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Mastering is the vital last step in the production process, and with so many software
solutions around, its easier than ever to get involved. Hollin Jones explains all
he evolution of music technology in recent years has seen mastering,
once seemingly the most mysterious of processes for the uninitiated,
become something that almost any producer can do for themselves.
Thanks to powerful computers, advanced applications and plug-ins,
the tools needed are now far more accessible than they used to be.
Plus theres a greater
understanding of what
mastering is and how to go
about it. It does, of course,
remain as much of an art
form as it ever was, and
simply having the tools is
meaningless if you dont
know how to use them or you lack the musical judgement to make the right
creative decisions.
In truth, with a little guidance most people can create great-sounding masters,
and the good news is that your DAW provides almost all the tools you need to do
so. There are some specialised suites and plug-ins that will make your life easier
if you have the option of using them, and a decent set of monitors and a
sympathetic listening environment are also crucial to any mastering session,
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Every piece of
music is different and
needs to be ma
aste
ered
according to its own
ch
haracteristics
of techniques that will help you get a great, radioready sound.
What is ma
Wh
mast
ster
st
ering?
Before talking about how to master audio its
important to understand what the term actually
means. When you work on a track you are
concentrating on recording, editing, programming
and arranging it, and when you come to mix it
whats important is the relative balance of all the
different elements. So youre EQing the guitars a
little here, automating the vocal a little there and
14 | August 2014
MAGAZINE
01
02
Star
St
artt wi
with
th tthe
he m
mix
ix
A lot of producers, even some at the top of the
industry, now work almost entirely in-the-box, which
means that music is started, worked on and finished
without ever leaving the computer. This has a
number of benefits, not least that it greatly reduces
Tech Terms
OA/BING
The process of temporarily
muting processing to hear
the original version of the
signal and judge how you are
changing it. Also applies to
comparing your work-inprogress with commercially
mastered material to help
decide if youre heading in
the right direction.
OSTEMS
Groups of tracks that bear
some relation to each other,
eg, drums, guitars or vocals.
Stem mastering enables you
to alter the balance of these
elements during mastering,
which isnt otherwise
possible if you have a stereo
file to work with.
03
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stereo imaging, reverb and dither, and is perfectly optimised for the
touch interface. Far more advanced than you might expect, it has
detailed controls for every aspect of the mastering process as well
as great metering and comprehensive import and export options for
putting music directly online.
Alternatively, an app called Audio
Mastering, also for iPad and priced at
8.99, has a more scientific interface
but is nonetheless very powerful. It
has a parametric EQ, stereo imaging,
multiband compressor, reverb, stereo
imaging, maximizer, spectral analyser
and more, and has basic and
advanced control modes.
Just as with your computer you
will want to use a proper audio
interface and serious monitoring in
order to get the best possible results,
but its interesting to know that you
can now master on iPad using very
similar tools to those that you would
use in your studio.
Starti
St
ting
ng tthe
he process
You can master in various different kinds of software
since its really just a case of loading up an audio file
16 | August 2014
MAGAZINE
Sque
Sq
ueeze
e th
the so
soun
und
d
Theres no strictly defined order in which to start
processing your master but many producers like to
Tech Terms
ODITHERING
Changing the bit depth of
audio, say when mixing down
from 32-bit to 16-bit, can
introduce distortion into the
signal. Dithering adds noise
thats more or less inaudible
to our ears in an attempt to
minimise this.
OGLASS MASTER
An increasingly outdated
concept, the glass master is
the master copy of a digital
album that is used to press a
large number of CDs from.
Your pristine, full-quality
digital files that result from
mastering fulfil much the
same role.
Parallell compress
sion ca
an
bee
ef-u
up yo
our tracks an
nd gre
eatlyy
in
ncrease pe
erceived loudne
ess
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Beco
come
me tthe equ
qual
alizer
With your audio glued together by compression its
time to use EQ to sweeten and balance the sound.
You will invariably find that a little EQ during
mastering can really help, even for a track that has
been mixed well. A parametric EQ is a good choice as
it provides a nice visual representation of the EQ
curve and will have multiple points and Q controls.
The aim of mastering EQ is to pick out certain
elements of a track and then either back them off or,
Tech Terms
OMULTIBAND
Any processing that works
across several frequency
bands, usually with
adjustable crossover points.
Compression and EQ are the
most common multiband
types and are both used
extensively in mastering.
OMASTER BUSS
The stereo output of your
DAW through which the whole
signal passes. During the
mastering process this is
where you would normally
place the effects, although
they can also be used as
inserts on your single audio
track if you are only working
with one track at a time
instead of stem mastering.
DAWs on the iPad such as Auria have advanced insert effects sections
that you can use for mastering on the move.
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MAGAZINE
MT Technology To really understand your masters, you need to check the meter
When mixing and mastering you spend a lot of time looking at the
master level meters in your DAW or on your mixing desk. This is
indeed where you can see if your signal is too loud or quiet, but it
offers only one kind of visual feedback.
To fully understand whats going on you will need to use some
more advanced metering tools. These can be applied as inserts
across your master buss and dont process or change the sound,
they simply analyse it. Your DAW may come with an analysis
plug-in or two but there are excellent third-party models
available too from the likes of Blue Cat Audios Analysis Pack and
Waves Dorrough Meter Collection and PAZ Analyzer.
What you gain by using proper audio analysis tools is a better
insight into the way the frequencies in your master are really
behaving. When you listen to sound through loudspeakers it is
being affected by all kinds of factors including the character of
those speakers, their placement and proximity to walls, and your
position relative to them. For example, bass can sound very
different depending on how you stand in relation to the speakers.
By analysing the sound before it leaves the computer, plug-ins
can show you whats truly happening across the frequency
spectrum with phase issues and so on, and enable you to correct
these during mastering.
The modules in T-RackS CS also work individually as well as in a suite,
and can be loaded into any DAW.
Use judgement in
balancing a strong
level ag
gainst re
etaining
the right amount of
dynamic range
reached its nadir with Metallicas Death Magnetic, an
album so tiring on the ears that some listeners
actually sent it back.
Its quite possible to over-limit and crush your
signal, either by running the output level over 0dB or
more likely by driving the input gain too hard. If your
level meters are consistently hammering up against
the zero mark, step back and listen to whether your
track is in fact being squeezed too hard. You dont
want to suck all the dynamic range out of it because
this kills its musicality the levels should have a
little movement left in them.
Its generally accepted now that the loudness wars
went too far; its not necessary to crush your tracks
to death, just use some judgement in balancing a
Tech Terms
OIN THE BOX
Any production that takes
place entirely inside the
computer. Increasingly
popular as a standard
working method, some
producers start, work on
and finish off whole tracks
without ever leaving their
digital environment.
OMASTERING SUITE
A collection of plug-ins or
processing modules that
collectively make up a
mastering chain. Typically
comprising EQ, compression
and limiting they may also
have stereo widening and
mastering reverb too.
Best
Be
st o
off the rest
st
As well as the processors mentioned above you may
also want to use stereo widening, and some more
advanced metering can also help. Stereo widening
should be used sparingly because it can quickly start
to really mess with the soundstage if you push it too
far, seriously altering the mix. Its good to use a
stereo widener with low and high controls and a
configurable crossover point so you can keep the low
end tight and centred while adding a little width to
the top end.
Regularly A/Bing your master both with its dry,
unprocessed signal and with commercially mastered
songs in a similar style can be invaluable in helping
keep you on the right track and getting the best end
results. Youll also need a decent set of monitors
because you need as accurate a picture as possible of
how your master is shaping up. And preferably get
yourself kitted out with a really good set of
headphones, since many of your listeners will
experience your music this way.
When your master is done you can export it out to
a stereo file and then top and tail it in a wave editor
to deal with any errant reverb tails or clicks. Before
signing off on a master its vital to listen back to it on
as many systems as you can in case you find that for
some reason the bass disappears on an iPhone, or the
cymbals are way too loud on a car stereo. Stuff like
this does happen and its well worth going back and
refining the master to account for it.
With a little practice and the right set of tools you
can use mastering to really enhance the finished
sound of your tracks. MT
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