Thread: Top 10 DIY Mastering Mistakes

Originally Posted by bigtree

The more I think about this, the more I wonder if it isn't because people don't have a nice stereo anymore. Seems like we're trying to put all the energy (volume) into the song to compensate for amplification. We need to be promoting stereo's again. Who's in charge, we need to call them lol?

Oh jeeze... you had to go there, huh?

I agree that the loudness wars are, in large part, to compensate for poor amplification... but not just on empty3 players w/earbuds... but crappy computer speakers delivering poorly encoded audio and video... that is unfairly compensated to the content creator, by the content distributors... Which I also see as part of the equation of why so few people actually understand that the Mastering process is not just a plug-in with some mocked up preset.

Mastering engineers always complain about the average poor quality of the final customer audio systems. Of course most of the initial quality, obtained on a 100K$ equipment, is lost once translated on a ear-bud via a mp3 player. That's a frustrating situation when knowledge on acoustics, digital audio, speaker design has been largely improved in the last decades. But the same track on the same final system, would be even worse without the mastering stage. The mastering challenge is finding the best compromise for a correct translation on every possible sound system from mp3 ear-bud to arena line array. DIY mastering simply can't compete in this game.

I know a former ballet company artistic director whose motto is: "Backwards is the new forwards!" Just like people who got tired and annoyed with everything having to be fast all the time and started the slowfood idea, I'm sure there is mileage in the idea to promote your mastering service by saying it's going to be "complex, slow and expensive—but worth every penny!", or "for those of you who are willing to pay a little more...", or "be a true rebel—refuse conformism!" Personally, when I see commercial posters trying to get me to buy their product with phrases like "the most popular xxx — join over 2 000 000 satisfied customers!" or similar, I usually run the opposite way as fast as I can. You can be sure that whatever it is, it's manufactured in China. It's akin to the joke: "Millions of flies cannot be wrong: eat shit!"

I don't think mastering engineers actually need to be concerned with those listening to music on inferior mp3 players with earbuds, because such people are not concerned with sound quality, as evidenced by their choice of sound system. Such people will buy the record anyway for reasons other than sound quality. To them, mp3 players are "good enough for rock'n roll". Those who do have an audiophile system, however, are the ones who will hear whether you've done your job or not. Sure, they are in the minority but they are nevertheless the people who will really know whether you are a true professional or not. They are the ones obviously concerned with sound quality and probably have the musical/artistic knowledge and the good taste, too. Quantity will never equal Quality...

Originally Posted by Serpentarius

Quantity will never equal Quality...

You're right, but the quality has still to find its unit for quantification. Physical values are much more easier to evaluate than subjective ones.
Note also that loud (reasonably) doesn't mean bad. Being a rebel may be the ultimate conformism...

I've just got to post an image of Katy Perry's track for you all to see. Its shocking anyone with an ear would do that to audio. I wish I could post the audio, its so terrible and so disappointing. After I bought the album, I've changed my outlook on the industry. I'm doing music for myself now, high end that is. But I'm studying it all more than ever because I know there is a secret to be found in every fad. I'm looking into small speaker mastering more than ever now.

Originally Posted by Laurend

You're right, but the quality has still to find its unit for quantification. Physical values are much more easier to evaluate than subjective ones.
Note also that loud (reasonably) doesn't mean bad.

My position is you can't put a price tag on everything. This is my point: I'm not interested in "easy". "Easy" never taught anyone anything.

Originally Posted by Laurend

Being a rebel may be the ultimate conformism...

I know that feels good to say, but have a look at my signature. Who today is really willing to go against the majority, on all levels, and willingly accept the consequences? And yet, that is what's needed if we are to save Quality from extinction.

Originally Posted by Serpentarius

My position is you can't put a price tag on everything.

I agree. Correlating price and quality is a pure marketing scam. In a free market, prices only reflect what people are ready to pay for a service or an object. Who knows the real value of the quality?

Originally Posted by Serpentarius

This is my point: I'm not interested in "easy". "Easy" never taught anyone anything.

I don't agree on this point. Almost all major technological breakthroughs have arisen because humans are lazy but imaginative: fire, wheelbarrow, cars, computers...

Originally Posted by Serpentarius

I know that feels good to say, but have a look at my signature. Who today is really willing to go against the majority, on all levels, and willingly accept the consequences? And yet, that is what's needed if we are to save Quality from extinction.

Human knowledge never goes backward. Only its usage varies depending of the period and the society. The quest for audio quality will never extinguish. It will just never be mainstream.

I really tried to listen to Katy Perry's song "Part Of Me"—I couldn't stand it for more than 20 seconds. And in HD, too! Didn't help. I had a look at who the producers were she worked with: Max Martin, Tricky Stewart... As soon as I saw Max Martin's name, I knew what I could expect: nothing of quality. Producers such as he have obviously made a conscious decision to do whatever the pop industry asks for, no matter what. "You want me to make it sound like an mp3? Sure! You want it to distort? Of course! You want the listener's ears to bleed? Coming right up!" They are obviously in it for the money, nothing else. They value quantity, measured in the million albums sold and the million dollars made. They produce commercial products, and the whole point with that is to sell products and make money. It has nothing to do with music; in fact, I don't consider these people producers of music. Like Fab Dupont says in one of his Gearfest presentations: "That's good enough for Gaga and Spears, but for us who make music..."