|
Those
new to the
mastering process often have questions, here are some
of the most frequent...
1. What is
mastering?
A mastering engineer (ME)
listens to mixed audio,
making adjustments to the sound where necessary and preparing
it for
manufacture or download, ensuring that the production master is appropriately
error-checked
and documented. An analogy is the
way an art gallery might frame and
light a painting, increasing its saleability without
having created it.
2. Why get
my tracks mastered?
An experienced ME will help you present your music to its best
advantage. The aim is usually to process
the audio just enough to make an improvement where necessary but not 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 sonically needs doing and others when a more radical
approach is required: knowing the difference is also part of an ME's
expertise.
3. How much
better will things sound?
College-style letter grades can give a rough idea. Mastering typically
makes an improvement of about one grade, so a C mix should make a B
master
and so on; if practical the ME may occasionally suggest a remix to get
the best
out of your material. Make your music
sound as good as you can, taking as much time at the recording and mix stages as
they
need, and your ME will take
it from there.
4. How loud
will my CD be?
Lowland
Masters CDs are usually loud enough to be competitive within the
relevant genre but not so loud as to unduly affect audio
quality. A superloud master won't necessarily sound better, in fact
it'll
probably sound
worse than a more dynamic version turned up to the same level on your
Hi Fi. It's also not true that loud CDs sound better on
the radio - the opposite is more likely to be the case because of the level processing broadcasters use.
5.
When mixing, should I apply overall compression and/or equalisation?
That
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 across
the mix, leave final loudness to the ME. If in doubt
run an unprocessed version as well, the final
decision being made at the mastering stage.
6. Where can I find out more?
We're always happy to advise on both project-related and more general
mastering topics, just drop us an email! Also, on
the
internet Dana White's Mastering Dynamics and Glenn Meadows' Mastering
Webboard are well-run forums with
experienced member MEs, and the best-known book on the
subject, Mastering Audio by Bob Katz, contains a great deal
of
useful information.
|
