Thread: Home Studio Mastering is a Terrible Idea.

didn't read all the responses, but mastering should cost as much as the recording, done deal

Originally Posted by bouldersound

Those that rise to professional status will figure out the value of professional mastering without having to be told and the rest won't care.

DIY doesn't mean Do it with out knowledge. The point I am trying to make is people should be able to make an Informed decision as to whether professional Mastering is right for their project. The fact remains that to produce an Industry Standard Master requires having the proper tools, equipment, and expertise (not just experience) and that is out of the relm of the DIY'er. If the project requires industry standard specifications then professional Mastering is needed. I think the real issue here isn't should I Master but how should I choose a good Mastering Engineer, but again it falls back to the needs of the project.

I think one of the points of interest here has not been mentioned at all? We know that most of us professional folks that have been doing this for many years have either learned from our mentors or in professional situations at other respectable studios. Some of us have really benefited when we were younger, from learning from the pros. Because the cost of education in this field can be quite pricey and since these folks who are new at it have invested a sizable chunk of change (at least in their minds) it would behoove them to at least book a single session from their closest respectable Mastering Engineer where they can be present for the mastering session. It's a huge education that only costs as much as the mastering session which is way less than enrolling in an academic institution. There is so much to be learned by doing it that way at least once. So while many of us Master our own projects for many of our clients and since they want to learn how to do it well, it's about the cheapest education they can invest in.

You learn from teachers and pros which have no real cons.
Mx. Remy Ann David

In the context of this forum a topic about how home studio mastering is a bad idea completely misses the point.

While I agree that this thread doesn't belong in the Home Mastering Forum (for reasons I gave earlier) I'll go along with the flow. There have been two arguments in favor of Pro mastering that I think are in conflict. Argument (A) is that Pro mastering will make your CD sound better than DIY mastering. Argument (B) is that Pro mastering will make your CD more "comercially viable." The problem is that most people are using an "underpants gnome" version of argument (B):

Step 1. Pro Mastering
Step 2. ????
Step 3. Profits!

The big problem here is that while there may be a lot of ways of filling in Step 2, we all know the big one -

Step 2. Pro Mastering house squashes the hell out of your CD and makes it the loudest song on Clear Channel radio.

You can protest all you want, but we all know lots of examples. If your argument for Pro mastering is really, "we can make bricks of sound better than you can make bricks of sound" (which I fully believe to be true) say it and own it. Of course, if you have a better way of filling in Step 2, where there is some market where beautiful, balanced, dynamic mixes lead to Step 3! I'd be even more interested.

Very well said Bob, the only thing I disagree with is that this shouldn't be in the DIY. I think it could have been worded better for the DIY but it is important that people know and understand the implications and pitfalls of DIY Mastering. Mastering is a specialist activity that should only be taken on by the DIY in certain circumstances. I think the (poorly worded) gist of this thread is that if you are not properly equipped and experienced then you should consider outsourcing your Mastering needs depending on the needs of YOUR project. I disagree with the blanket statement of " Home Studio Mastering Is A Terrible Idea" but do agree heavily with the idea that home studio mastering for a professional end user product is a bad idea. If it needs to be industry standard then I feel it should be professionally mastered. If it doesn't then that is a great time to be getting the DIY experience in home mastering.

As to your comment about the mastering houses, I think that statement is too broad as well. There are some amazing mastering houses out there. It is the mastering "mills" that i have a problem with. It seems to me a lot of those set the goal of product in - product out as quickly as possible rather than having the needs of the client or project at heart.

Originally Posted by Katalyst_Studios

I disagree with the blanket statement of " Home Studio Mastering Is A Terrible Idea" but do agree heavily with the idea that home studio mastering for a professional end user product is a bad idea. If it needs to be industry standard then I feel it should be professionally mastered.

What people in the professional world of music probably don't realize is that there's a whole world of amateurs out there who don't care about your ideas of commercial success or industry standards. They don't care about, or even flatly reject, the idea of getting airplay. They are creating a grass roots culture that doesn't need or want to break into your version of the business. They are eroding the establishment's stranglehold on creativity and will eventually replace it with something different.

Of course physics can't be changed by culture, but you have to let the process run its course. They will find their own solutions to the problems of mastering, some of which will be the same as yours but some you can't even imagine because your training and experience drive you toward the same old "industry standard" solutions. This is not the place for rigid application of standards however technically correct, it's the place for trial and error that leads to learning and innovation.

Originally Posted by bouldersound

What people in the professional world of music probably don't realize is that there's a whole world of amateurs out there who don't care about your ideas of commercial success or industry standards. They don't care about, or even flatly reject, the idea of getting airplay. They are creating a grass roots culture that doesn't need or want to break into your version of the business. They are eroding the establishment's stranglehold on creativity and will eventually replace it with something different.

As I've said several time now if the DIY doesn't want an Industry Standard then they by all means should do their own mastering. How ever with out an industry standard even if the project is selected for label consideration, radio airplay, film, tv or any other for of mass media it will REQUIRE Industry Standard Specifications. If it is not at the Industry Standard then it will have to be brought to the industry standard and the cost of doing so often back charged or taken out of any payment for the project often at a rate higher than you would have paid to begin with. Industry Standards exist so that projects can be incorporated into other venues of release. Shure there are a lot of people out there doing their own thing and if you can find another group doing the same thing you are great on you. But again it is about knowing the pro's and con's and selecting what is right for you and your project. Blanket statements on BOTH sides of the argument are plain wrong.