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Hey all ... I am TOTALLLLLLY newww! Yes.. I'm newer than you can imagine ... so my uncle gave me a Waves Diamond Bundle v5.2 pack...its full of plugins that sound pretty..errr..professional...i've never mastered anything as such before cuz i never had anythign to master with...but since now i do have this thing. so i figured why not learn abt it or teach myself how to do this stuff...
This is the list of plugins that are included in that pack

  • L3 Multimaximizer™
  • L3 Ultramaximizer™
  • Sound Shifter
  • Morphoder
  • Doubler
  • TransX
  • C4 Multiband Parametric Processor
  • Doppler
  • L2 Ultramaximizer
  • L1 Ultramaximizer
  • UltraPitch
  • Linear Phase Multiband
  • Maxx Bass
  • MetaFlanger
  • Linear Phase Equalizer
  • Q10 Paragraphic Equalizer
  • True Verb Room Emulator
  • Renaissance Channel
  • S1 Stereo Imager
  • Renaissance DeEsser
  • Renaissance Equalizer
  • Audio Track
  • C1 Parametric Compander
  • Renaissance Compressor
  • PS22 Stereo Maker (TDM only)
  • PsychoAcoustic Analyzer
  • Renaissance Reverberator
  • Enigma
  • Renaissance Bass
  • Super Tap
  • MondoMod
  • Renaissance Vox
  • DeEsser
  • X-Noise
  • X-Click
  • X-Crackle
  • X-Hum

Anyway, a bunch of questions i'd like to ask you guys...

Everyone's been talking abt limiters & Compressors..& i have NO idea what they really are...i'm sorry..lol..i really dont...what do ppl use to give their music..guitars..vocals..that 'studio' sound...is it the compressors & limiters? what do they really do? keep in mind i'm not just asking abt the vocals...i heard there's somethn called the 'exciter' thats used for that ... is it included in the above plugins?

Secondly, when i record acoustic guitar ... there's a lot of 'boom' like a bit too much of the low end..its not EXACTLY bass...(its in the low end so there's that bass factor, yes) but i dont know how to describe it..but it feels like a 'boom' .. sorry for my inability to be articulate...i downloaded this trial version of 4Front 4 in 1 thing..it did have this thing called 'Contour Max' ... to get rid of the boom i'd set the Low end to 0% & the high to abt 50% ... & it came out REALLY REALLLLYYYY good...but i've no money so i cant buy that ... & the trial has ended. .is there anything in the above plugins regarding that particular thing?

Sorry to waste soo much time for you guys..but i'd really appreciate it if you helped me out..i'm like the napoleon dynamite of mastering rite now .

Comments

anonymous Tue, 08/23/2005 - 18:01

Flavy wrote: Secondly, when i record acoustic guitar ... there's alot of 'boom' like a bit too much of the low end..its not EXACTLY bass...(its in the low end so there's that bass factor, yes) but i dont know how to describe it..but it feels like a 'boom'

first off, thats sub. its either from DI (without correctly adjusted processing) or from using a bass heavy mic too close to the instrument. try an acoustic processor pedal if youre doing DI and roll off some of the low (if it has a shelving EQ, use it). if youre micing, back up the mic a few inches, or try and find a better mic (a more ambience effect).

mastering. youll only need a few plugs.

its suggested that you export the song then load it into a new 'mastering' project, and import it in there. you can also use a master chain for mastering.

youll probably only use:
L2 limiter
any of the 4+ band EQs (lin phase EQ is good)
lin phase multiband compressor
spectrum analyzer (for now)

you might keep reverb handy just in case, the verb unit is good for mixing to liven up very dry tracks.

spec analyzer should be last in chain.

start with an EQ. flatten the frequency response out a little. use the spec analyzer to start with. dont do it solely on it, just use it to get an idea of where your frequencies are lying. see whats active where.

plug the multiband in. theres a great guide how to set up the waves multiband on some site (dont remember which one sorry). you can really screw stuff up with the multiband, so if you dont get it, dont worry agbout it and just use a regular compressor (set to shave a few dB off at average volume parts, set to about 1.4:1 compression, about 30 attack 100-300 release or auto if it has it, rough figures).

for the multiband. use the spec analyzer. look at where there is a lot of activity in the low end, and in the high end. those are the areas you want to capture in low and high bands (you dont need more than 3 bands). set the settings similar to how i said earlier for the regular compressor. you want each to only be shaving a few dB off at most. you want to try and equal the lows, mids, and highs out, else you will get a very strange sound (if you compress mid too much it will sound like an overscooped stereo system).

plug the limiter in.

plug spec analyzer in last.

set the limiter to fastest release possible. slide the threshold down .5db at a time. if it starts to pump or or the sound starts going out of whack, go back about a dB. overcomressed will sound more bright. best way to describe it. best to stay around -15dB RMS unless you actually know what you are doing and how to pump it to higher levels.your limiter will likely be set at -3dB to -5dB depending how hot your signals are.

with a lot of messing around youll know what needs to be what roughly, and will not need a spec analyzer for the most part. its still good to have around to check RMS even after you have frequencies down, so you know if you are overcompressing.

some general RMS levels ive seen:

about -20dB or so for quiet metal songs.
-15dB to -12dB is usual for loud music.
-10dB is highest i have ever seen, and thats on guitar/blastbeat music. usually it isnt from pumping it that high, rather than good mixing and a lot of stuff going on in the song (guitars full blast, kick blasting away, multiple vocal parts).

and keep in mind, bass can REALLY jack the RMS up. if it is, you might want to lower it a little (a 1-2dB) in the EQ.

just some generic guidelines to get you going. theres a lot more to it, but to start youll get a basic idea of whats going on.

and to pre-emptively avoid arguments, this is what I do on my mixes most of the time, and it has worked well. yeah i know RMS can be bad at -10dB, but if it sounds the same volume compared to songs of its genre and it isnt destroyed, am i not accomplishing my goal?