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Those
new to the
mastering process often have questions about it - the following
addresses some
of the most frequent.
1. What is
mastering?
Mastering lends an impartial ear
to recorded and mixed audio,
making adjustments to the sound where necessary using techniques such
as compression and equalisation, and preparing the project to
be manufactured. A good analogy is the way an art gallery frames,
lights and shows a picture, increasing its saleability without
having created it.
2. Why get
my tracks mastered?
An experienced mastering
engineer (ME) will be able to
present your music to its best advantage, and although there are
powerful sound shaping tools available the aim is generally to process
just enough to make an improvement where necessary but not enough to do
harm - as veteran ME Bob Olhsson puts it, 'Mastering is
the art of balancing objective degradation against
subjective enhancement.' There are times
when
little or nothing sonically needs
doing to mixes and others when a more radical approach is required, and
knowing the difference is also part of an ME's
expertise. As mastering is the last
creative and first
mass-production step on the road to a release, the ME
should additionally ensure that your master is appropriately
error-checked
and documented
for pressing, duplication, iTunes download or other destination.
3. How much
better will things sound?
College-style letter grades can be a guide here: mastering audio processing typically
makes an improvement of about one grade, a C mix should make a B master
and so on. It's probably unrealistic to expect a D to turn into an A:
in that case if practical the ME may suggest you remix to get the best
out of your material. Try to avoid a 'we'll fix it in mastering'
mentality and give your recording and mix stages as much time as they
need.
4. How loud
will my CD be?
Lowland
Masters CDs are usually loud enough to be competitive within the
relevant musical genre but not so loud as to unduly affect audio
quality. A superloud master won't necessarily sound better, in fact if
heavy limiting has been used in a quest for volume it'll probably sound
worse than a less limited version turned up to the same level on your
Hi Fi. It's also not true that loud and squashed CDs sound better on
the radio: the opposite will more likely be the case because of the level processing broadcasters use.
5.
When mixing, should I apply overall compression?
This
shouldn't be a problem
provided
you have good monitoring, like what you're
hearing and process for sound
and not volume - don't use digital limiters such as the Waves L series across
the whole mix, leave final loudness to the ME; if in doubt
run an unprocessed version as a safety net with the final
decision beng made at the mastering stage. There's further information
about acceptable mix formats in our Services section.
6. Where can I find out more?
At Lowland Masters we're happy to advise on
both project-related and more general mastering enquiries; on the
internet
Brad Blackwood's Mastering Demystified and Glenn Meadows' Mastering Webboard are well-run forums with
experienced member MEs able to answer questions
on mastering-related topics, and the best general book on the
subject, Mastering Audio by Bob Katz, deserves a place on
every sound person's bookshelf.
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