Thinking about getting a mastering app... What do you use?

[FMiguelez]

Hello.

I'm thinking about getting a mastering program... Got any recommendations? As far as I can tell, there aren't too many options out there. It's kind of like with the DAWs.

Back when I used PCs, Wavelab was always one of my favourite apps. I wonder if their Mac version is any good?
I particularly liked this feature where it was a breeze to pseudo-manually correct hard-to-edit lip and saliva smacking sounds in voice overs. You set some parameters, and it will automatically look through the file and put markers where it finds such noises. It zoomed all the way in, and you could "tab" to the next marker, correct the sound wave with the pencil where the marker is, and do the next one. It was so easy and efficient!

OTOH, what I LOVE about mastering in DP, is that it's so easy to automate the master fader plug-in chain for each piece in the timeline. And I use markers for easy navigation among pieces. It's great!

What I don't like so much is the necessary file duplication...

Anyway, how do these apps handle the automation for many pieces in the scenario I just mentioned above? Is it something similar to a timeline, or is it something more abstract, like an old Peak version I used to have... IIRC, they handled this via some kind of rack or something that wasn't a timeline?

I admit I'm a little (positively) biased about Wavelab. I'm secretly hoping to hear great things about it...

Thank you for any suggestions.

[Shooshie]

Nando, I'm not familiar with Wavelab other than to have looked at it online a few times, but tell me this: are you seeking something for mastering and burning CDs? Or are you talking about an app that a mastering engineer would use, starting a business and producing gold masters for clients? If the latter, I can't be of much help. If the former, then you probably know the options that I know.

I used to use Waveburner until it was abandoned and not updated to 64 bits. Then I switched to DSP-Quattro, which offers all that Waveburner did, and possibly more. I've been satisfied with it.

But if you're talking about pro-level mastering apps, I wouldn't know the first thing to suggest, other than to call Bernie Grundman.

Shoosh

[mikehalloran]

Like many others, I use DSP-Quattro X. This was also recommended for file conversion in another thread.
http://www.dsp-quattro.com/dspquattro/S ... attro.html

$99, $79 cross-grade, $49 cross-grade from BIAS, $19 upgrade from older versions. Every once in awhile, it goes on sale for $49.99.

It's still 32bit Carbon based. This is only an issue for a very few plugins in OS 10.8/9/10. In other words, if a plug won't work in DP 7.24 in those OS, it won't work in DSP-Q. We hear that there is a 64bit version in the works.

I used to use Waveburner until it was abandoned and not updated to 64 bits.

Unlike DSP-Q which works (except for the rare plugin issue), Waveburner, bundled with Logic Studio, will no longer work at all since 10.6.8 with Rosetta.

Too bad Apple abandoned it.

A recent thread on the subject. OK, it was so last year...
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... g+software

[FMiguelez]

Nando, I'm not familiar with Wavelab other than to have looked at it online a few times, but tell me this: are you seeking something for mastering and burning CDs? Or are you talking about an app that a mastering engineer would use, starting a business and producing gold masters for clients? If the latter, I can't be of much help. If the former, then you probably know the options that I know.

Ha! No. Actually I just want it for myself. I ain't no mastering engineer, but most times I must do the mastering (pseudo-mastering) myself for lack of budget for this.

My MAIN application for the mastering app would be>
- To easily level the different pieces, so they all sound at appropriate levels.
- To easily apply a certain chain of plug-ins to master the music (by applying some kind of automation among all the tracks??)... I am not a specialist in this, so I usually am very subtle in my "mastering", depending mostly on the correctness (hopefully) of the final mixes.
- Being able to code CDs is not a requirement, but I would´t mind it (redbook something?)
- Some sort of facility to clean up tracks (LPs, mouth-lip noise, etc.) would be most welcome
- Accurate big meters with different methods would be nice
- I would like to be able to insert metadata in the tracks.

That´s mostly it.

Right now I'm producing a music library for a mexican soap opera. The themes vary from meditative to full blown action, all this with "latin flavour", . It's fun writing suspense-cumbias and dramatic danzón pieces.
Anyway, I think something to handle what I listed above could be very handy in this situation, but I must say that I´m NOT unhappy with DP´s workflow at all. I just felt a little clumsy with the issue I mentioned in my other thread (creating a new DP session for the sole purpose of doing a sample rate conversion), and I missed being able to write metadata in the tracks. That's why I'm wondering about these mastering apps...

But if you're talking about pro-level mastering apps, I wouldn't know the first thing to suggest, other than to call Bernie Grundman.

If they only had the budget for this, I'd be delighted. I have thought about investing my own money and paying for such a service myself (I've done it a few times with Bob Katz).

Nah! I'll only do it if they give me a nice production fee and good royalties...

[FMiguelez]

Like many others, I use DSP-Quattro X. This was also recommended for file conversion in another thread.
http://www.dsp-quattro.com/dspquattro/S ... attro.html

Aha! That one definitely sounds familiar. I'll check it out.

Thanks!

[mikehalloran]

- I would like to be able to insert metadata in the tracks.

Even Toast lets you do that... but DP does not.

Yes, you can do mastering in Toast, plugins, levelling and all. Why anyone would is beyond me – you can't see what you are doing.

[FMiguelez]

- I would like to be able to insert metadata in the tracks.

Even Toast lets you do that... but DP does not.

Yes, you can do mastering in Toast, plugins, levelling and all. Why anyone would is beyond me – you can't see what you are doing.

Exactly... That doesn't sound particularly friendly. And that's how I remember an old version of Peak, with such a similar "facility" (but it could be that it had other great features I never bothered to discover).

[Shooshie]

I think you can do all you asked in DSP-Quattro, but you may need noise reduction or de-esser plugins to do the cleanup. I don't think it has one built-in.

• My plugins are available in the app, and I use them. I can't even tell you what formats it uses, but I'm pretty sure AU is one of them. If it's using VST, I've got those, too.
• Metadata is a yes. There may be limits; I haven't explored it to the ends of its options yet.
• Of course you can do things like crossfades, gaps between songs, and such.
• Normalizing is there.

I haven't explored DSP-Quattro much. I've used it about half-dozen times since I got it, and each one was under duress of a last-minute deadline someone threw on me when I thought I had a free day. I just set things up, smoothed out the peaks, drilled down to the CD, threw it in the jewel box, and ran it out the door. When I'd return, I quit DSP-Quattro with no desire to see it again at that time. I've got to learn it the way I knew Waveburner. Maybe next time!

Shooshie

[MIDI Life Crisis]

+1 on DSP Quattro, mentioned in FMiguelez's thread on conversions...

[HCMarkus]

I find DP and Toast handle my mastering needs. That, Cytomic "The Glue" and Waves L3.

[mikehalloran]

I find DP and Toast handle my mastering needs. That, Cytomic "The Glue" and Waves L3.

I take back some of what I wrote. You master in DP, then add your CD Text, ISRC and UPC data in Toast. That works well and is what I did before DSP-Q.

My plugins are available in the app, and I use them. I can't even tell you what formats it uses, but I'm pretty sure AU is one of them. If it's using VST, I've got those, too.

AUs and VSTs are supported except for a very few 32bit that also don't work in DP 7.24 in 64bit Cocoa systems (10.8 and later).

And that's how I remember an old version of Peak,

If you have information from that old version of PEAK, you qualify for the $49 crossgrade. I had thrown my copy away except for a scan of my v.4 registration card. I emailed that to Stefano and I was able to buy at the good price.

[Michael Canavan]

Like everyone else has mentioned DSP Quattro.
Triumph is also quite good I hear, but DSP Q is intuitive in operation for the most part.

[mikehalloran]

Like everyone else has mentioned DSP Quattro.
Triumph is also quite good I hear, but DSP Q is intuitive in operation for the most part.

Triumph does look really good. Interesting that the noise reduction tools from Izotope RX are included for $79. I imagine you can't extract them for use in other applications but still...

[Michael Canavan]

Like everyone else has mentioned DSP Quattro.
Triumph is also quite good I hear, but DSP Q is intuitive in operation for the most part.

Triumph does look really good. Interesting that the noise reduction tools from Izotope RX are included for $79. I imagine you can't extract them for use in other applications but still...

Yeah I've almost bought it any number of times, but DSPQ does the trick, and I didn't really click with the workflow in Wave Editor, the app that preceded it by those developers, and everyone is in almost 100% agreement that Triumph was a step down... of course internet forums are where people go to complain mostly so..

[billf]

For mastering on the Mac, besides what has been mentioned, SoundBlade.

http://www.sonicstudio.com/sonic/products/soundblade_se