MASTERING PROCEDURES

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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

MASTERING PROCEDURES

First listen to your project to see how much needs to be done, taking into consideration your budget. Be happy to attend the session. It's fine for one person to attend the session, or a zillion - it's up to you - but generally the smaller the crowd, the more time-efficient the session will be (just because there's fewer questions and deliberation when there's fewer people in the studio). If several people working on your project have specific concerns, it can be handy to write out a list and have one or two people speak for everyone.

Begin sound enhancement using analog eq, compression, limiting, de-essing, phase correction, width enhancement, multiband compression and level correction. (Level correction is quite powerful. Discuss it.

You'll then load each track into the Sonic Solutions mastering system and mark down all the processing and eq settings in a database that can be quickly recalled.

You can process the songs in any order, but it works well to do it in the order it will end up being on the CD. It's good to know if you've found that there are any particularly good (or any hurting') songs in your project. If you can tell that you'll need to do complicated equalization or editing, you'll load the songs directly into Sonic prior to processing (in that case you'll use both the automated and manual eq).

Now we have a waveform in the Sonic digital editor. The Edit Decision List (EDL) is actually a visual display of your music. As the next few songs get loaded in, you can begin cleaning up the beginnings and endings of the songs at the same time. On the computer screen, you can zoom in and see the very beginning and create a fade-in that's appropriate for the song. We can listen to the song (via playback) while another song is loading in (via record). Get to know if there are any cross- fades you'd like, where you'd like the song ID's, and if you want any hidden tracks.

We never know up front how long equalization and enhancements will take. It depends on how consistent the mixes are, and how many songs. 20 short songs totalling 45 minutes takes longer than 10 songs totalling 45 minutes. As a minimum, you should listen 1-2 times to each song. Sometimes, after processing and loading in the whole album, you'll decide to re-eq one or two songs after getting to know the overall tone of the album. Every project has a life of it's own, and sometimes ONE song can influence the sound of the entire album!

As each songs goes to the Sonic, it makes it easier to check each song for consistency. Sometimes additional refinements aren't needed, but sometimes it's like putting an extra coat of wax on. Everything shines up and falls into place. Each song will now have an influence on the others. you can make everything as consistent as you need it to be, OR leave things unique and different if that's the vibe you're after. Think about these things before you come to mastering.

At this point, more editing and creative work can occur and we'll set the Track ID's (they can go anywhere you like) and handle any last minute creativity.

You'll cut a real-time master CD. It's a full-on master that is ready for you to reference deciding if you want any changes. Listen to the CD on several consumer systems (maybe even on a dj system). DO NOT take it back into the studio right away and see how it sounds there! Your CD have to be designed for the real world! Take it there first! Listen on boom boxes! Listen in the car but not while driving (moving car CD players can scratch the surface, making the master unusable by the pressing plant - make your own copy of the master if you want to drive and listen at the same time). Listen on a couple home systems. Compare it with other commercial cds.

You are now at a new level of objectivity where you will hear things you haven't heard before in your mixes. Put the CD on in the living room and go wash dishes in the kitchen and see how it feels at a distance. Play it at a party, in the garage, play it soft, loud, on your computer (certain PCs can have some weird default playback characteristics) etc. Keep listening to your "competitors" CDs and see if the over-all impression of your product comes across effectively, given the time and budget you had to work with.

Now your mixes have more clarity, consistency, and presence. You may hear subtle things revealed that you forgot about. Due to the big CD volume contest, you may hear less impact on the drums, or the eq may bring UP the impact of the drums. The vocal may be clearer, as well as the hi-hat or guitars, or you may hear more body in the middle instruments. The catch: you may hear distortion that was masked in the track before - mastering tends to reveal everything a little better.

Your cd may be perfect just the way it is. Or you may want some additional creative changes like spacing in between the songs, or a different fade. Be sure your key people listen to the end product, as well as some fresh new ears or other professionals who will listen.

KEY: Keep all the settings for your project in the computer, most changes at this point are EASY and FAST! With a few clicks and turns - voila! But some changes can be more involved.... it's depends on each project and how much detail is appropriate for your.

Whether a second master is made or the first one is perfect, make a backup master of the approved version just in case anything should happen between your hands and the pressing plant. Hey, the Fed Ex airplane could run over it, ya know...

Now you're on your way to having a superb CD that will sound great for a long time - and the ball is in your court to make it a HIT!
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Post by Nestor »

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GOING AHEAD WITH YOUR MASTER COPY

For many years, the de facto standard professional format was the 3/4" U-matic cassette made with the Sony PCM-1630 processor. Another format was promoted by JVC but never gained widespread acceptance. Today, other professional formats include Exabyte DDP and the PMCD (developed by Sonic Solutions and Sony). Each format has its advantages. Professional format masters are also called "cutting production masters", because the glass master is made directly from them. Why should you be interested in professional CD mastering formats? Because if you aren't submitting your material in a professional CD mastering format, then you may be paying too much for CD pressing. Some CD service bureaus (when asked to do so) will give cash discounts of up to $300 to a customer who supplies a master in a professional format.

PCM-1630

The 1630 format is growing quite old, but is still accepted at some plants. There
is a PQ code burst before audio begins in the PCM-1630 format. Some consider the format somewhat fragile, since the U-matic machine requires expert maintenance and precise alignment.

PMCD

The pre-master CD was originally developed jointly by Sonic Solutions and Sony,
and is now available from others. A true PMCD contains the PQ code burst in the leadout area; for this reason relatively few CD recorders are capable of making a true PMCD. The PMCD has the advantage of being easily played on an ordinary CD player before glass mastering. Some pressing plants and CD service bureaus require PMCDs and other disk-at-once CDRs to be accompanied by a hard copy printout of the PQ code information in order to document its authenticity, and thus to prevent confusion with ordinary recorded CDs which may be track-at-once.

Exabyte DDP

Exabyte DDP is an 8mm data tape format. It robust, but is not easily playable.
CD-ROMs are often mastered from Exabyte DDP format.

Special DAT Formats

There are two special DAT formats which are accepted at certain CD pressing
plants: 1) a DAT striped with SMPTE 30hz ndf time code with frame accurate ID codes and frame accurate delivery sheet, and 2) a similar DAT, but with the addition of a PQ data burst during audio lead in (accepted only at some European CD pressing plants). Neither DAT format should be used unless there is a specific arrangement to do so with a CD pressing plant which is capable and willing to accept the particular format.

Previously Manufactured CDs

CD pressing plants may accept previously manufactured CDs received in good
condition as masters.

CDs Made on an Ordinary CD Recorder

While the manufacture of compact discs is done to stringent standards,
economic pressures can force CD pressing plants to take shortcuts when material is supplied in a non-professional CD format (i.e., track-at-once, instead of disk-at-once CDs). Some CD pressing plants will accept CDs recorded on ordinary track-at-once CD recorders, but the glass master might be made from an analog transfer (!) from the customer's CD. Other plants will reject such CDs outright. The problem with track-at-once CDs is that there is a digital mute before each track selection and this interruption in digital data causes excessive errors during the glass mastering.

Other Delivery Methods

Finally, some plants accept masters via the internet, or as image files on CD-
ROM or DVD-ROM discs.
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Post by Nestor »

EVERY PROJECT IS DIFFERENT

Every project is different and requires a unique approach. The first rule is that THERE ARE NO RULES.

Sometimes the source material is processed during loading, or sometimes it's processed after it has been placed on the digital audio workstation (DAW). Both methods are usually required in the case of audio restoration of fragile source material.

It's quicker and cheaper to process during loading, but if changes are required later, then the source material has to be loaded in again. Processing during loading is more effective when you attend, which we highly recommend in any case. Processing during loading is done on projects that are budget driven.

If you do attend, it's a good idea to bring a commercial CD you are familiar with. Since you can switch back and forth between digital sources using the same monitoring system, listening to a CD you are familiar with and comparing it to your proposed CD helps you adjust to the room and to understand the process better.

Processing after loading is more exacting, adjustments are easier to make, and is done when the approval process is done on a delayed basis. The material is dumped first into the DAW with no processing. An external processing loop is formed by playing back unprocessed material from the DAW, processing it, and sending it to back to the DAW to be recorded. Detailed notes of processing settings are made. That way if changes are made later, they can be made from the original loading, based on processing settings first used. This takes longer, but it is more precise.

Processing consists of channel level adjustments, phasing adjustments, filtering, noise reduction and more commonly, equalization and compression. In general, we start by creating a production master worksheet which lists the title, catalogue number, play-list and ISRC numbers for your CD. This becomes the roadmap for your project, and a place for important notes.

Loading into the DAW

Regardless of when processing is done, it's essential to document your selection
Titles as they are loaded into the DAW.
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

One of the proper media to be used when mastering a DAO

Image

Audio

CD-R Master Ceramic Plated

A CD-R for Audio

Suitable for all write speeds even up to 24x so that the professional audio user can handle the music recording both in real time (1x) and at any higher speed (e.g. 4x) for fast replication.

Data seal

The hardened, white ceramic coating (1) offers together with the transparent protection layer (2) an optimised and evenly stable protection of the reflective layer and thus of the stored information.

Reflective coating (3)

The novel, silver reflective coating offers improved reflectivity values over previous types.

Fore more information:

http://www.emtec-multimedia.com/product ... nal_Media/

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: nestor on 2003-02-23 09:04 ]</font>
mano
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Post by mano »

hey Nestor au you typing this stuff out of books? it's great to read it but, was wondering... if so which books

if not you should write one :smile:

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: mano1.com on 2003-05-04 19:46 ]</font>
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

The material comes from very different sources. Some are from photocopies I’ve god in UK, some are from USA, some others are from Paul While books, and a few ones are from my little experience into this wide world of digital audio and related.
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Nestor
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Post by Nestor »

Please, go to the Pulsar Creativity forum, and you’ll find all the titles of the books, etc.
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krizrox
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Post by krizrox »

A few things rarely discussed re: mastering

There was an interview in Recording magazine a while back with David Singleton who has been mastering projects with Robert Fripp & King Crimson.

The interview was interesting because David approaches the subject less like an engineer and more like a casual listener.

One concept he spoke about struck a nerve with me personally which I'd like to share with all of you. The concept concerns track placement (or track order).

When David masters a full-length CD project, he will take a CDR copy home and listen to it as a casual listener. At the point where his minds starts to wander, he makes note of the song and then switches it with something else. This process continues over and over until he can listen to the entire CD all the way through without losing interest or allowing his mind to wander off. So, in effect, each song occupies the perfect place within the entire project.

Often times, when I'm selecting the order of the songs (assuming I have the luxury of actually being able to choose), I'll try to put the first two or three strongest songs first and then mellow out a bit for a song or two and then back to a few more upbeat songs and then finish with something that offers closure to the entire project. I realize this is very subjective but it always seemed to me this was how the best albums were mastered.

In this day and age, it seems like CD's are rather bloated. I have a hard time listening to over an hour's worth of music - especially when half of it sounds like filler material. King Crimson has always kinda been about the album as a concept as opposed to just a collection of songs. File sharing and whatnot seems to destroy the "concept album" concept. Kids these days prefer to pick and choose what they listen to and that's easy to do with the technology available.

Anyway, I thought David's take on this was interesting. He also puts a lot of emphasis on the amount of quiet time between songs. Knowing when the next song is supposed to start requires some thought as well. I usually approach this by listening to 15-20 seconds of the song prior, getting a feel for the tempo and then keeping that momentum going in my head as the songs ends or fades out. The next song starts on what would be an imaginary downbeat from the song before (does that make sense?).

The very last thing I do is spot-check the perceived volume of each song and make sure that the entire project has a steady volume level. I don't want one song to be louder than the songs before and after it. It's easy to do with this digital stuff because you can quickly jump from section to section with a few mouse clicks.

Hope this is of interest to you!
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Post by eliam »

Absolutely! Thanks!
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Post by Richmo »

Ditto, many,many Thanx
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Post by kensuguro »

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: kensuguro on 2003-09-17 06:55 ]</font>
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