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Entries in mastering (13)

Tuesday
Dec102013

Some Room For Improvement: Becoming An Expert Sound Pro


No music would be complete in the absence of its accompaniers, namely bass, drum, tempo and others. A proper mix of all these could give a soothing output to the listener. But, if you are still unable to produce a mix that could be up to the mark, it is better to have a look at this post. It is a fact that if you don’t diversify yourself, you could soon find your sun setting. Regardless of the experience you have in this business, the below mentioned tips would guide you towards becoming a sound pro:

•    Play at a little lower level: No other sound equipment is as good in the recording studio as your ears. It is better to check the volume at lower levels by inserting the ear plugs. Long run in the recording industry means better hearing for decades.
•    Consistency would pay you the result: A Craftsman delivers his craft after working over it with dedication. His good result or quality delivered can’t be a matter of accident. His hard work is involved at every aspect, i.e. systematizing the signal flow, setting up the control room, choosing the right track, receiving the sounds and even in the act of pressing the record button. He would be responsible for all the aforementioned sessions to make it run smoothly.

The quality of a sound is in the hands of a recording engineer. The final goal should be to be in a recording studio in Massachusetts and all over the world in such a way that every individual uses your vibe, expertise, hearing skill and your impressive collections.  


•    Have a good set up: The key to understanding the nature of sound is to know how sound travels in your room and how it reaches your microphone. The knowledge regarding flutter echo, reflections and other acoustical problems are required for a great musical experience. A comfortable and creative environment would give you great productivity and great audio.
•    Know about microphones: The strength and weaknesses differ with respect to the type of microphone you choose; hence if you are skilled in selecting the right microphone for the job, it would be invaluable as an engineer.
•    Editing: Generally editing is overlooked because it’s tedious and boring, as the whole task requires listening, cutting out irrelevant noises and realistic fades. An abrupt start and end would clearly show the signs of an amateur engineer.
•    Mixing a long way: Levels, panning, EQ, compression and depths would sum up your 80% of the mixes. Neither jump EQ nor compression before you set up the levels because pushing things up and down would surely delay and reverb each instrument in two dimensional spectrum. You would be overwhelmed if you take one at a time.
•    Get mastered: If you are creating a record for professional mastering, it is better to mix it properly for a mastering engineer. Don’t be an amateur, and consider each and every aspect before preparing a mix.
•    Present it well: It is an art and no engineer could master it by just putting up the microphone and a little bit mix. Presentation is a part of package; hence work on every pro and con so that your clients and co workers remember you for long as a good engineer.

Finally the ultimate goal is to be a pro sound engineer because when you would be in the studio with multiple hits, it would breed up your success a long way.

Author Bio:
Nathen Allis, director of a music studio and an engineer in recording studio in Massachusetts is keen to share his thoughts and tips to amateurs and professionals for a better music.

Some Room For Improvement To Become An Expert Sound Pro

Tuesday
Jul232013

Your First Song: From Idea to Production

It’s always exciting to hit upon a song idea which can be the next big sensation. But translating that idea into a song or an album can be a daunting task, especially if music production is new for you. In this article we will demystify the process of creating songs from scratch.

A song starts with either a catchy melody or a set of powerful lyrics. Then music is added to the song, the song is given a structure and then it is recorded and goes for final post production. Let us look at each of these processes in detail.

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Thursday
Mar142013

Mastering Engineers-Do I really need one?

What is mastering? and how can a mastering engineer help my track/Album? Some insiders tips and information

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Friday
Aug102012

The evolution of audio mastering

Historically audio mastering was a procedure which took a set of mixes and ensured that they would work on the vinyl format for release to the general public. The vinyl format requires specific technical criteria to be met in order to successfully create a lacquer in order to make vinyl copies. The last thing you want is a skipping record, sibilance on vocals or a wasted test pressing because the songs do not fit on one side. In addition the music would sometimes be tweaked to ensure good compatibility for radio broadcast which was is important for the promotional needs of the record label and artist. Today for mastering  we have a number of digital formats that include CD, digital .wav and .aiff files and also compressed file formats such as MP3, Ogg Vorbis and AAC.  

 

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Thursday
May312012

MaximalSound Evolves

Since 2010, MaximalSound.com offers an online audio optimization service. Based on a proprietary algorithm, this service allows indie productions, labels and musicians to release their tracks complying with the highest industry standard. This processing uses the same pattern as the human hearing. It supports every music genres from metal to hip-hop, from classical to country music.

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Monday
Mar262012

Record Production is Like Baking a Cake: The Hierarchy of Reaching Full Potential [GRAPHIC]

So what does baking a cake have to do with record production? It’s a helpful analogy that will help you plan how much time, effort, and expenses to devote to the different aspects of record production. Before proceeding to the next step, always be completely happy with the current phase. Continuing the process after the fact will limit your full potential as many issues cannot be corrected at a later stage.

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Monday
Feb272012

Single driver loudspeakers and their role in mixing music

There was once a time when any credible mixing studio would not be seen without a pair of Yamaha NS-10 monitors. They are the black speakers with the white cones and are well recognized even by lay persons, in fact many people still swear by using them today. However another very common but less well known loudspeaker was the Auratone 5C. This speaker was very unassuming, a 5 inch single circular driver in a small wooden box. The goal of this speaker was to allow an audio engineer to have a focus on the critical mid range frequencies of an audio mix.

Almost all instruments and voices have mid range components and it is a frequency range which can easily get cluttered and such a speaker as the Auratone 5C allowed the engineer to reference the mid range without the ambiguities of multi driver loudspeakers. This type of speaker also approximated the reproduction characteristics of television sets, small radio receivers and other small devices from which sound would be reproduced.

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Thursday
Jan262012

Understanding the audio mastering process

Audio mastering is a final procedure where your stereo music mixes are committed to their final release medium, this could be a CD-R pre master ready for duplication, a DDP (Disk Description Protocol) or correctly encoded audio files. In any event it is the mastering engineers job to ensure that the music is equalized and processed in a way that ensures it will translate across the widest range of reproduction sound systems. A mastering engineer should have a long standing history of professional work within the music/media industry and should be highly experienced. He or she will be able to confidently decide the best processing (if any) that should be applied in order for the music to sound as good as possible. In addition the engineer can work with the fades, spacing, leveling of tracks and increasing perceived volume if required. Finally the music should not suffer from defects such as pops, clicks, bad edits or other sonic glitches.The medium for duplication or distribution should also be error free and quality control should be applied to ensure the client receives the best product possible. Mastering usually works with the final stereo mix downs but can also take the form of stem mastering. This utilizes groups of instruments (i.e. drums, bass, guitars, vocals) to further enhance the result. Mastering is very different from mixing which is where the multi tracks or sequenced elements of the music are individually equalized, compressed,  effected, automated and leveled.  
 

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Wednesday
Oct192011

Stem mastering vs Stereo 2 track mastering

Stem mastering is a different method of mastering audio which traditionally uses the stereo 2 track mixdown files. There is some confusion surrounding stem mastering as it appears to be akin to mixing, however this is not the case. Stem mastering utilizes groups of instruments such as bass, guitars, vocals, drums, synths, brass section etc. The mastering engineer requires these groups of instrumentation to successfully perform stem mastering. Stem mastering allows the engineer extra flexibility when adjustments are being made to the overall sound of the music. the goal is still based on ensuring your music translates as good as is possible to as many sound reproduction systems as possible.

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Monday
Oct032011

Online mastering - advice on choosing the right service for your music

Online mastering studios have been around for a number of years now and many musicians maybe be attracted to the lower prices. There is no doubt that saving some money is on a lot of peoples minds these days. This is understandable, however the online mastering services you can find on the internet are wide and varied along with the pricing that you can find. As an operator of a professional online mastering studio myself I find it quite alarming when looking at the websites of some people offering online mastering services. It is very obvious to a mastering professional what studios seem ill equipped or lacking in experience and skill that mastering requires. As such I thought it would be a good idea to list some of the things to look out for when choosing mastering. Firstly I will clarify what mastering is. Mastering is preparing a body of music works for final release medium. This involves fades, spacing, tonal sonic tweaks, tweaks to the dynamic range of the material, entering sub code data such as ISRC codes and UPC/EAN codes  and quality control. (click, glitch removal etc) A master format might be a CD-R pre master disk or a DDP file or .wav and MP3 files.

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Thursday
May192011

Why the Loudness Wars Still Matter

It’s hard to believe that in 2011 the loudness wars are still an issue. For the past decade or more, mastering engineers have been fighting against the race to 0dB (and beyond) in an effort to right the wrongs of the 90s. But records are still released that have had all the life compressed out of them. Why?

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Monday
Jul262010

Finding Affordable Mixing & Mastering

With the low prices of recording equipment and software, it is no surprise that the number of musicians trying to make it big on a DIY budget is on the rise. Seasoned industry veterans will testify that not only does an artist need to possess the talent and determination to succeed in the music business but their success depends on the team of dedicated industry professionals surrounding the artist. As more and more layoffs take place within major labels, these professionals become more accessible to the little man.

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Saturday
Oct312009

Are you looking to have your CD Mastered? Get a free sample and mix evaluation this week!

Having a great sounding CD is one of the most important things for the success of your music.  Why do you think all the big labels spend $$ on professional mastering?

This is where I can help.  Although I have 20+ years experience in New York City, working with all the majors along with my Grammy Entry Nominations,  I can help you Sound Your Best and it won’t break the bank with my Indie Friendly Pricing.  But don’t take my word for it, visit my website and see what my Indie Clients are saying!  ACMastering.com.

For the next week, you can take advantage of the free mastering samples using my proprietary Heavy Vinyl™ CD Mastering Techniques with a complementary mix evaluation.  You have not heard mastering until I’ve done one of your songs.   

 For the best sound, please use .wav .aif. or .aiff file formats. Don’t put heavy compression, limiting or ‘mastering’ plugins on your mixes because I’ll have no headroom to work with. You can upload mixes here:

 http://acmastering.cutesendit.com/

 I look forward to hearing your music.