masteringhouse
Moderator
Joined: May 28, 2005
Posts: 65
Location: Pennsylvania, USA |
Hey John -
Glad to see you here!
People often concentrate on the gear for mastering while missing the bigger picture. Mastering is mainly about critical listening and deciding if any processing even needs to be done, and if so, having the experience to know what to add and in what amounts.
In order to perform the first task (critical listening) you need a room that is fairly neutral. Coloration from a room is going to affect you judgement not only on EQ, but things like imaging, etc. So the first "piece of gear" that you need is a good room, or as John was joking about, probably acoutic treatments to an existing room.
Next, in order to perform critical listening well, you need a good relativley flat monitoring system capable of 20-20K hz. There are very few systems that are capable of delivering this performance below probably $5-6K. Coloration from the monitors will also affect judgement, and if they aren't full range monitors, you can't master what you can't hear. Yes you can take a CD out to your car, boom box, and several other places to check your master (and should) but your car shouldn't be considered a mastering suite.
Thirdly the most important pieces of equipment are your ears and judgement. Listen to a variety of music (both good and bad masters), determine what makes it better or worse. In fact many times people learn more from bad recordings than good ones. Determine how well the frequency is balanced, are there elements in the mix that are getting more attention than they should? Do you hear distortion? If so, what type? etc ...
Beyond the above, equipment ranges from various types of compressors, limiters, EQs, converters, CD burners, harmonic enhancement tools, M/S processing tools, meters, switchers, and kitchen sink. All of these are secondary to the three primary tools though IMHO.
So in order to do mastering cheaply what is required?
1. A great mix that requires little to no processing.
2. The 3 main elements above
3. A lower end digital editing system like Wavelab, Sound Forge, etc.
4. A CD burner with QC software (Plextor CD and Plextools)
What is required to do semi-pro level mastering?
1. A good mix
2. The 3 main elements above.
3. A lower end digital editing system like Wavelab, Sound Forge, etc. or intermediate level software/hardware like Pro Tools LE, Logic, Sequoia, etc.
4. A CD burner with QC software (Plextor CD and Plextools)
5. A good neutral EQ and compressor (analog or digital). Many examples. On the digital side Waves mastering bundle for plugs, UAD, etc. Weiss EQ1/DS-1, Compressors/EQs from Crane Song, Manley, list goes on.
6. At least one good A/D, D/A converter
What is required to do pro level mastering?
1. Any type of mix
2. The 3 main elements above (highest quality).
3. Several DAWS, often used in combination. Systems include Sadie, Sonic Solutions, Pyramix, Pro Tools HD, and systems mentioned above.
4. A CD burner with QC software and the ability to create DDP tapes (may be part of the DAW).
5. Several neutral EQs and compressors (both analog and digital). These may be used in a chain, e.g. on compressor for average leveling, another for a certain character.
6. Several converters.
7. Additional processing in various forms (tape emulators, tube emulators, harmonic enhancement devices)
8. Tape machines to support mixes in this format.
9. A good archival system.
10. Audio restoration tools (Cedar, software based tools).
11. Everything I missed in the above list.
_________________
Tom Volpicelli
The Mastering House Inc.
http://www.masteringhouse.com
CD Mastering and Media Production Services
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