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Category One: Mixing
Mistakes!
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"The most common problem is
too
much level [at mixdown] - [A project is unfixable if the mixing
engineer] just slammed it - if it's just crunched and really distorted,
there's nothing to be done about it, but those crunches are always
going to be there... Not only is distortion the result, but that kind
of saturation takes away the attack. It flattens things out.
A kick drum, for instance, becomes all mush, so you don't feel the real
solid slap to it. where it's almost distorting, but not quite, and the
mastering process will bring that out. Sometimes it will really need to
be remixed."
-"Big Bass" Brian Gardner - Bernie
Grundman Mastering
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1. Sampling rates are low and mixing
levels are too
high. We recommend making your recordings at the highest
sampling rate possible - up to 96k. Most projects still come in
at
44.1k. Yikes. Why??? Not for quality purposes.
Even 48k sounds
better. We're guessing that folks think that if you're making a
CD that's 44.1, there's no point in making a recording
that's at a higher sampling rate. Better: If
you're going to a mastering studio with analog gear, you always want to
have the highest sampling rate possible when you deliver those
files! If your CPU
processor/plug ins/hard drive space/track count will allow it, record
at a higher sampling rate - at least 48k and always 24 bit!!!!
Even if your system is 16 bits (gads!) choose to make 24 bit files at
mix time.
When it comes to mixing levels (and tracking for that matter) we
recommend 1 to 3 dB below the clipping point on a Full Scale
digital meter.
Artists often worry when their rough mixes aren't as loud as commercial
CDs. So the engineer often feels pushed into using extra
compression or limiting, when sometimes that confuses the issue and can
change the overall mix.
Key: Often musical arrangements (how many instruments are
playing
at any one time) have a lot to do with how loud the mix will be, so it
can be mysterious when some songs stand out and others
don't. It's also helpful to know that at hotter levels,
more sustain is induced
into the sound (forming longer kick and bass notes and less subtle
reverb). Often the skill of the
mixing engineer has a lot to do with crafting a
loud mix. Down the road, Separations can facilitate better
mastering because the variety of elements throughout the project can be
optimized to get the most out of every song.
Do NOT to
clip the signal when tracking or mixing in DAWs. Those red lights are
not your friend. While it can be helpful to make mixes with
stereo buss limiting or compression (to see how things sound with
hotter overall level), it's not ideal to just slam your mixes.
Here's more about Hot
CDs, compression, and Mixing
2. Mixing cymbals too loud and kick
too soft. Yeeouch! Huge cymbal crashes or harsh hi-hats are a
challenge to deal with, particularly if you're requesting traditional
2-track
mastering. Since it's fairly common to add some highs or mid-highs for
clarity in mastering, cymbals become more clearer -
right along with the voice - unless you submit Separations! With Separations, all of the
limitations discussed in this paragraph are either reduced or
eliminated. We highly recommend that if you want a loud rock CD master,
make Drum Separations [Your Song] Drums.AIF and Overhead Separations
[Your Song] OHs.AIF. Also visit the page about tracking drum
sounds for more solutions.
3. Not de-essing vocals in mixdown is a
very common problem. Gads this one is important! A de-esser
keeps vocals from becoming spitty or harsh when you want to add EQ to
get the sound bright and clear. But don't
over-do de-essing - the vocals can sound like they are lisping. The
SS's should sound
even and natural no matter how much top end you put on a vocal. Since
many software de-essers aren't that great, a very good way to de-ess is
to actually go into your volume automation window, ya know that
line-with-the-dots editing thing, and zoom in on the ss's and manually
lower the volume of each one. Fun, huh! Takes time, but it's the most
natural sounding (think manual compression). With Separations....
this becomes hardly an issue at all.
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"[Mastering] a mix with
heavy vocal 'esses' means de-essing the entire mix, which doesn't sound
good. I'd
rather [lower the 'esses' in Pro Tools with manual editing] to bring
the volume of each of the 'esses' down individually."
"I leave the waveform alone and just grab and drop the volume curve
down at the exact spot where the [high] frequency is peaking," he
continues. "After a while you get a good feeling for how much each one
needs to come down because you don't want to get rid of it completely."
- Erik Zobler, 2-time Grammy
winner - credits include George Duke, Stanley Clarke, Miles Davis,
Anita Baker, Philip Bailey, Celine Dion, etc.
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4. The vocals are mixed too soft, or
inconsistently from song to song. ...or there's too many
instruments or frequencies crowding the vocal. Create a "pocket"
in the frequencies in your mix where the vocal naturally sits even
around loud guitars and drums. "Feather" all the frequencies (and
panning locations) in your mix so that you don't build up any one
particular area. Also remember rule #1, "There are no
rules." This problem is TOTALLY SOLVED by Separation
Mastering.
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Here's my old answer to this old
problem. Don't read it. I published it from 1999 to March 2005
because it was correct. Separation Mastering now makes this information
obsolete. Move on to #9....
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Solution: Make alternate mixes. For example, if you wonder about how
much kick to have in the mix, start out with what you think is
correct. Then make a 2nd pass
with the kick up 1 dB - then make a mix with the kick up 2 dB. Since a
hotter kick can "teeter-totter" other things softer (like the vocal),
you may then want to make
a pass with the kick and the vocal up 1 dB (or alter whatever tracks
you're concerned about.) Then make a mix with the kick back to normal
and the vocal up 1 dB, and so forth. [Ok, so you're reading this
obsolete paragraph
anyway... check it out... even in 1999 when this article first
appeared, alternate mixes were just a partial solution, so we
encouraged people to make
Separated tracks] ...Then make a TV
mix (a mix with everything minus the lead vocal) and a lead-vocal only
mix. Leave
in all the effects, delays, etc. that you used on the voice in the mix.
We can layer the voice mix with the TV mix in
mastering and make it exactly the way you want it. It takes more time,
but then so does remixing. It's also a good idea to make an
instrumental mix (no vocals at all) and an all-vocals mix. We'll sync
it all up and give you the balance you want!
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5. Songs mixed on small speakers
(without subwoofers) generally have incorrect bottom end. Don't
overcompensate just because you're using small speakers. Too much woof
only makes home speakers work harder and not necessarily produce more
sound. This is one of the arts of mastering. Knowing how to produce useful
bottom end that translates well to a home system, radio, a boom box,
and a night club. When in doubt, get a subwoofer and compare your mix
to commercial CDs through your monitor system.
Common mistake: too much
bottom on the kick from 30hz and below. The best way to check on any
system is to A-B your mix with commercial CD productions - so long as
you have instant level-matching and high resolution. (More A-B tips on the
Nautilus web site.)
TIP:
Remember the teeter-totter principle - when you add more of something,
something else will be lessened. This applies to frequencies,
instruments, panning and more.
6. Over-use of stereo buss mastering
processors. Sometimes less is more. Before
Separation Mastering, clients would sometimes over-process their stereo
buss which was practically impossible to undo. Throwing more
technology at music isn't always the answer, particularly if the
monitor system or room acoustics disguise the cool sound that's just
there to begin with. Many classic recordings had very little
technology in the signal chain.... and amazing stuff happened!
Computers and
Finalizers (or other digital processors) change the sound by
recalculating the numbers. The word length of the digital "samples"
change, and the resolution changes. Even panning or changing the fader
level in a DAW recalculates the numbers. What we find is that
more artists and recordists are creating amazing stuff - a 10th grader
today with a laptop DAW has more technology available to him (or her)
than the Beatles did 40 years ago today!
Key: Finalizers and mastering
plug ins don't come with 20+ years of experience. An expert
mastering
engineer won't be caught up in
"gizmo-itus" and can hear deep into the mix to bring out the best in
your music. Creative beginnings and endings, or other ideas add to the
final
"icing" on the cake. Do your homework by A/B referencing your
mixes with commercial CDs, and always experiment - try different things
to find what works best for you.
Category Two:
Technical/Logistics
7. Not listening critically to your
mixes for clicks, pops, ticks etc. Digital is unforgiving. Folks
today are auto-tuning, bouncing and trouncing in computers, using
plug-in mania with computer operating systems and word clock
personalities... Mastering brings out the best in your music, but it
also brings a lot forward that you might not have heard unless you sit
down with headphones, an undisturbed environment, and your favorite
beverage... Some common noises: mouth clicks, auto-tune glitches,
processor-strained drop-outs and more.
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"A lot of people think once
you're
going D to D, it doesn't matter because it's all numbers. But you can
hear it. Every step makes a difference, and when you add all the
subtleties up, the result is dramatic."
-"Big Bass" Brian Gardner - Bernie
Grundman Mastering
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Note: With that said, we
still recommend backing up your masters, just
in case. Especially if you are sending your masters out-of-state for
mastering. We recommend using Fed Ex, UPS or some other company that
reliably tracks your package!
8. Being too rushed by the pressing deadline. Schedule
your mastering session so that you have enough time to take home a
reference CD and listen to it on several different systems before
sending it to the pressing plant! YOUR PART of mastering is to take
your master into the consumer world (not just right back to the studio)
and "put on the hat" of your audience to gauge their experience of your
music. Put on the "hat" of the program director who will decide
if he or she will play your music! Examine the experience of your
whole album in the car, from the next room, out at a local retail
store, during dinner... heck while the vacuum cleaner is running!
Get a new perspective and see if you have any other thoughts. If
you've made Separations, you can really consider all your
preferences. We can
recall your session and easily make creative
changes. Allow for this in your budget, too.
9. Bringing in CDR masters that
have scratches, fingerprints, no covers, or are not clearly identified
as to what's what. Nuff said.
10. Editing the front and back of a song
file right up to the exact start of the audio can be a mistake.
Leave a couple seconds of "dead air" before your audio file
begins. Just as in the days of analog tape, or DATS, a little
breathing room before the song starts is a good idea. We can
always trim things down in mastering - it takes only seconds.
Bonus
mistake: Burning reference audio CDRs at
high
speed (4x, 8x, 12x, etc.) Burn your audio CDRs at 1x or 2x
- it
sounds better. Data CDRs or
DVD-Rs are fine at higher speeds, but to be sure, stick to 4X or
less....
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"[The sound of our mix was]
nice
and clear in my studio. Having read lots of info
on your site, I was VERY surprised to find my CDR sounding smother when
recorded at 1x!!!! Thanks!"
-David McClave, Independent Media Professionals
"We are
very happy to tell you that everybody, from the label to the
musicians around us love your [refinements] & your mastering." - Dieter Schulthess - Core 22 -
Switzerland
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FIVE QUICK TIPS FOR THE BEST MASTERING:
1. Be prepared! Check this article for more info.
2. Bring in your favorite commercial CDs and compare the sound of your
project to those other CDs (great mixing idea too).
3. Don't have huge conversations with others in the room when the
mastering engineer is concentrating on the sound.
4. When you take home your reference CDR, listen on lots of different
consumer systems (not in the studio first!).
5. Take breaks, have fun, enjoy the process. It's all about teamwork
and a professionally successful attitude.
© Copyright
1999 -2006 John Vestman
Date created: 10/25/99 • Last
modified: 08/13/06
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