![]() iZotope 7 Compressor showing the key settings The mastering engineer will generally only boost or reduce different frequencies in small dB increments, whereas when mixing, we tend to use boost or reduce at much higher dB levels.Ĭompression, Limiting and Balancing levels: The compressor and limiter are two key tools a mastering engineer will use to really bring power and punch to the finished tracks and once again, a mistake made by many mixing engineers is to compress too heavily before the mastering stage which reduces the mastering engineers scope to do what he does best. Sometimes, the engineer doing the mix may have done too much EQ themselves when they did their mix (same with compression), and it is quite common for the mastering engineer to send the mix back and ask for this to be backed right off so he can do his job to the highest standard. Some tracks may have too much bottom end or be too tinny at a higher frequency and it is the skill to hear these problems and apply corrective EQ to the areas needing help that is one of the key skills in this profession. iZotope 7 Mastering Plugin was our choice when mastering our film project The primary ones are:Įqualisation: Perhaps the most important tool to the mastering engineer, equalisation (or adjusting the frequency content of a track), can greatly improve its listen-ability. There are several areas that a mastering engineer will address to improve the sound of a song or a series of songs on an album. ![]() How does Mastering improve the sound of a Mix? The mastering engineer seeks continuity between all tracks ensuring a smooth listening experience. When we are mixing, we tend to be directly focused on one song specifically at any given time. In addition, the mastering engineer focuses on bringing a smooth, consistent transition between songs on an album. There is no substitute for getting a guide from a popular or famous track which has the sound being sought and trying to align the one being worked on with it. The mastering engineer will usually use a process called A/B’ing which is a process of comparing the tracks he is working with to others of that genre that sound awesome and have been popularly received by listeners. A mastering studio usually has several sets of monitors all with different frequency responses and character which aids this process. There are other reasons, such as if the mix was done in a mixing studio environment using bright and good quality monitors but when played on a home stereo or in the car sounds dull and lifeless, The mastering engineer is usually a highly skilled critical listener and can listen to the original mix in a studio specifically designed to discover where the mix may be lacking and bring it to life so that it sounds great in almost any setting. If you have a song that sounds pretty good by itself bottom heavy or bottom light against another song”.If you have a song that sounds pretty good by itself but sounds too bright or dull next to another song.“If you have a song that sounds pretty good by itself but plays at a lower volume when played after another song.In Bobby Owsinski’s book ‘The mastering Engineer’s Handbook’ (2015, p.4), he outlines the main reasons: Mastering is all about polishing the original mix so that the end listener has the best experience possible. Mastering is essentially the conduit or intermediary between a great mix and a track or set of tracks that are fully ready for distribution. ![]() So lets look at the what and why of mastering and discover some of the important elements used to get a track or group of tracks to a place where they just as envisioned. ![]() Over the next two weeks I will be mastering the remaining tracks recorded 12 weeks ago now for ‘ Zed Leppelin‘.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |