Eraserfish
15 November 2013
Just wondering if there are any other Reason 7 users out there and if so if you are mastering ITB with reason 7. Because of the new SSL mixer and all the new rack extensions, plus the mastering suite, I think it's possible to get a sellable master out of reason without any external hardware. What I'm not sure of is the industry standard for volume/ unity gain and some other terms I'm not familiar with. I'm trying to figure out tips and tricks for making my songs sound as good as possible without the hassle of external mixers etc. In a perfect world my stuff would already be sitting with a producer for final details and getting sent to the mastering guy. Any one in this boat with reason?
Comments
I suppose it comes down to your idea of "mastering". If you're s
I suppose it comes down to your idea of "mastering". If you're simply looking at throwing a tune or two up on iTunes, then yeah, you can probably do the job if you have a competent working knowledge of what mastering entails. But if you are looking at a pro release, well, there's a reason that the guys who are known for this process are, well, known for this process.
Ludwig, Grundmann, Calbi, et al are industry standard cats who thousands have turned to, not only because they have the gear, but because they also have the knowledge, and, they have the ears.
I'm a competent and experienced recording engineer, with 32+ years of pro studio experience. But, I never mastered any of my own projects - or my client's projects. The reason? I'm not a Mastering Engineer.
I don't have the gear, I don't really have the knowledge that true ME's do... and just as importantly, it's a question of objectivity. When you engineer/produce a project from start to finish, by the time you hear the same songs over and over again to track, overdub and mix, your ears can lose a sense of what the song needs or requires in the mastering realm.
Having a second set of fresh, trained ears, from cats who also have great gear and great skill sets, will help immeasurably in deciding what the song requires.
These days, I've had Chris (audiokid) doing the mastering for me. He's got awesome gear, awesome ears, respects dynamics and is in tune with what I'm doing musically.
I understand the financial constraints of paying a pro to do the mastering, but in the end, unless you are a mastering engineer yourself, you're better off getting it to someone who really does know what they are doing.
FWIW, Chris does an outstanding job. If I were you, I'd talk to him to at least gain a bit of knowledge as to what your tracks require.
IMHO of course.
-d.