Best Mastering Software?

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:09 pm

I running a pro tools setup through a soundcraft ghost...whats the best mastering software out there?

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

SonicHD, sequoia, pyramix.

Posted: Wed Mar 01, 2006 7:43 pm

I know Michael hates this (because he is a real mastering engineer with the real stuff) but I still like the I. K. multimedia T-Racks 2.0 24bit standalone program and not really their DirectX VST plug-ins. Now this piece of software is designed for PCs and the worst part about it are the presets supplied with it! They are all awful and over-the-top. I use the software as I would my 1176, LA 3s, Neve equalizer's and Orban paragraphics. I frequently get similar results ITB to my outboard gear as I follow the same basic rules, when I set things up. The software is under $400 US and I think is a worthy investment.

Tarandasorass Wreck
Ms. Remy Ann David

Moderator Joined: Sep 12, 2002 Posts: 1881 Location: NYC

Well he asked for the Best, I would have mentioned T-racks if he asked for the Cheapest.

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 5:43 am

TC electronic do some good stuff.....the finaliser is a classic hardware piece....and the algorrithms have been ported to the powercore platform in the form of software such as the MX3/5 or the MD3

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 6:24 am

RemyRAD wrote:

I know Michael hates this (because he is a real mastering engineer with the real stuff) but I still like the I. K. multimedia T-Racks 2.0 24bit standalone program and not really their DirectX VST plug-ins. Now this piece of software is designed for PCs and the worst part about it are the presets supplied with it! They are all awful and over-the-top. I use the software as I would my 1176, LA 3s, Neve equalizer's and Orban paragraphics. I frequently get similar results ITB to my outboard gear as I follow the same basic rules, when I set things up. The software is under $400 US and I think is a worthy investment.

Tarandasorass Wreck
Ms. Remy Ann David

Interesting!

So you feel the standalone application of T-Racks is preferable to the plugin.

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 6:35 am

Just to piss the MEs off a bit more..

Final Mix above is bundled with Tracktion, along with a bunch of other extremely powerful dynamics processors.. Tracktion also provides highly detailed non-destructive editing, including the ability to drop plug-ins directly onto audio clips so its easy to (eg) apply an EQ to just the middle 8 section.

You would need something else to prepare and burn CDs, but the difference in price between Tracktion and T-Racks would probably buy you Sony's CD Architect. Wink

Posted: Thu Mar 02, 2006 8:59 am

To add to Michael's short list my personal favorite is Wavelab, put I also like SADiE, Samplitude and in rare cases Sound Forge but if I had to be on a desert island with only one I would pick Wavelab 6.0

Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 12:40 pm

I use a pc for my digital recording but i've learned that the less I used Waves and Steinberg plugins, the more my master would suffer the consecuences. I use Wavelab and finish off my tracks with a C4 multiband compressor, a Renaisseance 6 band EQ and last but not least, Steinberg Loudness Maximizer (I recommend this plugin greatly, it gives very non destructive maximizing and it's a great pc process) to take it to a better level, always monitoring with PAZ analyzers of course

Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 1:04 pm

Most of my mastering happens in Adobe Audition with Ozone.

Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2006 3:06 pm

I think many times, it just comes down to what you're comfortable with.

In my case, I wont work with anything but Samplitude/Sequoia for our editing, mixing or mastering projects. Again and again, it's blown my clients (and myself) away with what it does, and how it sounds...er...DOESN'T sound.

I know it's not cheap, and Sequoia doesn't do all that much more than Samplitude to justify the added expense of upgrading. And at that level, there's not much left that a plug in here or there can't solve.

The object-oriented way of editing allows for fast, non-destructive work, and summing busses are sonically transparent. I do most of my work at 24/44 for CDs, and 24/48 for video, although it'll handle just about any bit depth or sample rate you throw at it.

Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 5:54 pm

I recommend PSPaudioware mastering plugins. VintageWarmer is my all time favourite. I'm currently testing the demo of Elemental Audio Firium EQ and I'm impressed with it. Has anyone tried Universal Audio UAD's Multiband Compressor?

Posted: Wed Mar 15, 2006 11:37 pm

Robak wrote:

Has anyone tried Universal Audio UAD's Multiband Compressor?

Yup. As far as MBC's are concerned, it's one of the best and most versatile I've used.

But "Multiband compressor" and "mastering" very rarely belong in the same sentence together... I normally have the client to go back and remix if it's going to take MBC to get it to sound right.

On the other hand, it makes one of the best frequency-conscious gates I've ever used -- On classical, it's easily the most transparent I've used.

Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 5:10 am

dazedbotd wrote:

I running a pro tools setup through a soundcraft ghost...whats the best mastering software out there?

Which platform? ... PC or Mac? ...Which OS?

..."best" Mastering Software in what respect?

EQ, Compression, Limit? -or- Track assembly and Burn discs? or all the above?

Let's assume your running PT on an Apple G5. You can do most of what you need to do in PT, with some plug-ins (like Waves' Masters Bundle), except burn discs.

For that you'll need something like Jam, PreMaster CD, WaveBurner, or Peak.

Can you be more specific?

Posted: Thu Mar 16, 2006 6:16 am

Massive Mastering wrote:

Yup. As far as MBC's are concerned, it's one of the best and most versatile I've used.

But "Multiband compressor" and "mastering" very rarely belong in the same sentence together... I normally have the client to go back and remix if it's going to take MBC to get it to sound right.

Thanks for the info.
Unfortunately I have to fix bad mixes with MBC quite often. I also use multiband expanders and gates so I'm glad that UAD's MBC can do it well. Thanks.

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