is it a good idea to master my own mixes?

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 1:44 am

hello guys!

this might sound stupid to you guys but i have to ask Smile

Is it a good idea for me to try to master my own mixes?

Well, i'm planning to record a few songs for my demo CD. I am going to record that demo CD by myself and right now i don't have anymore $$$ to pay for a ME so, i'm thinking of mastering those mixes by myself. I don't have a lot of knowledge about Audio Mastering but i'm learning and i wanna give it a try.

Since i'm going to hear my own voice, so can i really master my own songs?

Please teach me more.

Many thanks in advance.

Daniel

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 5:43 am

In a word "NO"!

Do yourself a favor and do a search for self mastering on this forum. It has been covered so many times here it should probably be a sticky.

Posted: Wed May 17, 2006 10:36 pm

In essence, attempting to master your own mixes (the processing portion, anyway) is little more than second-guessing what you've done already.

But if you need to produce a production master (which really is the basis of mastering in general) you can buy a copy of CD Architect and have at it. Just make sure you're happy with the mixes.

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 1:01 am

well, hello again!

Smile

i knew it. cuz i actually tried to master 2 of my songs by myself in the past and it didn't make any sense listening to my own voice Embarassed

I guess i'll have to try everything you guys are teaching me.

Again, many thanks to you guys.

Daniel

Posted: Thu May 18, 2006 10:23 pm

I master my own mixes, and I'm proud of it! Sure, it's not as good as a pro ME, but when I say master, I try to only do subtle tweaks. For example, I raise the volume with a soft clipper. Not to get as loud as pro stuff, but to get at least a little more volume out of a mix where the soft clip isn't noticable, and dynamics aren't compromised. I also tend to add a tiny bit of master reverb for a little wider stereo. Maybe a tiny bit of high frequency harmonic enhancement to give a little sparkle.

I only do these things because they're rather difficult to do within a mix. At least for my unprofessional ears, the mastering stage is the best place to do them. You shouldn't do anything with master EQ. If you have to EQ something, you should fix whatever it is in the mix, and leave your master EQ flat. MEs use EQ as a way of remixing problems they hear in the mix.

Avoid compression. If you do use a bit of master compression, play it safe and use high thresholds, low ratios and slow attack and release times (40+ ms attack, 300+ release). If your music has lots of bass peaks, you might need faster release so volume gets back to unity before the next bass peak. At least that's what I read somewhere.

So, if you're short on cash and absoutely have to do it yourself, always play it safe with very subtle tweaks, and you'll regret it less down the road. It's 100% possible for a pure mix to sound very professional without mastering, so don't think mastering will magically make things sound better. If you're looking for volume, you'll have better quality music if you leave it quiet with more dynamics and tell your listeners to use their volume knob. But I'm just a mastering hobbiest - what do I know?

Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 12:57 am

headchem, many thanks to you for your awesome info.

well, it seems like you're a talented mastering hobbiest Smile

, i've learned a lot from your info. I am going to try it this weekend.

About my music style, i'm a pop vocalist. I record everything into the computer as dry signals. The reason i think i need the mastering process it's because i want my vocals to sound as good as possible. I don't have a lot of good hardware equipments so, i basically rely on softwares for recording and editing.

If you have time, teach me more. I'm willing to learn Smile

Once again, many thanks go to you, headchem.

Daniel

Posted: Sat May 20, 2006 6:09 am

Everything I know I learned from Google, and from people in these forums (who often told me to google things...) So, I think the best way to get a little more info is to google some of the key terms like "master compression," "stereo field," "frequency balance in music," or maybe even "pop vocal mastering" to see if there are any sites dedicated to your exact subject. There are tons of great sites that can explain these topics for beginners. Once you have a basic idea of what's going on, then you'll have some more specific questions, which is what you'll use these forums for.

Of course, you'll have to practice a ton, too, but for now take the phrases that interest you most in these forums, and google them. Happy researching!

Posted: Mon May 29, 2006 8:37 pm

I do my own mastering, and I used to suck at it, but then I realized that whenever I used anything that wasn't a Waves plugin, the master started tu suck. This is because less is actually more when it comes to auto mastering. I use slight multiband compression with Waves C4, Mastering EQ, Steinberg's Loudness Maximizer and a PAZ meter to measure RMS levels, that's my mastering chain and works beautifully for me i totally recomend it

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 2:50 am

i can't thank you guys enough Smile

cool! i'm learning a lot of stuff now.

have u guys ever tried mastering your mixes using AKAI QUADCOMP?
What about some PSP plugins?

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 3:44 am

I think you're right on with the "less is more" approach, assuming you have a solid mix.

As always, remember I'm no pro, but I've read enough on these forums to know that the pros would advise against using multi-band compression. I've always read that multi-band compression is usually used to correct severe problems in the mix. If you have a solid mix, single-band compression is generally recommended only to tame some occasional peaks (or even most bass drum, and snare hits) in order to get a few more decibles of final volume. Multi-band compression tends to take the dynamic life out of your various frequencies.

At least, that's what I think a pro would say... To the pros: If I'm off here, help this topic not turn into amateurs advising amateurs! Smile

Posted: Tue May 30, 2006 10:57 am

There's nothing wrong at all with using a multiband compressor, if you know what you're doing, and WHEN to use it.

Unfortunately, it's so often misused (esp in final mastering) that it's gotten a bad name. In the right hands, and at the right point in the process, it'll do ya fine. Just don't think it's going to fix a bad mix.

Very often, a multiband limiter is more what's needed, and depending on the project, a fast attack/quick release is called for, at least when taming spikes and peaks. If it's robbing you of punch and clarity, then something's wrong.

Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 4:01 am

Quote:

In a word "NO"!

Beat me to it there, Thomas!

It's true, even if your budget means you gotta work with someone who ain't exactly a pro, like just another engineer with some experience...go to their place with yr mix and watch what they do, ask for less or more and learn what u can. I understand yr doing a demo but it will haunt u forever (demos always do) and another experienced set of ears is probably more important than any piece of gear/plug-in out there.

If you simply must DIY, I'd avoid multiband plugs and keep it light. Most stuff induces listening fatigue after a while at anything over -10dB RMS for sustained periods, like, too loud. I dont see any reason not to experiment with compressing the mix a little, it's very much part of the process. Initially, try a ratio of 1/1.5 (ie very little) and a threshold somewhere in the minus teens, as headchem says keep att. & rel. slow. You only want a few dB's of gain reduction at first, then it's up to your ears.

It's a can o' worms tho, ordinary humans like us need ME's!
Good luck,
A.

Posted: Wed May 31, 2006 5:23 am

The one thing that you cannot get by doing it yourself is another pair of trained ears. If you go to a "real" mastering engineer, some one like Brad Blackwood, Bob Katz or Glenn Meadows you are not only getting a pro but you are getting someone with a lot of experience doing mastering and they know what can and cannot be done with your material and have the experience to do it quickly and, need I say it, professionally. If you go to the "local Joe's recording mixing and mastering CD duplication emporium" then you may not get any better results than you could do yourself. Just because someone hangs our a sign saying "mastering done here" does not mean that person knows what they are doing or can help you achieve what you are looking for.

Just MTCW

Posted: Fri Jun 02, 2006 5:25 pm

ahhh....i feel like i'm a caveman lost in NYC Smile

so many good ideas and advices. I think my learning of self-mastering has a little progress.

I took headchem's advices seriously and it works! after spending more than 10 hours to record and master 4 songs, i compared mine to those sung by pro singers, i actually sound great Smile

. My demo songs were received by an entertainment production. Yay, i did it!

Again, thank you all of you for the valuable info.

Posted: Fri Jun 09, 2006 12:29 pm

Are you sure you even need to master your audio?

(Thanks for not pimping or advertising. MODERATOR)

Thanks,
Jason

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