Interesting thought, and some mastering engineers will do one song, or part of one song, for free. However, it's going to be better as a tool to know what mastering can do for you than to know what to do in mastering. While a lot of mastered material can sound fairly similar (same volume ballpark, few gross differences in overall frequency balance), *every song* is going to need something different to get there. With a bunch of before and afters, you'll know better what happened to those particular songs, but I don't think you'l glean quite as much as you think about all the different things that might need to happen to a song.

It's always edifying to listen to that kind of stuff, though, and you'll learn every time you get your hands on a before/after. It's exponentially more informative to hear the before and after in the mastering house.

Originally posted by Jon Best:
It's always edifying to listen to that kind of stuff, though, and you'll learn every time you get your hands on a before/after. It's exponentially more informative to hear the before and after in the mastering house.

That's what I'm hoping for... But it'll probably be a while before I'm gonna be able to get into a mastering house, seeing as how all the money I have goes to school right now... And when ever I'm lucky enough to have a something left over, it goes to upgrading my gear.

Every little bit helps. So if anyone has any samples they'd like to post, that'd be great! :cool:

-tkr

check out the "Audio Projects---streaming, critique forum, and post your question there for Bill Roberts...

Although what you are asking for is slightly off-topic in that forum, Bill does ocassionally post "Before and After" examples of his mastering work...Even better, you might post one of your own songs, and ask how it might be improved in mastering...

hope this helps,