adding a mastering plug-in to an entire song

xian · Post by **xian** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 4:44 pm

Hi

Wondering if someone can advise me on something. Just bought a mastering plug-in & want to apply a setting to an entire song (20 tracks). I know I can apply it directly to each track, individually, but I want to apply the setting to the entire thing before I render it.

Thanks for any help.

X

Sales Dude McBoob · Post by **Sales Dude McBoob** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 4:46 pm

Finally a question I can answer!

Just drag that baby down onto the master track. It's that inconspicious looking deal at the bottom of the arrangement screen.

smart1123 · Post by **smart1123** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 4:53 pm

quick word of advice, if you're going to master yourself, render your track, take a break, come back with fresh ears and tweak your mastering plug on your stereo mix, I think you'll find you can better evaluate what you need to do in mastering if you treat mix and master as two seperate events.
Just my .02

DJ Precious · Post by **DJ Precious** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:01 pm

Just curious, what should the next step be for him, smart1123?

After he renders a second time with the mastering plug ins (Izotope Ozone perhaps?), what should he do with that file?

Should he bring it into mastering software (Wavelab/Bias) and hit it yet again with his plug ins?

I'm about to do this myself and I'm wondering what other folks are doing. I'm just waiting until I get a UAD1.

Thanks.

kick_kick_snare · Post by **kick_kick_snare** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:04 pm

I toally agree about taking a break first, I'd leave it untill the next day... and take lots of breaks while you're doing it, every half hour at least.

xian · Post by **xian** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:06 pm

Thanks for the response(s). You're right about fresh ears & keeping it separate but i'm not sure how to save the mix w/ the plug-in added in my ancient copy of Peak so thought it would be simpler to do it via Live. I am using the Ozone Isotope software - just got it this am but seems like it's a worth the $200.

Thanks again - Cheers.

DJ Precious · Post by **DJ Precious** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:12 pm

I called it!

Izotope is pretty cool. I have yet to hear the UAD1 card but I'm going to buy it anyway because from what people have been saying it's the cat's pajamas.

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:27 pm

One thing I would recomend if you are going anywhere near a real mastering person, and then to CD.

Do a version out of Live with the mastering on the main buss like you suggest. Then turn it off and render one out 'normalised' but without all the mastering plugin on the main stereo.

when you go to master it to CD, play your mastered version to the engineer then when he starts crying wave the un-hammered version around .. he may smile at this point.

He can use your version as a reference to make the uncrushed version sound the way you want.

smart1123 · Post by **smart1123** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:00 pm

DJ Precious wrote:Just curious, what should the next step be for him, smart1123?

After he renders a second time with the mastering plug ins (Izotope Ozone perhaps?), what should he do with that file?

Should he bring it into mastering software (Wavelab/Bias) and hit it yet again with his plug ins?

I'm about to do this myself and I'm wondering what other folks are doing. I'm just waiting until I get a UAD1.

Thanks.

Personally I do everything in four stages, compose, edit, mix, master. In his case I would render his live session with no mastering and no normalisation, then open a new live session with only one track load the rendered mix onto this track and master once. I ususally go 6 band eq=>light compression=>multiband compressor=>limiter between -3 and -6 db with a -0.5 db peak depending on my ears. use the eq to clean up any freqs you dont like or want to bring out, comp at say 2:1 with a pretty high threshold, I generally just use a mastering preset on the multiband and then tweak it. Finally render your mastered mix, you will now have an unmastered and mastered version so you can go back if you need to later. Personally if I ever sold anything I would take it to a mastering engineer but if you're just trying to bring your levels up and do something basic these are some good guidelines.
Best of Luck
Luke

DJ VAKIS · Post by **DJ VAKIS** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:05 pm

Mastering is big a story.........good ears...........know what you doing.......i think good mastering comes from good from enginiers.Sorry for my english.

Angstrom · Post by **Angstrom** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:07 pm

I would render his live session with no mastering and no normalisation ..

although that is probably the 'correct' way, have you ever found that when mastering to define the punch of a track (for instance) that unwanted elements creep into audibility?

I think it helps to preview-master in the DAW as multitrack to define the sound of the main stereo pair. This way when the unusual and obtrusive elements that get in the way of your low end kick(for example) you can immediately roll of the bass on the offending channel.
After you have a balance that sounds right with 'mastering' TURN IT OFF. it will sound wrong, but it will be usefull in the later 'real' mastering stage. IE ... if you ever get to use a real mastering engineer /suite. render out a version with this 'anti-mastering' sound. It seems odd, but mastering engineers do recommend it. Take both a normal, a 'mastered' and an 'anti-mastered' version

The alternative to all that is mastering on a flat wave when you find problems you then having to go back to the DAW and rendering out a new mix to take to the mastering stage again.

I have had to do that, it's feels bad !

DJ VAKIS · Post by **DJ VAKIS** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:24 pm

You guys think with some plugins you can do mastering?I dont think so.Sorry.

smart1123 · Post by **smart1123** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:27 pm

DJ VAKIS wrote:You guys think with some plugins you can do mastering?I dont think so.Sorry.

smart1123 wrote:Personally if I ever sold anything I would take it to a mastering engineer but if you're just trying to bring your levels up and do something basic these are some good guidelines.

supster · Post by **supster** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:55 pm

DJ VAKIS wrote:You guys think with some plugins you can do mastering?I dont think so.Sorry.

ya, if you have to ask where to put the plug-in in order to master your track, i would say you dont have the experience or objectivity to master your track.

not saying this to be rude - but it's true. you should be doing your best mix, then finding someone else to do your mastering. i do..
.

xian · Post by **xian** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 7:10 pm

Thanks for all the input this generated. I am not trying to do any final mastering or anything that can't be undone - it's left to the mastering engineer. i'm sending out a completed record to a label & am just trying to 'polish' a couple of the tracks - that's it. Cheers.