AlexanderHuerta88 Posted July 25, 2015 Share Posted July 25, 2015 Hello! I am new to the DAW-Area and all magic it contains, from recording to editing a finished project! I have recorded two complete songs and I am editing them as good as I can. My question tho, what is the difference between mixing and mastering really ? Getting the volumes right - Panning L/R - adding EQ/Compression - Adding this/that* When that is done, it's time for.. Mastering.. ? Any answer will be of help! /Alexander Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manninofp Posted July 26, 2015 Share Posted July 26, 2015 The mixing process deals with all of the different tracks, while the mastering process deals with a bounce of the mixed track. Getting the volumes right - Panning L/R - adding EQ/Compression - Adding this/that* These are all things that are done during the mixing of your song. In order for your song or composition to sound great at mastering, you will have to have a great sounding mix. Other things that go into the mixing category are the addition of effects on your voice and other instruments including Reverb, as well as balancing the different instruments volumes so that one instrument does not overpower another. I am alittle new to mastering, so I cannot offer much on that subject, but they are two different things entirely. When you master something, you are realistically making it ready to be listened to by the population. At this stage, it should be your best sounding mix, so that you can get a great sound while mastering. Hope that helped! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angelonyc Posted July 27, 2015 Share Posted July 27, 2015 Mastering is enhancing the two track mix you have made.. Making sure everything sounds as good as it can.. in the old days.. It was a guy in a mastering room with 15K$ speakers and a bunch of auxialliary hardware.. He would listen several times, and take meticiouslous notes.. For instance the 2nd verse vocal gets a bit lost, he would supply some subtle EQ to boost that and bring only the vocal up.. You spliced the master tape, and the 2nd half doesn't have the same frequency response as the first half.. He would create a new multi eq set-up and switch to that when you got to section, to make splice not as obvious.. Some weridness happens with the basson, muffliing the bass, in a part, He might change phase of certain frequences to clean that up.. Used to (and still is a good masterer is worth his weight in gold) Obvious mastering as a REAL Lot to do with the finished two track mix. They are closely related.. A mastering session can be surprising in fixing a mix.. A mastering session, also guarentees. the response, eq's, levels are as close together as possible to make the project feel cohesive from cut to cut.. With all the changes in software, and new plug-ins.. Some places are cutting out the 'mastering part' due to budget, target audience, etc. Now a guy who has spent his life mastering records, is going to know a lot more than you or me.. about these things.. The first step in a good master, is a great arrangement.. not too many instruments, no instruments, stepping all over each other harmonic wise, a great mix.. In some sitiuations with bad arrangemnents, bad mix, mastering is not a magic bullet.. Still there are mastering like plug-ins, like OZONE, Slate Digitial, which can truly be magical.. This depends on your project, you target, your end audience, and your budget.. Not all music has to be mastered.. In this day and age, musicians are being forced to wear many hats.. Learn as many skills as you can. But also have the wisdom to realize when outside help might be useful.. Don't apply to many effects when recording, cause you can't undo those.. if you got a special effect in mind, print it to a seperate pass, which you may or not use on final mix, leave it on a reference mix. .. Do not go crazy, with leveling, normalizing, squashing, cause these can't be undone.. It's best to give a masterer, a finished mix with as little auxilliary processing as possible.. His equipment may cost 8 times as much as your plug-in and sound a lot better.. Also his skills and experience are invaluable.. Ultimately you have to decide.. One can argue, the mastering is the final step in mixing. but it won't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse.. That software won't come out for another 15 years.. Ultimately, the best way would be to have an identical set-up, or at least DAW software with plug-ins.. The masterer could pull up your mix. make changes, than master.. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Very few masterers might be set up or willing to work that way... They want a near perfect master to shine, not shovel piles of garbage.. You might find some mixers, who could act as go between.. Best thing is keep raw, unprocessed masters, learn and try your best.. Next year when you learn something new, get a better plug-in, and you can go back and update it... Musician, arranger, composer, engineer, mixer, master.. are all complete occupations, which can take a lifetime to master. You are NOT going to be instantly good at them.. Then normal process is you do gigs, price commitment with your talents, equipment, kowledge, all factors grow, the jobs get higher paying, you have more experience, better equipment, and you grow and prosper. There is no quick and dirty way to success. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlexanderHuerta88 Posted July 27, 2015 Author Share Posted July 27, 2015 Wow! Thanks a ton for your answers guys. Will take A Ton of Time to learn it all, but am looking forward to it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.