything you'd need for mastering with the exception of really expensive tube processing gear.

so what am i missing here? is it just running it through the really expensive outboard stuff that most of us don't have? does it really make that much of a difference to have it professionally mastered in this day and age?
Click to expand...

A good mastering job can be accomplished with high-end, dedicated outboard as you say, but indeed, it can also be done completely "in the box" with plug-ins. It just depends. More important even than outboard vs. plug-ins, etc.--having someone else's objective ears on it for that final sweetening stage. it's not just a level optimization thing--a good mastering engineer is gonna finesse the EQ, dynamics, stereo image(if necessary)and lots of stuff you might not notice listening to your mix. I know when I master for people, it's often a dynamic process, not just setting up some gear or pluggies and hitting "bounce". I'll automate subtle tweaks in EQ and whatnot etc. during the track if there's problem areas--very often it's things the client didn't notice, but were detracting from it being the best listen possible.

Here's a place I just started using that I like--pretty affordable:
Invalid Link Removed
 
#12
pbass2 said:
A good mastering job can be accomplished with high-end, dedicated outboard as you say, but indeed, it can also be done completely "in the box" with plug-ins. It just depends. More important even than outboard vs. plug-ins, etc.--having someone else's objective ears on it for that final sweetening stage. it's not just a level optimization thing--a good mastering engineer is gonna finesse the EQ, dynamics, stereo image(if necessary)and lots of stuff you might not notice listening to your mix. I know when I master for people, it's often a dynamic process, not just setting up some gear or pluggies and hitting "bounce". I'll automate subtle tweaks in EQ and whatnot etc. during the track if there's problem areas--very often it's things the client didn't notice, but were detracting from it being the best listen possible.

Here's a place I just started using that I like--pretty affordable:
Invalid Link Removed
Click to expand...
that's cool and makes sense. since cd's often vary in levels and my old copy of sound forge from 6 years ago can do level normalizing, i was wondering why the heck i'd want to pay someone to do that ;) but the second set of ears thing makes sense.
 
#13
pbass2 said:
*snip* More important even than outboard vs. plug-ins, etc.--having someone else's objective ears on it for that final sweetening stage. it's not just a level optimization thing--a good mastering engineer is gonna finesse the EQ, dynamics, stereo image(if necessary)and lots of stuff you might not notice listening to your mix. I know when I master for people, it's often a dynamic process, not just setting up some gear or pluggies and hitting "bounce". I'll automate subtle tweaks in EQ and whatnot etc. during the track if there's problem areas--very often it's things the client didn't notice, but were detracting from it being the best listen possible.*snip*
Click to expand...

+1 the outside ears point is so big - in particular (imno) in an EP situation where you may be producing/mixing yourselves or with someone close to the project - having a non-attached, experienced set of ears can dramatically improve the project - but most of all I think - can pick out issues you may have missed - or don't realize will be issue on a final product....I know I have at least one EP in my history I wish we had put a couple more dollars into the production/mastering (experienced person with ears) end of things - ...:)

also I think some people just have an ear for it...and when they have added to that gift with formal training/education + experience, you project benefits from their involvement...
 
#15
"since cd's often vary in levels and my old copy of sound forge from 6 years ago can do level normalizing, i was wondering why the heck i'd want to pay someone to do that but the second set of ears thing makes sense."


Normalizing isn't mastering. Normalizing just finds the loudest peak and adjusts the overall level of the song so that the loudest peak is at 0 dB (or whatever you set the normalize function at). Normalizing doesn't include any type of limiting or compression, and certainly doesn't include any EQ.
 

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