Mixdown, Dynamics & EQ (and related) Topic

[andyhuynh]

mastering is overrated.

[R3cl41m3r]

mastering is overrated.

Exactly. Mix the tracks, not the master. Not everything is the same!

Also, use delay, not reverb.

[ljk32]

You wouldn't use delay OR reverb on the master. But why in general use delay and not reverb?

[R3cl41m3r]

You wouldn't use delay OR reverb on the master. But why in general use delay and not reverb?

Because reverb uses too much CPU, and delay can sound really nice when used properly. Also, I never suggested using either on the master.

[ljk32]

Nah, that part wasn't directed at you even though it seemed that way. Of course delay can sound awesome, but most leads are nothing without reverb. Yes, it uses a lot of CPU, but your tracks will be lacking as hell if you choose to use delay as a substitute for reverb. I generally use delay in combination with reverb, and you'd find that it's what most people would do. You can't just avoid using reverb, it adds so much depth to some sounds.

[equinox]

Not to be rude, but I think you are focusing on mastering long before you should. The reason I say that, is because, your tracks will sound loud if they have a nice mix.

That is true. My mixdowns are by far priority and i am really working on them right now. But, without mastering my tracks are useless...(not that they are that good, they are not, I just use them for mixing and stuff,...) I could put a limiter there but I wanted to understand more about mastering and that's why I asked that.

[ljk32]

Yeah, it's definitely good to learn as much as you can about it. I'm pretty damn inexperienced with mastering myself. But, a track shouldn't be 'nothing' without mastering, because a bad track will be a bad track regardless of if it's mastered or not. I think a lot of people try to use mastering to fix up their tracks and don't realise that a good master comes from a tight mix(I'm not saying you do that, but it's what I've noticed with a lot of producers).

[equinox]

Ha, I was one of them too. But then I learnt the difference between these two and now I actually see that, apart from sound design, the mix(down) is really that part which seperates beginners from professionals.

[MRK]

You add it @ljk when it's needed. When you did not add that enough in mix. Master enginners rather use that because when you master your own track you can go back to the mixer and do the same thing.
And to the final EQuing sometimes it's good when you put EQ in master and boost some frequencies in a very little way like +0,5 - +1 dB the same way with cutting and of course cutting with slope low end and high end as you mentioned before

And as I said check out the free releases of signed pros. They are without any or without professional mastering. You can feel the difference but it isnt so big that you would say "God I have to make mastering in my tracks!". And as you know mastering volumes up track, but it's the volume war and track lose all dynamics it had. The peaks are always at the 0 dBFS in louder parts.

P.S. Check out the K-meter and find out what it is all about.

[ljk32]

You add it @ljk when it's needed. When you did not add that enough in mix. Master enginners rather use that because when you master your own track you can go back to the mixer and do the same thing.
And to the final EQuing sometimes it's good when you put EQ in master and boost some frequencies in a very little way like +0,5 - +1 dB the same way with cutting and of course cutting with slope low end and high end as you mentioned before

Honestly man, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm not sure you know what you are talking about at all. 95% of the producers here are going to master their own stuff, so mentioning the way an engineer would do it is different to how someone would self-master. Producers who are going to master their own stuff at the moment(the majority of us) have the opportunity to go back into their mix if they find something that isn't right, an engineer can't(though they can in some cases get the producer to fix up slight issues in the mix and then re-send the track, but it all depends on the situation and mastering service you'd use). Anyway, if you feel that the track is lacking reverb, there's no just adding it on the master 'when it's needed'. Something as small as that can destroy a track easily, since how can you be sure that every single element in the track will sound better with more reverb? A much better idea is to go into the mix, find the elements which are lacking, and add some reverb to them - that way you are only affecting the stuff you decided to put more reverb on, instead of the entire track. The same applies with eqing - not every single sound will need a 0.5dB cut or boost, so why do it on the master? It's just laziness, and laziness is what is going to screw your tracks over. Don't get me wrong, I am sure so many people have done/still do some of these techniques on the master, and still get a really nice sounding track, but it's not the logical approach. And as I mentioned, I don't feel that you guys will be doing it and thinking about how it will affect the overall sound, I think it's just complete laziness.