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mastering tips please


DrPhibes

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this may seem dumb but i want to improve so here it is

is it proper to master your tune in the daw you use to compose (ableton in my case)

or is it desirable to use something more catered to mastering?

if yes, what programs are standards?

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fabfilter pro q 2 is my go-to EQ for mastering, this thing just does the job perfectly.

and yeah, i pretty much mix and master both in the same session. sometimes i actually bounce the stems, but most the time i want to stay flexible with everything.

 

what really helped me getting a cleaner mix are sub-groups. you dedicate channels for all your drums, basses, keys, pads, horns, synths, sfx etc. and then route these into the master. instant clean-up in your mixer and easy access to put effects or automation on all your basses simultaneously for example

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also what isthe deal with super loud final mixdowns. i find myself pushing the lvl as much as i can but my tracks are often quite abit quieter than say an xtrah or enei track. 

and lastly, if youre cpu starts firing up to 300per cent whilst mastering, can you do anything about it

im on ableton with a intel i3

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On 6 januari 2016 at 4:24 PM, DrPhibes said:

also what isthe deal with super loud final mixdowns. i find myself pushing the lvl as much as i can but my tracks are often quite abit quieter than say an xtrah or enei track. 

and lastly, if youre cpu starts firing up to 300per cent whilst mastering, can you do anything about it

im on ableton with a intel i3

Sure man, bounce all your tracks to audio files in groups (drums, synths, bass etc). This will relieve your cpu a lot.

The deal with super loud mix downs is often related to mix downs not having enough headroom for the final master and not having the proper equipment to 'hear' a final result (mix down). Try mixing down your track to perfection (stay as close to -6db as possible) then try to crank up the volume little by little, apply maximization, eq, multiband compression and try to leave some space for the bass. Don't overdo the bass because it takes up the most headroom. Other tips include focussing on mid-range bass (sounds louder than deep bass) and utilizing the stereo spectrum of your track as much as you can. Feel free to pm if you have more questions i hopefully can answer. :-)

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I forgot to utilize the audio spectrum for each different track/instrument so everything has it's own space in the mix. This is were a lot of mix downs get hard because of complex instrument but you can always try to give something a little space (duck the eq at less important frequencies).

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Thank you very much vallegs! Honestly I am so greatful to be on this wicked forum full of resources and friendly and helpful members!

I will continue to ask my questions as I learn more!

ps. May I please request a pm or and info on a 64 bit pc friendly PRO MB, Q2 and C2. and if anyone has anyhting they think is a 'quintessential' mastering component please let us know what it is and why!

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Great advice in this thread! Ableton is my DAW of choice as well. I will generally check all my gain staging to make sure i'm not clipping with in any of the tracks effect components and depending on genre i leave -3 to -6db of headroom. I render my tracks and master audio as a single file. If you want a louder mix try and place a multiband eq at the start of your chain and do a Highpass at 35hz Bandpass notch cut at - 2.5db at 400-520 hz (sweep the eq at +6db and listen for the nasal sound) -2.5db cuts are generally not very audible but will be enough to remove some mud and let harmonics fill that space.

The in between steps are really is going to differ person to person but the last thing i have is a limiter set at transparent and threshold at -.30db. Do not set at zero! Majority of music will be heard as a mp3 and i can't stress how better the sound is setting your final output not at zero DB.

Trianglular dither is a safe setting when rendering but if you have any plugs using dither in your master bus make sure to change abletons.

 

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