 |
Illustrated |
| "The space and depth created
for each song using Separations is quite a 'jaw-dropping' thing to
hear." - Scott Menefee - Copperdown - Texas |
| "To hear someone
talk about
this process is one thing, to actually hear the difference is amazing." - Laurie Morvan, Lisa Grubbs - The Laurie Morvan Band - Blues rock recording artists |
| "Separations
made a
huge difference in our final product. Our
songs jumped up several notches before our eyes. " - Stayce Roberts, Smalltown/Hit City Records |
| "We were blown away by the
Separation Mastering format." - Robert and Maria Veloso, "Midwinter Turns to Spring" |
|
and Problem? Solution |
From the late 50's, 2-track master tapes were
transferred onto
stereo vinyl recordings. Studios with multi-channel consoles, machines and
Digital
Audio Workstations still use the 2-Track to 2-Track protocol. Adding more technology doesn't increase the engineer's
ability
to perfect mixes in inaccurate control room situations. Separation Mastering allows musical elements of a recording to be optimized separately - without compromises. |
Vestman Mastering is
here to help - check out our articles including:
Separations are
easy to create - here's how.
Secrets of Mixing -- Secrets of Miking -- Vocalist Motivation -- Compression Explained and more. Client Question) Is it any more costly to do Separation Mastering with vocals split into lead vox & backup vox? A) Generally separating vocals and backups doesn't add significant cost. For instance if we need to de-ess both the lead vocal and backup Separations, it takes only a small amount of time, like a minute or two, to de-ess each Separation. But if there are noises in the tracks or widely varying levels, then each track would require time to make the individual corrections. Re-blending lead and backup vocals takes only the amount of time required to meet your goals. Always approach your mix so that you like what you're hearing - our refinements should be "icing on the cake" - not the whole bakery! As with traditional mastering we can't predict what will happen until we're actually working on your project. NOTE: Somehow, one of our clients accidentally turned off the vocal automation when he made his Separations. The client was unable to do a remix, so we had to "ride" the vocals in mastering. The result was really excellent and well worth it - but it would have saved time had he checked his Separations to be sure everything was done correctly! Q) Should I avoid tweaking the .WAV files prior to sending them to you (i.e. removing DC offset, audio errors, etc.) -- I'm assuming the less I touch the better. Actually the happier you are with your tracks/Separations the better - within the context of your mixdown goals. So if there's audio errors, like tics or clipping (or vocal tuning), we'd rather have you take care of that. We take care of any sonic issues arising from DC offset. Concerns from Pro's -- Solutions from
Separations
"I have notices that some stuff coming
in now from home studios, where everything has been mixed
in a DAW, has a different kind of 'not
very well done' feel compared to
what I used to get 20 years ago from analogue tape, and in some ways
it's harder to deal with."
-Andy Jackson, recording engineer for David Gilmour, mastering engineer Once you understand how Separation Mastering works, you can relax! You can really do less, not obsess and just make an excellent mix - allowing the extra touch of mastering to take the sound to the next level. When you take home the mastered CDR, you're really hearing the final result and you can make changes based on your exact wishes for your product. "[Sophisticated plug-in tools for
mixing] will help you avoid embarrassing
(and expensive) encounters
with your mastering facility."
-Chris Gill - Future Music Magazine No one should ever have an "embarrassing" encounter with a mastering facility. Why would you ever be embarrassed? Because the mastering engineer believes your mixdown can't cut the mustard in today's competitive music market? Because that mastering engineer might send you home to do a remix before he or she can accomplish your goals for you? No one should be embarrassed when Separation Mastering is used, because the flexibility and non-destructive recallability and control of the sound is unparalleled. Yes in some cases, we have encountered cases where the client went back to re-cut some tracks, simply because after hearing their project clearly and distinctly, it was obvious that some errors needed repair. But the ability to make corrective adjustments to a mix means you will have a more potent, professional blend of your tracks when keen listening skills guide the crafting of your sound. When you attend your Separation Mastering session, you will have a completed project and a greater understanding of what makes a great mix happen. These situations are not embarrassing, they are helpful, given the professional goals of our clients. Separation Mastering can be eye-opening and positive, particularly when no one in the mastering studio makes you wrong for having done (what you thought was) your best. "We
have discovered a world of options in our mastering sessions! No
longer are you tied down! Separation is
truly an essential aspect for digital recording. No teniamos idea
de lo que se trataba. Nuestra experiencia es que te abre atados a
la masterisacion tradicional. La Separacion es un aspecto
indispensable para la industria de la grabacion." -Medina, LA, California
Quick tips! It will take more time for you to make your Separations. Use the 3-D's - Document, Describe and Detail. Be sure you are organized, because good file folder management helps the load-in process go much faster. Document your track layout and double check to be sure all tracks are accounted for, no tracks are duplicated, reverbs and effects are included in the respective Separation tracks. The more organized you are, the less likely that mistakes can occur. Leave headroom in your stereo mixes - slamming to the max isn't the best way to go. If you can, remove your master fader for better sound (unless you are using plug ins across your stereo buss that are important to your sound). Your mix shouldn't create digital overs (clipping) when your master fader is set at -0- unity gain. Particularly when your system is 24-bit, it's better to have your peaks top out at -2 to -3dB on your stereo mix buss! Remember, don't raise the gain of the tracks when you make your Separations! Everything should stay exactly as it was when you mixed.... just separated. Check to make sure you've included every musical element in your Separations that is contained in your mixdown! When it comes to kick drums, use reverb and/or big room sounds carefully because mastering up to today's hot CD levels can add sustain and presence to that room tone - which can blur the overall sound. If you want that big John Bonham room feel, you may want to separate your kick (in stereo) from the rest of the kit. That way if the verb gets too heavy, it can be trimmed without compromising the other drums. By the way, a key to that great Led Zepplin sound was the fact that vinyl wasn't slammed the way CDs are today - leaving an openness and punch that's still awesome 30+ years later! Check your tracks for polarity. Here's an advanced tip - you should be able to look at your tracks - the kick drum in particular - and see that the "leading edge" of the kick drum starts from the center of the waveform and goes up.... then down. If your waveform goes down first, insert a plug in that can invert (or flip) the absolute polarity (also called phase). Listen to the sound. If you feel that there is more fullness and punch when the track is inverted, then you have corrected its polarity. If you feel the sound gets slightly thinner and the top end (treble) gets a bit more harsh, you've flipped the polarity but it's not correct. Check your mixes for polarity. Same thing. Put your stereo mixes into a DAW program and insert a plug in that flips the polarity. If your mix sounds fuller, more punchy and smoother in the upper mids and highs, then you have corrected the polarity. If instead the sound gets a little thinner and less pleasant in the treble range, then your mix was correct before flipping it. The leading edge of the waveform is pushing when the polarity is correct. It's pulling when it's not. Yikes but it can be tricky on some systems... why? Because some playback systems have polarity issues in their components, cross-overs etc. If you hear no difference at all, stick with your standard mix setting and we'll check it out. If you are mixing to a Masterlink, stand-alone CD burner or other "wild" mixdown format (non-exact start and end times) instead of a computer "bounce" - include a sharp click, tic or other line-up cue at the beginning of each separation. Preferable is a metronome or other pure-wave sound with a crisp, immediate front edge. A kick, snare, stick-click count-off is fine, but a bass note or vocal cue makes Separation-syncing more difficult! Be SURE the EXACT same click is used for each and every Separation!!! Display the LEAST amount of visual graphics on screen when you are recording your Separations. Once you're done setting the pan position/automation in your mix, remove the pan pots (visually) from your mixer display. Same thing with your fader meters, I/O displays, mute/solo/record button displays, plug in windows, etc. The fewer graphics, the less your computer's processor has to work. Do your homework! Listen to CDs and find the sound you love the most. Note the musical arrangements on your favorite CDs to hear how much space, sustain, reverb, bass, vocal, etc. "defines" your taste. Example: If you love the sound of CDs that have sparse instrumentation and close-miking techniques, check that yours isn't full of sustain, room sound, reverb and multiple layers of overdubs that are crowding the "air" in your tracks. If your favorite group has a bass part that lifts between notes and your bass part is all sustain, it will add some challenges to our ability to achieve your sonic goals. Separations give the ideal way to steer in an ideal direction, but they don't replace the car! Bringing in a reference CD or two with your session can be an easy way to show us the sound you like. Back to Mastering with Separations article More details on how to record Separations See a chart of suggested Separation Layouts |
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