What tools do you use for Mastering? Fab filter? Izotope? something else?
Hi
@cowparsleyman I always carefully listen to the track and try to understand what the song/mix is trying to "communicate" - my job is then to choose a mastering approach that best supports and enhances the mix and the song
If possible I also talk to the "song owner" (either the writer, producer, mixer etc.) to understand their "vision" for what the end product should sound like (eg some say they don't want it too squashed and would rather sacrifice volume for dynamics etc. - whereas on other occasions it is perfectly acceptable to sacrifice dynamics for volume - this varies from song to song and producer to producer so understanding the "vision" is vital)
I have purposely not developed a robotic process for mastering and I have no presets - I start from scratch with each master
Having said that I have developed a "chain" of plugins that I tend to use, which I can switch in and out depending on the approach I am taking
There is obviously only so much that can be done with a Stereo master file - mixing a song using the original tracks allows for much better mixing and mastering so I am a fan of blurring the lines between the mixing and mastering stages - but sometimes you only have a stereo master to work from
Here is the general approach I take and the plugins I use for this mastering:
Waves SSL G Bus Compressor - Some very subtle compression to help glue everything together
Izotope Ozone - Detailed EQ shaping to remove any "mud", booms, and if necessary enhance certain features of the mix
Izotope Ozone - Exciter to add some SUBLTE excitement (light distortion) to specific frequency bands
Izotope Ozone - Multi-Band compression - this is where a master can be quickly ruined! I very carefully compress different frequency bands by different amounts to sculpt the sound
Izotope Ozone - Stereo Image - check stereo image and apply widening (or narrowing) of the stereo image of the mix - eg narrow the lower frequencies to give a more "mono" low end to beef up the foundation of the mix, widen the upper mids/high to help with the clarity and separation of the mix. I also usually do a test for mono compatibility at this point (even though most people will play in stereo this is still a consideration for mobile phones, bluetooth speakers and big sound systems)
Waves J37 Tape Saturation - I really like to use the J37 in a subtle way to add some "analogue warmth" to the mix
Izotope Ozone - Final EQ - I have another instance of Ozone near the end of the chain with an EQ to do any final EQ tweaks
Waves L1 Limiter - The final stage of my mastering is the limiting where I decide how "loud" the final mix should be. This is very much done "by ear" to achieve the most appropriate balance between achieving a commercial loudness but retaining the dynamics. This is VERY subjective and is done to support the song
Although this looks like a linear workflow it is most definitely not - I constantly jump back and forth between the different steps to achieve the right blend and if necessary go back to the original mix (or request another mix from the producer if there are things that I think need fixing in the mix)
I will also leave these plugins out, use other plugins such as the FabFiler Pro Q2, other Waves plugins and a gazillion others!
, but I find the ones listed above tend to be my "go to" options when mastering as I can get the sound in my head out
The most useful thing I have learnt is doing "lots of very subtle" things rather than trying to make dramatic changes