Original Message 1/43                 Date: 22-Aug-00  @  07:00 PM   -   That Mysterious Professional Sound

azazello

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I am experimenting with making some drum & bass. I made some good standard loops, have good sounds, and I think, "Hey, this is pretty good." Then I listen to some tunes, such as anything by Ed Rush & Optical, DJ Trace, Nico, etc., and discover that my music sounds completely unprofessional! What gives it that "professional" sound? I realize that all songs are pretty unique, but they all have a polished sound in common. Is there anything specific I should be doing in the final mixdown or mastering phase? Any and all tips will be helpful.
Thanks!
Azazello

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Message 2/43                 Date: 23-Aug-00  @  02:19 AM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

Secluded

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My sound became more professional sounding by using compressor and enhancer/exiter in the final mixdown.
I'm not really into drum & bass.

/Secluded

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Message 3/43                 Date: 24-Aug-00  @  04:13 PM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

Cyclop

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i'll give you one very good advice.
DO NOT WORRY ABOUT YOUR SOUND.
it will consume you in the end, it will stop you from making tunes, just because you want THAT sound.
either invest in highend machines like a TC finalizer, Drawmer tube compressors,a lexicon reverb, and a eventide harmonizer as well as an aural exiter and prof cd mastering software/
hardware or forget about it.(and i am talking mega bucks here;i am not sure where u live but to put it in euro's:around 6000/8000 will get you somewhere.)
maybe i am exagurating slightly, but to really get THAT sound it is what you need.just make your tunes sound as good as you can, cos when u get signed the record company will master it for you. they have alkl the stuff that you need.
man it stops so much creativity, searching and trying and remixing and looking for that sound...
this is good advice.my friend has a finalizer from the company he works for,
and just put a rough mix trough that machine already makes you desperate for wanting one yourself.
let your creative juices flow, instead of getting frustrated.
but it must be said; a few cheaper
solutions: a compressor, a gate, a dbx denoiser, a bbe sub/high enhancer and a good equalizer will satisfy you good enough.but it is not THAT sound.ask any engineer.

driftkicker.

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Message 4/43                 Date: 24-Aug-00  @  08:48 PM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

gs

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yep good point i think, if you you worry about not having that sound you never get anything done. there's numerous threads on this i think, try searching. work on your mixing.

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Message 5/43                 Date: 25-Aug-00  @  02:32 AM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

ville

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whoa! that *IS* a good point. I've been worrying past months about that sound and spent... 1500 euros. But haven't finished one single track.
But i would be still worrying and wondering how much better i would be if i bought this and that... but now i think i need EQ and compressor.................................... shit

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Message 6/43                 Date: 25-Aug-00  @  01:19 PM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

formant

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the elusive "sound"

if you want it on the cheap, use soundforge multiband compression and then run it through the waves L1 maximizer.

the multiband compression is what "tightens" up the whole thing and polishes it.

the limiter (L1) makes it as loud as possible, use it sparingly or it will make your stuff sound rubbish (as they say in the UK)

i personally feel that mastering is something i want to know how to do because afterall, i am making the track and i want to know how it sounds from beginning to end.

i have sent stuff off and had it mastered and it was "ok" but nothing special.

i am interested in the creative uses of mastering for enhancing the style and things i like about my music so that is why i am learning to master.

but to cyclop's point i haven't made much music in the past year since i started playing with mastering!

but i have a desire to know how to do it all so i will continue the long slow process.

my next twist is to buy some expensive outboard gear (not much more expensive than plug ins thought) so i don't have to screw with the computer for mastering.

if you do decide to play with mastering make sure you record off your original track unmastered because if you do get signed they probably won't want your master unless you have it dead on or they are too cheap to have it mastered professionally.

so if you want to learn mastering, do it because it can only add to your knowledge and abilities. just keep in mind that it will take away from your music time.

good luck

jamey

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Message 7/43                 Date: 25-Aug-00  @  03:39 PM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

johnny

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I do my own mastering and, to be frank, it's comparable to many pro releases. The two most important tools (apart from your ears and knowing your monitoring setup) are a multiband compressor/limiter and a parametric EQ. The compressor brings the track together, tightens it up and adds life. The limiter makes it as loud as possible without clipping. TC's Finalizer Express is excellent for this - it has 25 preset algorithms that range from very subtle to extremely heavy. You don't have to adjust each parameter by hand, which saves hours of time. It also adds make-up gain to each compressor band automatically, and there are various extras that finish off the machine nicely. It's hardly mega-bucks, no more than a decent synth or sampler. And everyone's got one or more of them, haven't they?

And parametric EQ is essential for mastering, really. I use the four band EQ on the stereo buss of my 01V which works well, the graphic curve display makes it easy to set up. The three main fixes I use are:

1) Roll of everything below 60Hz unless you've got a 5-grand monitoring system and a good room. Use a HPF for this, tune it around 60Hz (± 5Hz) according to the material. This can make a huge difference in clarity. Lots of muddy, undefined bass can occur if your speakers don't go down that far and/or your room is playing tricks on you, so cutting it all out is the best way to go.

2) Cut the mids - a broad bell curve (Q of about 1) on the mid range with a 3dB cut does wonders for many mixes. Everything becomes more open.

3) High end shelving boost of 2-3dB. Adds air and a touch of sparkle. An exciter can usually give better results here, unless you've got a ten-grand mastering EQ that is.

Another parametric band can be used to EQ out problem frequencies, usually around the low-mid area where you can get a 'thunk' that stands out. Use a sharp Q setting with several dB of cut and tune it until you hit the spot. Then ease up on the cut - you should rarely go over 3 dB either way.

Try some of those techniques on an old track. You should really separate the mastering process from everything else - get the mix down on CD or DAT first, make sure you're satisfied with the musical side of things before you start mastering, otherwise it gets confusing and muddled.

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Message 8/43                 Date: 25-Aug-00  @  07:37 PM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

formant

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hey johnny,

did you see the new focusrite mixmaster? its pretty sweet looking... 3 band multi compressor, eq, limiter etc all analogue and it only costs like $1100us

i am thinking about getting one from santa this year and running my o1v into it :-)

www.focusrite.com

later

jamey

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Message 9/43                 Date: 26-Aug-00  @  05:17 AM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

johnny

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Yeah, it looks like a great unit - plus you can fit a digital output so you can go straight to CD.

I'd say go for it - mastering is a great skill to have, and very satisfying too. Plus you can do other people's tracks as a favour, or for a small fee...

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Message 10/43                 Date: 26-Aug-00  @  01:15 PM   -   RE: That Mysterious Professional Sound

k

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anyone tried or know about the behringer mastering stuff, y'know, like their own 'finaliser' type product ?...

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