Mastering - general practice

[markhunter]

I tend to apply mastering e.g. isotope changes in Ableton against a fully loaded project i.e. on the master channel as opposed to exporting a single stereo file then apply mastering changes to that.

This is a matter of convenience for me so that I can (shouldn't have to but do) return to mix and/or even retake a guitar part, etc.

However, are there disadvantages in that - do you get better results working on single file - daft question really - my own ears say no - the only discernible difference i see is CPU load!

Thoughts?

[Vios]

As far as the audio is concerned, it won't make a difference to apply the effects directly to your master channel once your final mix is done, versus exporting the audio and then working on the exported audio, so long as the exported audio has the same sampling rate/bit rate.

However I'd still recommend exporting the audio and then using that for your master. Reason being at that point you can't go back and tweak your track. It prevents you from getting into these kind of negative cycles: "I just applied some multiband compression, but now the high hats aren't popping out. I'll just go boost the volume on the high hats 1dB." In my experience, doing that a few times will result in a poor quality master when played on anything but your reference monitors.

Really, mastering is something that works best if it isn't done by you, and isn't done on the same set of monitors/listening environment. It adds a pair of ears to level out your mix, and results in your track sounding good across multiple sound systems.

[ttilberg]

Also take note, some of the instrument and plugin settings you've chosen, may lead to a certain amount of randomness, which will change the sound every time it plays through. It would likely be best to work on a file where a part is actually bounced to audio, and therefor will not change, even slightly.

I just had a nightmare trying to get certain S&H filter automations just right -- it's best to just bounce it.

[markhunter]

Good points... cheers.

[synnack]

I used to do this exact thing myself. But I would advise you not to. I stopped. Here's why...

If you apply mastering process to your full set you will likely never end up with exported versions that are not mastered and have any headroom.

If years later you realize your mastering shouldn't have been done differently, you're relying on an ability to load a set and have it play back the same. You may have a new computer, you may not have the same vat fx installed at that point. But now you can't re-master the track because you didn't export it first.

This is on top of the point already made that by exporting you better enable a third party to ever master it.