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Mastering

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jacksimmons

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« on: September 28, 2018, 10:54:30 AM »
Hi all! Think I might be posting a lot here in the coming weeks as I finalise the writing and recording of my album and try and wrap my head round all sorts of stuff.

Regarding mastering, I can't decide if I should learn to do this myself, or have someone else do it. For sake of ease and time, I would love to have someone else master the tracks I have. How do I go about this? And is it likely to cost an arm and a leg?

Also, is the mastering process likely to drastically alter my mixes, specifically if it is done by someone else? I am very aware of my shortcomings in the production department but am a bit precious about my mixes at this stage
« Last Edit: September 28, 2018, 10:56:38 AM by jacksimmons »
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Boydie

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« Reply #1 on: September 28, 2018, 11:59:30 AM »
@jacksimmons

I am a little biased here as I offer a mastering service for £20 per track

The big advantage of having someone else master your tracks is that you get another set of ears (and monitoring environment) on your mix

You also save yourself having to buy lots of plugins, learn how to use them, and practice with them - as mastering can easily ruin a good mix

Here is a thread containing some examples, including my mastering of a track and an outline of my process & plugins:

http://www.songwriterforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=14133.msg137051#msg137051

I could say loads about the mastering process but the best way to answer all of your questions is to show you - so I would be happy to master one of your tracks COMPLETELY FREE OF CHARGE so you can decide for yourself where it is worth it

All I would need is a stereo mix in the best quality you have and I will take it from there

If you PM me we can talk more about how best to send me the mix

Thanks

Boydie
To check out my music please visit:

http://soundcloud.com/boydiemusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoydieMusic

jacksimmons

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« Reply #2 on: September 28, 2018, 04:11:52 PM »
Thanks @Boydie that sounds great. I'll pop you a PM.
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"When I play a dope melody, anything less than the best is a felony." - Robert Matthew Van Winkle

tone

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« Reply #3 on: September 28, 2018, 05:13:17 PM »
I've been very happy with @Boydie's masters of my mix - he's got excellent ears and he knows how to use them. Check out the soundcloud link in my sig to hear the most recent one.
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1st track from my upcoming album -- Click to listen -- Thanks!

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Bill Saunders

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« Reply #4 on: September 28, 2018, 11:09:38 PM »
Jack - I know your album means a lot to you - I can totally recommend @Boydie He has mixed and mastered a number of my tracks and the results are absolutely superb. I'm not saying you won't be able to attain that level yourself in time, but in the meantime, I would honestly hand the job to Boydie.


mikek

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« Reply #5 on: November 11, 2018, 03:40:37 PM »
@Boydie  when you say you need a stereo mix, does that mean, everything mixed down to 2 tracks? 

SlavaB

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« Reply #6 on: November 12, 2018, 05:31:01 AM »
I would highly recomment Boydie's mastering. Very professional sound. Unfortunately had no opportunity to master with him ue to financial side. But the free one he did was amazingly good.

Boydie

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« Reply #7 on: November 12, 2018, 08:16:32 AM »
Thanks guys  :-*

@mikek

Quote
when you say you need a stereo mix, does that mean, everything mixed down to 2 tracks?

Yes - when you do the mixing you should end up with everything going to a stereo master - so the end result is your mix as a 2 track stereo file

I would ideally want a high quality version of this mix (i.e. an uncompressed .wav file) without any "mastering effects" on your master bus - i.e. No compression, eq, limiting etc. (It is fine to use compression, eq etc. On individual tracks as you mix - just avoid putting anything on the master bus in attempt to boost volume etc.

If you want specific help setting up your mixes in preparation for mastering drop me a PM and I will talk you through it for you particular software/DAW

I am always happy to do a master of a track for free and send you a snippet so you can hear what difference it would make and whether it is worth it for you

Best thing to do is send me a PM and we can discuss...
To check out my music please visit:

http://soundcloud.com/boydiemusic

Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoydieMusic