Right now I'm just using the standard plug ins included with Logic, usually something like:

-30hz low cut, -EQ -multiband compressor -limiter

What do you all use? I've never used anything like UAD or Waves plug ins...does anybody here? Curious what those sound like...they're mighty expensive though.

Any tips or tricks ? anything particular to mastering House/Techno ?

Re: Final mastering chain

I would also like to know. Good question, dude. :)

Re: Final mastering chain

Never used the big expensive plug in's. Mostly because I can't afford them, I know I could get a free version, but I get such good qualities from my basic plug ins from Ableton.

Anytime you wanna think about trying to get some "better" plugins. Take yourself over to...

[video=youtube;OvcEVd4OgeU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvcEVd4OgeU&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;n2NX46S17ms]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n2NX46S17ms&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;K3kySHG4bUk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K3kySHG4bUk&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;I9Mlg7LpL6s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I9Mlg7LpL6s&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;0KynPI16oPs]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0KynPI16oPs&feature=related[/video]

[video=youtube;KMaxv911Izk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMaxv911Izk&feature=related[/video]

where you can check out Nathan Fake in his studio making some amazing music on 5 year old software.

Re: Final mastering chain

@Jeffrey: Totally... I often try to remind myself that SO MANY tracks I've loved over the years were made with less sophisticated software and much less powerful computers, and without computers at all...

It's all about best utilizing what you've got.

I'm trying to learn, which is why I was hoping some other producers could lend some knowledge.

Re: Final mastering chain

If you want something not so difficult, you can try Waves´ L2 and L3 (maximizer), and then multiband compressors. After that, if you want to give some eq, try to use some "passive" eq. There are some emulations that work very good. IK Multimedia has the T-Racks 3, It´s awsome! I love how it works (btw, it eats your computer). It has the classic TRack processors, plus: a compressor based on Fairchild´s, an eq based on Pultec´s, an optocompressor and other eq. It gives great results. you can watch it here: [URL]http://www.ikmultimedia.com/t-racks/moreinfo/moreinfo1.php[/URL]

and other compressor I love is Waves´ API 2500. It´s nice, really sounds good... and rerquires lots of processing power. Watch it here: [URL]http://www.waves.com/Content.aspx?id=3612[/URL]

But there are many tools that work. Everything finally depends in how you use them, and what you hear at the end. There´s no "magical plug in". Yo ucan use what your program brings (i.e.: I use logic 8, and the apple pack that comes with it has great plug ins, not so nice for the eye (interface), but the results are great). I used guitar amps and bass amps emulators, and I quit them when I heard the ones that came with my software. That´s just my opinion. Try them, but in the end, it depends in you. hope it´s usefull for you.

Re: Final mastering chain

Just found this... It's for Logic, but I assume it can be used in other mastering situations.. [URL]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/Apr03/articles/logicnotes0403.asp[/URL]

[FONT=arial,helvetica][B]Limiting For Mastering[/B][/FONT] [FONT=arial,helvetica]The final link in the chain is always the limiter, and the Emagic [I]Adaptive Limiter[/I] is ideal for this purpose, as it effectively limits and normalises at the same time. I set the target output level at -0.5dB to leave just a little safety headroom and then push the gain of an already 'close to peaking' signal up by between 3dB [URL="http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr03/images/logic4exciter.l.gif"][IMG]http://www.soundonsound.com/sos/apr03/images/logic4exciter.s.gif[/IMG][/URL] [FONT=arial,helvetica][SIZE=2]The [I]Exciter[/I] can often brighten a track much more effectively than EQ.[/SIZE][/FONT]and 6dB to force the limiter into action. This increases the overall loudness of the track and shouldn't affect the sound significantly, but try to ensure that the limiter is only acting on signal peaks. If there's any sign of the mix sounding squashed or harsh, back off the amount of limiting.[/FONT]

Re: Final mastering chain

Also, video showing the "how to's" of mastering in Logic...

[URL]http://www.macprovideo.com/tutorial/Logic401[/URL]

Re: Final mastering chain

have someone else do it imo :)

Re: Final mastering chain

^^^True. It's not too expensive either.

Re: Final mastering chain

In mastering studios, with real hardware, the last step is eq. They use passive eq's (ie: Pultec), so there is no energy added. Compression destroys the equalization, remember that. A limiter is a compressor with <<<<<<ratio.

Re: Final mastering chain

diegoff & lilsensa .... thank you! great info.

I wouldn't mind having somebody else master my tracks in the future but I don't think any of them are worth mastering yet, so I'll do it myself the best I can for the time being.

This website has a lot of great info, including some basics on mastering.

[url]http://audio.tutsplus.com/[/url]

Anybody else trying to learn the ropes on anything production, I highly recommend that site... I've learned so much on there.

Re: Final mastering chain

Medway (Jesse Skeens)...Look him up...He will master tracks for decent price.... His going rate was around $40 a track when I sent him this piece of shit first track that I made.... He's quality.

Re: Final mastering chain

Is Jesse still over seas?

Re: Final mastering chain

^^Dunno.

Can't really say that I know him personally, but his credibility in dance music is what drew me to him.

Re: Final mastering chain

oh hell yeah, we were talking about booking him in Tampa, but last I saw/heard he was in Amsterdam

Re: Final mastering chain

True. Nice avatar, btw. :)

Re: Final mastering chain

One thing in particular I do (and you'll hear many other producers do it too) is to play the track in your car stereo. You always know if things sound good or not in there. It'll really help you to hear things better than on your computer monitors. As sometimes these expensive speakers make you hear things that cheaper speakers won't let you hear. And if it sounds good in my Bose stereo in my car. It's gonna sound great in a club. I did my track Pountek that way and I went back and forth a few times tweaking one sound, and then running back in to tweak another. It didn't take long because I knew what I needed to do. I also make sure never to brickwall limit the track. It destroys a lot of the dynamics in your music. I do put a final compressor on my mix...but NOT a limiter and I make sure it is just slightly bouncing into the 0db realm.

Dynamics are important to music.

Re: Final mastering chain

Really no limiting on the final mix ? I know over limiting is to be avoided but I assumed most people put some sort of limiting on the end. Interesting. Dynamics are in fact important... over limited tracks just sound like a wall of sound. Really unpleasant to the ear.

Re: Final mastering chain

you can get really great and LOUD sounding mixes by just using regular compression and not pushing the limiter up to the edge. Next time I get on Ableton I'll make a screen capture of what I used on my last track.

Re: Final mastering chain

Hey DanielRR, don't get to caught up on plugins, anything is better then what was used 4 years ago and great tunes were made, just make a killer loop and arrangement and you're 80% there. Basic cubase, pro tools or logic plugins can get the job done. However, there's always better so check out Sonolksis, ozone and T-Racks for starters.

As for the chain. I'd forget about the 30Hz cut, bad , bad.. never cut (also never say never). I find a shelf gentle or hard works better, at higher freq works too. For example, maybe just a -6bd/oct shelf down 9db at 40hz or a bessel cut at 20hz. Today I did a -3db/oct shelf at -6db starting from 60Hz, that's what was needed.

Another key point to a mastering chain is that you want to cut eq more then boost. try cutting out any nasty freq. before compressing, and if needed add/boost the good freq. with eq after compression. That way your not exciting the shitty frequencies.

Also, before limiting or compression, you may want to cut your track up into sections and lower the quiet parts down a few db so when the limiter or compressor takes action, your quiet parts stay Quiet and when the kick and bass come back in, it's more of a BANG.

good luck man :)

Re: Final mastering chain

something else I experienced: the tracks that are not very compressed (no use of limiter, i.e.) are the ones that sound much better when played loud, in a big PA. imo, dynamic range is very important.

Re: Final mastering chain

Excellent info. Thank you.

I often try to get some stereo spread in my mixes by panning individual parts or using sample delays for example, but how about using 'stereo spreader' plug ins on the final mastering chain ? I don't really understand how they work, does anybody use these ?

Re: Final mastering chain

I'd never use a stereo expander on a master track. Only on a send that I wanna use for certain sounds.

As for cutting the low end. I don't worry about it. It really only matters for cutting vinyl, and about 99% of the time these days your track isn't going to see vinyl.

Re: Final mastering chain

Very informative article on EQing

[url]http://audio.tutsplus.com/tutorials/mixing-mastering/3d-mixing-part-3-equalization/[/url]

Re: Final mastering chain

^^Awesome article. Thanks Daniel.

Re: Final mastering chain

stereo spreaders? I don´t use them for mastering. It works better for me panning the different tracks, and setting the parameters of the reverbs for more stereo ehancing (i.e. diffusion, damping, eq)