Mastering

WHAT IS MASTERING? -ANY YEARS AGO THE MASTERING PROCESS WAS NECESSARY WHEN RECORDINGS WERE TRANSFERRED FROMMASTER TAPES TO THE VINYL RECORDS THE CONSUMER PURCHASED "ECAUSE THEREWERE LARGEDIFFERENCES IN THE FREQUENCY RESPONSEANDCHARACTER ISTICSBETWEENTHE TWOMEDIA THEPROCESSWASNTASSIMPLEAS TAKING THE TAPE MASTERANDMAKINGAVINYLRECORDFROMIT#HANGESTOTHE%1OFTHERECORDINGS WERENECESSARYANDADDITIONALDYNAMICSCONTROLWEREOFTENAPPLIEDBECAUSEOF THEPHYSICALLIMITATIONSOFhCUTTINGvARECORDTOVINYL4HESESAMEPROCESSESARE REQUIREDATLEASTTOSOMEEXTENTWITHPREPARINGlLESFOR#$ORDIGITALDOWN LOADANDTHEPROCESSOFMASTERINGHASREMAINEDANINTEGRALPARTOFTHEOVERALL MUSICCREATIONPROCESS

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HOMEBREW MASTERING ! DEDICATED MASTERING FACILITY WAS UNTIL RELATIVELY RECENTLY THE ONLY OPTION FORMASTERING.OWASWITHSOMANYOTHERASPECTSOFTHEMUSICBUSINESSFROM RECORDINGTOCONSUMINGCOMPUTERTECHNOLOGYHASREVOLUTIONIZEDTHEWAYWE DOTHINGSANDTHEREARENOWVERYCAPABLEMASTERINGTOOLSAVAILABLEINAPLUG INFORMATTHATULTIMATELYMAKESTHEMAVAILABLETOANYBODYWITHACOMPUTER BASED STUDIO !LTHOUGH THE QUALITY OF THIS MASTERING SOFTWARE IS CONSTANTLY INCREASING ITS FAIR TO SAY THAT MOST EXPERIENCED MASTERING ENGINEERS WOULD PROBABLY PREFER TO WORK ON THE TOP CLASS ANALOG EQUIPMENT FOR MASTERING PURPOSESRATHER THANSOLELYUSINGPLUG INSESPECIALLYAT THISlNALSTAGEOF THE PROCESS

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4HIS IS AHARDQUESTION TOANSWERBECAUSE THEMASTERINGPROCESS IS A COMBI NATIONOFANUMBEROFDIFFERENTFACTORSTHEORIGINALRECORDINGTHEEQUIPMENT AVAILABLE THE ROOM ITSELF ANDMOST IMPORTANTLY THEPERSONDOING THEMAS TERING7ITHINTHAThCHAINvAREDUCTIONINQUALITYOFANYONECOMPONENTWILL REDUCE THEQUALITYOF THElNALPRODUCT 3OWHILEAPROJECT STUDIOOWNERMAY HAVEACCESSTOTOOLSTHATCANCOMPETEWITHAPROFESSIONALMASTERINGFACILITYIN TERMSOFQUALITYHEMIGHTNOTHAVETHEACOUSTICSINHISROOMTOCOMPETEWITH THEMASTERINGFACILITYANDWONTHAVETHEADVANTAGESTHATUSINGASEPARATEMAS TERINGENGINEERWILLHAVE

7HEN YOU AREWORKING ON A TRACK FROM CONCEPT THROUGH RECORDING AND PRO GRAMMINGANDONTOMIXINGYOUCANBECOMEVERYCLOSETOITORVERYSICKOFIT %ITHERWAYYOURPERCEPTIONOFTHETRACKISNTGOINGTOBEASOBJECTIVEASTHATOF THEMASTERINGENGINEERWHODOESNTHAVETHEBLOODSWEATTEARSANDPOSSIBLE FRUSTRATIONANDSWEARING INVESTED IN THE TRACK4HATSIMPLE FACTCOULDMAKEA WORLDOFDIFFERENCETOTHERESULTEVENIFTHEROOMSANDTHEEQUIPMENTAREIDEN TICAL/N THEOTHERHAND YOUDOKNOWYOUR STYLEOFMUSIC INTIMATELY OR AT LEASTYOUSHOULD ANDYOUALSOKNOWTHEEVENTUALSOUNDYOUWANTTOACHIEVE SOTHISDOESCOUNTINYOURFAVORASAhSELF MASTERERv

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LOUDNESS VERSUS LEVEL !DISTINCTIONNEEDS TOBEMADEHERE ABOUT THEDIFFERENCEBETWEEN THE TERMS loudness AND level ,EVELS CAN BEMEASURED IN D" OR ONE OF THEMANY VARIA TIONSON THED" SCALE SUCH ASD"&3ORD"U BUT LOUDNESS REALLY IS APERCEP TIVESCALE THAT ISPERSONAL TOAN INDIVIDUAL/FCOURSE THERE ISAMOREGENERAL PERCEPTIONOF LOUDNESSBUTWHATONEPERSONlNDShCOMFORTABLY LOUDvMIGHT BE WAY TOOMUCH FOR SOMEONE ELSE )N ADDITION YOU COULD TAKE TWO TRACKS THATBOTHHADPEAKLEVELSOFD"ASLOUDASTHEYCANPHYSICALLYBEINADIGITAL MEDIUMSUCHAS#$OR-0 BUTGAVETHEIMPRESSIONOFBEINGATCOMPLETELY DIFFERENT LOUDNESS LEVELS 4HE ACTUAL FREQUENCY CONTENT OF THE TRACK CAN PLAY A PART IN THIS BECAUSE THEHUMAN EAR IS NATURALLYMOST SENSITIVE TO SOUND AT AROUNDTHE+(ZAREASOANYSONGSWITH LOTSOFENERGY IN THOSEAREASWILL

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/NEFACTORTHATISVERYIMPORTANTINPERCEIVEDLOUDNESSISTHEAVERAGEOR2-3 LEVELOFTHEAUDIO7HILETHERECANBEARELATIONSHIPBETWEENAVERAGEANDPEAK LEVELSTHEREISOFTENLITTLECORRELATIONBETWEENTHETWO&OREXAMPLEYOUCOULD HAVEAVERYSUBDUEDPIECEOFMUSICTHATHADJUSTONELOUDCYMBALCRASHATTHE BEGINNING BUT OTHER THAN THATWAS VERY GENTLE )F THISWHOLEMIXWERE NOR MALIZEDTOD"THEREWOULDSTILLBEALOWAVERAGELEVELTHROUGHOUTTHEWHOLE TRACK/NTHEOTHERHANDAHEAVYROCKORDANCETRACKALSONORMALIZEDTOD" WOULDPROBABLYHAVEAMUCHHIGHERAVERAGE LEVEL!NDOFCOURSEEVERYBODY WOULDSAYTHATTHEDANCEORROCKTRACKWASLOUDEREVENTHOUGHTHEPEAKLEVELS ARETHESAME7HATWENORMALLYCONSIDERTHELOUDNESSOFATRACKISMOREOFTEN THANNOTTHEhAVERAGEvLEVELOFTHEMUSICRATHERTHANTHEPEAKLEVELBECAUSEOUR EARSGENERALLYPERCEIVESOUNDLOUDNESSBASEDONTHEAVERAGELEVELRATHERTHAN THEINSTANTANEOUSORPEAK LEVEL

'IVEN THATVIRTUALLYALLMODERN RECORDSPEAKVERY CLOSE TOD" THERE IS LITTLE ROOM FOR DIFFERENTIATION IN TERMSOF PEAK LEVEL SOMASTERING ENGINEERSWORK TOWARD INCREASING THEPERCEIVED LOUDNESSOF A TRACK TOMAKE SURE ITHOLDS ITS OWNAGAINSTALLOFTHEOTHERRIDICULOUSLYLOUDRECORDSBEINGRELEASED4HEMOST COMMONLY USED MASTERING TOOLS AND PROCESSES ARE THEREFORE %1 COMPRES SIONLIMITINGANDCLIPPINGANDOFCOURSEAGREATROOMACCURATESPEAKERSAND WELL TRAINEDEARS

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HARSHNESS FROM A PARTICULAR SOUND MIGHT ALSO CHANGE THE EFFECTIVE BALANCE BETWEENOTHERINSTRUMENTS

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