Forums - Mixing & FX
Subject: That Mysterious Professional Sound
Original Message 1/43 22-Aug-00 @ 07:00 PM - That Mysterious Professional Sound
Thanks!
Azazello
Message 2/43 23-Aug-00 @ 02:19 AM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
I'm not really into drum & bass.
/Secluded
Message 3/43 24-Aug-00 @ 04:13 PM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR SOUND.
it will consume you in the end, it will stop you from making tunes, just because you want THAT sound.
either invest in highend machines like a TC finalizer, Drawmer tube compressors,a lexicon reverb, and a eventide harmonizer as well as an aural exiter and prof cd mastering software/
hardware or forget about it.(and i am talking mega bucks here;i am not sure where u live but to put it in euro's:around 6000/8000 will get you somewhere.)
maybe i am exagurating slightly, but to really get THAT sound it is what you need.just make your tunes sound as good as you can, cos when u get signed the record company will master it for you. they have alkl the stuff that you need.
man it stops so much creativity, searching and trying and remixing and looking for that sound...
this is good advice.my friend has a finalizer from the company he works for,
and just put a rough mix trough that machine already makes you desperate for wanting one yourself.
let your creative juices flow, instead of getting frustrated.
but it must be said; a few cheaper
solutions: a compressor, a gate, a dbx denoiser, a bbe sub/high enhancer and a good equalizer will satisfy you good enough.but it is not THAT sound.ask any engineer.
driftkicker.
Message 4/43 24-Aug-00 @ 08:48 PM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
Message 5/43 25-Aug-00 @ 02:32 AM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
But i would be still worrying and wondering how much better i would be if i bought this and that... but now i think i need EQ and compressor.................................... shit
Message 6/43 25-Aug-00 @ 01:19 PM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
if you want it on the cheap, use soundforge multiband compression and then run it through the waves L1 maximizer.
the multiband compression is what "tightens" up the whole thing and polishes it.
the limiter (L1) makes it as loud as possible, use it sparingly or it will make your stuff sound rubbish (as they say in the UK)
i personally feel that mastering is something i want to know how to do because afterall, i am making the track and i want to know how it sounds from beginning to end.
i have sent stuff off and had it mastered and it was "ok" but nothing special.
i am interested in the creative uses of mastering for enhancing the style and things i like about my music so that is why i am learning to master.
but to cyclop's point i haven't made much music in the past year since i started playing with mastering!
but i have a desire to know how to do it all so i will continue the long slow process.
my next twist is to buy some expensive outboard gear (not much more expensive than plug ins thought) so i don't have to screw with the computer for mastering.
if you do decide to play with mastering make sure you record off your original track unmastered because if you do get signed they probably won't want your master unless you have it dead on or they are too cheap to have it mastered professionally.
so if you want to learn mastering, do it because it can only add to your knowledge and abilities. just keep in mind that it will take away from your music time.
good luck
jamey
Message 7/43 25-Aug-00 @ 03:39 PM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
And parametric EQ is essential for mastering, really. I use the four band EQ on the stereo buss of my 01V which works well, the graphic curve display makes it easy to set up. The three main fixes I use are:
1) Roll of everything below 60Hz unless you've got a 5-grand monitoring system and a good room. Use a HPF for this, tune it around 60Hz (± 5Hz) according to the material. This can make a huge difference in clarity. Lots of muddy, undefined bass can occur if your speakers don't go down that far and/or your room is playing tricks on you, so cutting it all out is the best way to go.
2) Cut the mids - a broad bell curve (Q of about 1) on the mid range with a 3dB cut does wonders for many mixes. Everything becomes more open.
3) High end shelving boost of 2-3dB. Adds air and a touch of sparkle. An exciter can usually give better results here, unless you've got a ten-grand mastering EQ that is.
Another parametric band can be used to EQ out problem frequencies, usually around the low-mid area where you can get a 'thunk' that stands out. Use a sharp Q setting with several dB of cut and tune it until you hit the spot. Then ease up on the cut - you should rarely go over 3 dB either way.
Try some of those techniques on an old track. You should really separate the mastering process from everything else - get the mix down on CD or DAT first, make sure you're satisfied with the musical side of things before you start mastering, otherwise it gets confusing and muddled.
Message 8/43 25-Aug-00 @ 07:37 PM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
did you see the new focusrite mixmaster? its pretty sweet looking... 3 band multi compressor, eq, limiter etc all analogue and it only costs like $1100us
i am thinking about getting one from santa this year and running my o1v into it :-)
www.focusrite.com
later
jamey
Message 9/43 26-Aug-00 @ 05:17 AM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
I'd say go for it - mastering is a great skill to have, and very satisfying too. Plus you can do other people's tracks as a favour, or for a small fee...
Message 10/43 26-Aug-00 @ 01:15 PM - RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound
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