A quantum question ?

[romelpotter]

I know there have been a few posts relating to compression recently, but i have a question about it so ,

If when your track is going to be cut to record, and the engineer likes your mix a bit raw so he can compress it the way he is used to, Is there any point to buying mastering software packages like "Quantum FX" and such ?

I guess the question relates specifically to quantum fx as i am thinking of buying it, but the question applies to other mastering packages as well. Is the whole point of mastering software over rated and are the effects acually gonna be herd after it has been cut to record ?

[RichieV]

if your an indy artist and you have to do your own mastering , then yes

If a label will pay for professional mastering , then no

[DJZeMig_L]

Why not other packages... I'm affraid I don't know the software u mention!?

Z

[Basil Rush]

mastering software is just a whole load of plugin's in a row innit?

quantum-fx is a bit like reaktor or something right? http://www.quantum-fx.co.uk/ ?

You basically want the highest quality EQ and compressor you can get your hands on and maybe a multiband compressor and a quality limiter, probably although it's less important for techno than more delicate music you want some kind of 16bit noise dither thang going down too...

[romelpotter]

yeah but basil. if all that is going to be done in the cutting shop, and in fact the cutting agent profers us not to use them, then the question i am asking as someone who has nothing released but hopes to sometime in the future is why or should i buy mastering software (considering its gonna piss off a cutting engineer)

[Barely Human]

To be honest, all you will need is a decent wave editor and some good plugins. The only matsering software i would recomend is T Racks, which is probably the closest your gonna get to some analouge warmth. You will never get the same result as a high quality analouge comp, but its not bad for a software mastering pakage.

[Basil Rush]

yeah but basil. if all that is going to be done in the cutting shop, and in fact the cutting agent profers us not to use them, then the question i am asking as someone who has nothing released but hopes to sometime in the future is why or should i buy mastering software (considering its gonna piss off a cutting engineer)

Yeah, I think what I was saying was why buy a mastering program when you've probably already got all the tools in plugin format anyway?

[romelpotter]

great, i have wavelab wich i use for mastering, still could do with a nice full parametric eq plug if any one knows of one ;)

[audioinjection]

Izotope Ozone is good for mastering

[Komplex]

Look at it this way. Self mastering is for demos, and getting it done by a pro is when you release your music to the public.

You don't want to master something yourself if u will be getting it released BUT you dont want to be wasting hundreds of dollars everytime you pump out a new track and send out demos or post stuff on the web.

[DJZeMig_L]

The case, like a recent topic about compressors, is more about YER sound, i.e. if u use loads of sound mangling then that's you, your trade mark, leave it on... BUT mastering is a very delicate and complicated subject 2 be aproached very carefully... a weak master can kill a great track, ... the reverse isn't completelly true... ;)

So I would say experiment, attend any mastering sesssions u can, learn as much as u can... but in case of doubt don't touch it... play around with yer final tracks, b ut always keep an unmastered version just in case... this way u can learn... u can even get a bit cheaky and take yer mastered version 2 the mastering house and check what they'll say... then if 2 dreadfull pull a "... oops so sorry wrong CD!! ;) ..." n then giv' em the unmastered clean version!!


As for mastering plug ins I would recomend the waves package, antares tube, BBe sonic maximizer... Izotope is also good but I thibnk u need a lot more knowledge 2 b able 2 use it without screwing things up!

T-racks is a simpler, yet powerfull, mastering package...


I would honestly concertrate as much as possible on the mixing, and getting right at that stage.. if u do u don't need 2 do much with mastering!!


There is also another subjective factor that works againts us being our own masters.. u are 2 attached 2 our tracks 2 b able 2 make some of the critical decidions that mastering mean!!

My 2 cents,



Z

[romelpotter]

thanks everybody, lots of tings to think about there, wrong cd..... class ;) :lol:

[subsonic]

thanks everybody, lots of tings to think about there, wrong cd..... class ;) :lol:

hahahaha

[DJZeMig_L]

;)

:P

We gotta learn with our mistakes, so it's a "good" way 2 hear from the pros what we should do better!! ;)

Z

[aphex_hn]

"... oops so sorry wrong CD!! ;) ..." :lol:
:clap:

Z u rule