 Tips for doing your own mastering |
jester1234 
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 28-06-2006
Posts: 26
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alrite people!!! may be a dumb question who knows but here goes.
How do i master my tunes? and also wot suite would i be best using. i'm on fl6.
peace out> 
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29-07-2006 20:58 |
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Muad'Dib
Andrejnalin
Registration Date: 02-12-2003
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Oh man, the old story. Many people will tell you that you cannot master your own tunes, but you have to let a sound engineer to do that. I believe that, yes, sound engineers are speciallty taught to be what they are, and spend hours and hours over tracks and how to make them sound great. But I disbelieve that you cannot become as good or better as them.
They spend hours and hours over tracks, but you spend that time too. You set up EQs, compressors, effects etc. You just need to know what to do on your track. And to learn a lot about all the effects, especially compressors.
I master my own tracks when they go to CDs etc. and people say that they are very good mastered. People call me to master their tracks, because I spent nearly 2 years teaching myself everything about compressors, dynamics, gates, reverbs etc. and not that I am the best engineer, but I just have proven that it can be done by yourself.
One of the biggest things that might brag you about is having analogue mastering equipment. I do all my mastering with the best effects/compressors etc. I can find, and it comes nearly as good as analogue, but analogue is analogue. I think that, even, they intentionally don't want to make digital mastering good as analogue, so that those that construct those analogue machines don't loose their work.
Anyway, because I am getting boring, I recommend you to start reading about dynamics, compressors, EQ and etc. and try as many things as possible. I know I had to go through all kinds of different situations and sounds to get the warmth/power/style I needed, but I have passed those obstacles. Thus I say, read a lot. Because the things that mastering engineers learn there on universities and courses are, after all, made for humans, and you can learn them too. The hard way, of course, because if you want the easy way you have to pay, but you will eventually.
Here are good starting points: http://emusician.com/tutorials/emusic_masters_mastering/
http://www.johnvestman.com/mastering_proceedures.htm
and then have a look at the Tutorials / Knowledge base thread (read all production related informations here!)
it will give you tremendous synthetized knowledge of this site on your hand.
Enjoy and have fun with your playings! 
PS I wonder what thechronic will say on this, as he is a mastering engineer 
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29-07-2006 21:21 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
Posts: 11,238
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Most important thing for mastering: good speakers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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29-07-2006 22:52 |
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jester1234
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 28-06-2006
Posts: 26
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thanx 4 that man. bassicly wot i tend do as im makin a track is tend to eq each part as its written and then re-eq when the tune is done. and then i compress evrything at the end. dunno if im even going the rite way about it. i just do wot sounds good at the time if u catch my drift man.
since i started to use this site as a knowlege base iv learnt fukin tons man and my tracks have come on like ten fold or sumat. didnt even know wot mastering was till like 2 days ago lol.
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29-07-2006 23:25 |
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Surya
The Robot
Registration Date: 04-11-2002
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Kinda sounds quite allright. I don't like compressing the whole thing in the end though, I use a limiter for that.
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"In dnb you should make people jump not swim"
- Pieter Frenssen 2004
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31-07-2006 12:35 |
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Muad'Dib
Andrejnalin
Registration Date: 02-12-2003
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Yap, you got there right.
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31-07-2006 15:44 |
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jester1234
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 28-06-2006
Posts: 26
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so when i chorus each part of a track is that going to help the mastering process. i only really chorus to help process my sounds u see.
u have probably guessed im a relative newbie by now eh lol
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31-07-2006 16:48 |
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Muad'Dib
Andrejnalin
Registration Date: 02-12-2003
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No, don't chorus each part, why do you need to do that? Does it sound like you want it to sound? No? Then don't. Put a chorus on whichever part you need.
We were all newbies once, my friend, so don't worry. Ehh, those were the times...
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31-07-2006 17:28 |
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cynik
Cp6uja
Registration Date: 15-03-2005
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| quote: |
Originally posted by Dj Jimmy C
i sometimes like to compress the final thing just a touch.
with a 1.5:1 ratio with not too fast attack and release.
then i set the threshold so the gain reduction is only just flickering.
this i find just pulls it all together.
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sounds like you're using a compressor for limiting. not a bad idea
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but then sometimes i just use the multiband comp in Ozone, find this really good for polishing off a mix.
got to be quite light with how much you use this though or will fuck it right up. |
ahhh the multiband Ozone comp is the shit! I find the default settings themselves often tighten up a mix already so use just simple slight tweaking
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31-07-2006 18:06 |
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Soi
Super Moderator
Registration Date: 29-01-2003
Posts: 1,417
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chorus on every part to have a master? 
wow
interesting... 
would sound like ten whales doing 10 minutes a rubadub-move in fluorescent jelly.
psychedelic 60'ies are over...
dnb.be-members have discovered the thread, you'll learn fast now... 
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a myspace
my tunes
"I'm not under the alkafluence of inkahol that some thinkle peep I am.
It's just the drunker I sit here the longer I get."
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31-07-2006 18:08 |
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cynik
Cp6uja
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31-07-2006 18:16 |
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jester1234
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 28-06-2006
Posts: 26
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nxt dumb question then wot is the purpose of chorusing stuff? its always sounded ok when iv done wot i usually do. my tracks are ok jus not upto the rite standard yet.
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31-07-2006 18:19 |
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equipped
tired
Registration Date: 20-05-2005
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that was in relation to first question,..no clue bout the chorus dilema.
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Space
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31-07-2006 19:48 |
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Soi
Super Moderator
Registration Date: 29-01-2003
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| quote: |
Originally posted by jester1234
nxt dumb question then wot is the purpose of chorusing stuff? |
Using choruses is trying to have your d'n'b track sounding like this:
no, sorry just messing around.
Why do you use chorus? To give some extra tonal richness to a part of a track, mind you, chorus is a very specific effect, and you tend to get bored with it rather easily.
__
a myspace
my tunes
"I'm not under the alkafluence of inkahol that some thinkle peep I am.
It's just the drunker I sit here the longer I get."
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01-08-2006 11:15 |
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jester1234
Cool Tourist
Registration Date: 28-06-2006
Posts: 26
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soi u joker
thanx 4 that man, at least i know now. i have been chorusin everthing lol
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01-08-2006 11:29 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
Registration Date: 30-12-2005
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Yeah! That's the spirit... pictures and words!
And distortion looks like this:
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 Check my soundcloud (exclusive tracks on there)
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02-08-2006 07:28 |
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BattleDrone
2161... the future.
Registration Date: 30-12-2005
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| quote: |
Originally posted by jester1234
nxt dumb question then wot is the purpose of chorusing stuff? its always sounded ok when iv done wot i usually do. my tracks are ok jus not upto the rite standard yet. |
Chorus is quite nice when used on selected items, e.g. to make a synth sound a bit more full without throwing tons of reverb over it (which makes it lose it's sharpness). As said before, don't overdo it with chorus. You wouldn't use a stereo enhancer or delay on all channels would you?
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Check my soundcloud (exclusive tracks on there)
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02-08-2006 09:07 |
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