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#1 2005-09-24 19:43:57
Compression - Hi Fi Mastering
Hey you all Good Chippers!
I know is a bit off-topic, but this is what we talk here, right?
I was wondering about someone to help me with some hints about compression, EQ, fx and mastering.
I mean for a hi fi, electronic track with some expectations to sound near to a professional track.
Should we compress every single track? which tracks should be more tight?
What about EQ, wich frequencies should I filter or raise?
are you using some special loudness pluggin? I found steinberg loudness maximizer very usefull, but I guess would be some better or different.
Finally for mastering, I compress all tracks together (before loudness) and then some mixboard level touch to get the file limited to -0,3db as maximum peak /celling (or a final just limiter compression seting to get it to -0,3 standard.
I never like to set quantize to 16 bit, I keep it in 24bit (is that bad for my mix)?
well, I hope some can hel me to clarify my thoughts, I also do crap with panning positions, balance.
I was relly impressed with some Jordan's (k9d) mastering -mixing works, I know there are some more mastermixing genious between us
Please help this lost soul!
Love and Piko piko! Ignat
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#2 2005-09-28 16:50:17
Re: Compression - Hi Fi Mastering
check out this software and the advice they have for mastering ...
http://www.har-bal.com/
in mastering/finalizing ... less is more ... you want your work to be transparent, only making what is there easier to hear.
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#4 2005-10-22 14:05:00
Re: Compression - Hi Fi Mastering
i'd recommend to use COMP on nearly all tracks. but beware, with more compression you loose dynamics, so be careful. also choose good COMP plugins, majority of them are useless cos they sound plastic, bad.
then its hard to give advices about EQing.. you have to experiment a lot. great plugins for that are URS EQ plugins, especially FULLTEC is just GREAT!
then, the maximizer. i also use the waves one but some people say it doesnt sound as good. essential studio suite will do the job, too. btw. the out ceiling should be -0.2, just an advice. then, 16bit mix is okay! try to compare 16bit and 24bit mix. i guess you wont be able to hear any difference, even if you have great D/A and premium quality monitors. if curious, try some LoFi plugin and lower the bit rate. the quality loss is significant at about 12bits...
ok so thats it, if youd like to ask some questions, do so ; )
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#5 2005-10-22 16:37:04
Re: Compression - Hi Fi Mastering
Interesting, I checked some time ago all my cds, downloading to pc the soundwaves in order to check the compression /dinamic apareances...
I found 99% were limited to -0,3db I assumed that was the standard.
The only exception was a maxi single featuring a weird level of -0,1db (I guess it to be dangerous to the pre amplifiers inside cd playes etc. and not a home standard)
I also noticed the (in that moment) starting tendence to add loudness (after also stereo image enhancing) to the final master (or just to almost/ some tracks?)
You may noticed that brick of sound appareance in allmost all music nowadays (specially commercial dance music) Planet Funk or Junior Jack are good examples. Even when sometimes the hi frequencies break an distort.
That's hi fi optimized levels returning to lo fi?
What do you think about Benny Bennassi and that overloaded compression, agressive volume?
I find it interesting like some kind of experiment
btw. they ve done really masterpieces of heroic mastering!
I made a test with limits in compression and loudness maximizer (steinberg pluggin used in a combo) :
http://music.gameboymall.com/multimedia … php?id=220
It's music returning to lo-bit's reduced dynamics???
(lower number of bits, lowest variation in dynamics)
sorry, I did't wanted to write too much or sound like a nerd wannabe
please let me know your thoughts and avoid my confusions
To the moment I made all my mastering attempts guided by my ear
I'm still afraid of doing it using a spectrum analyzer
Do any work that way? Would give some hints?
Thanks! Ignacio
Last edited by Ignat (2005-10-26 04:10:06)
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#6 2005-10-25 23:14:26
Re: Compression - Hi Fi Mastering
har bal is like a spectrum analizer but easy to understand and see. i still suggest it and have been using it on all my stuff. i certainly don't have it mastered but i'm learning. their tutorials are informative but mostly about accustic music, i wish someone would write some electronic-music tutorials for that program!
like nula was saying, less is more. you want to color the sound as little as possible in this stage, which is different than most filtering/effects in music
the point of mastering is to tweak your track so it will sound good anywhere ... this is done best by getting the eq resonable so the spikes/valleys in the eq of your track don't make in unlistenable with the peaks/valleys in the frequency response of the playback system.
after that, getting the track hella loud is what everyone shoots for ... if you smooth out freakish peaks in the maximum line of harbal your compressor and limiter will not have to work as hard to fix those problems, and the compression/limiting will sound more natural.
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