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whats the difference? because i feel like you can properly mix a song enough to where you can bounce it down from pro tools and it sounds great! just looking to get some advice because I'm working on my first full band recording at my new home studio and want to have an amazing finished product, i know it won't be perfect considering this is my first project with a full band, but Im seeking perfection with what I'm working with. here is one of the tracks off the CD that I'm recording and mixing currently. any suggestions would be great, i know obviously the kick is doubled for some reason, i need to import the original file, quantizing seemed to add some sort of digital feedback.

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Comments

Dethwretch Tue, 02/07/2012 - 14:26

I'm no expert, but I believe mixing is just the process of combining all of the tracks. Mastering is the result of taking your mix, and tweaking it (eq wise as well as other little "tricks") so the song will sound even more phenomenal (this is usually done by a mastering engineer). The mastered product is what is used to make copies for your adoring fans.

Very cool track. Good luck!

bouldersound Tue, 02/07/2012 - 15:05

Mastering is the stuff that gets done to the mixed tracks to prepare them for reproduction. For CDs that means sequencing the tracks, adding [[url=http://[/URL]="http://bouldersound…"]PQ[/]="http://bouldersound…"]PQ[/] codes, exporting the track list, generating an error report and, if necessary, any audio finishing to make them sound as good as possible and work as a collection rather than just individually. It's possible in theory that a mastering job will not involve any audio processing at all.

RemyRAD Tue, 02/07/2012 - 21:19

LOL John!.... It sure does seem that way too much today.

Really great engineers who create really great sounding recordings and mixes don't need to be " Mastered " that much by the Mastering Engineer. They may only be required to set maximum peak volume setting.

Other crap that comes in the door may require extensive equalization? Followed by extensive dynamic range processing both broadband, multiband, frequency weighted, dynamic equalization, upward expansion, a downward expansion, linear phase equalization, harmonic distortion generators for just the right touch? Yeah, some folks need that too. You see guys is to cut records only got recordings back in the day from other professional engineers. That scenario has changed a bit in more recent years. Sometimes guys who got tapes that cut records for the big-time record labels were merely known as Transfer Engineer. Simply because you would be transferring a tape to disc without much too concern about how high Fidelity the product would be but whether you cut the disc correctly or not. Which still required a certain amount of legal technical murdering of your audio to get it onto a piece of lacquer. Can't have your phonograph needle jumping out of the record or having somebodies big low-frequency response modulate the adjacent channel grooves. And to prevent any high frequency splattering, they would also add plenty of high-frequency limiter on everything.

Pay no attention to the engineer behind the curtain
Mx. Remy Ann David