Mastering software

[Timeline]

I'm demoing Sound Blade because of its legacy and finding the LE version ridicules to get around on. Although it sounds very nice, putting end marks on tunes is messed up somehow. The CD window is strange too and like filing out a government test. I see no guarantees like SoundForgeM2 HD to make the perfect CD either. I can't believe for vertical sizing it only has small and large. Wahaahaa. Maybe DP spoiled me because when you grab the window it expands up and down and at least has +- tabs in the corners. So far it can't find my IO either so i'm stuck in Built in.

If i can ever get the SoundForgeM2 email back I will try them next hoping for as good of tone as Sonics SoundBlade but something tells me it might not compare. Blade LE is about 300 bucks to start then another 300 for the next version up. Looks like SFM2 is about 300 bucks and you get most of it. Wish i could afford Pyrimix but i would have to actually be making tons of money like Ariana Grande or something.

So, are there any other high quality PRO mastering solutions out there? Maybe DP should make a pure Mastering App.

[mhschmieder]

Like several other people here, I finally bit the bullet during a fire sale earlier this year and bought the pro version (whatever it's called) of Studio One, as it has a separate workflow and module for mastering. I don't use it for anything else as I prefer DP for recording and mixing.

As far as I know, Studio One is currently the only 64-bit up-to-date pro mastering solution for the Mac at the moment, that is stable (maybe the latest WaveLab is stable; the previous one wasn't).

BIAS Peak is gone for now (though it might get resurrected), and DSP Quattro is still 32-bit only. Wave Editor became Triumph and went all weird and unstable to boot.

I'm still mostly using BIAS Peak because of my familiarity with its wave editing functionality and not feeling any of the others give the level of detail and control.

[Timeline]

I have Bias Peak but not a new enough version to do me any good. SoundBlade LE is up to date and 64 bit but so far the only thing i can get it to do is output a the chain of files with start and end marks, no CD. Unless I'm missing something there is only an eq and level controls via a sound line like DP has but little else. I need a de'sser for a few of my cuts and don't see it. Sonically though, I have never heard better. Try the demo and tell me if you think this $300 program is worth it. So far i think its way too limited for this much money. I want the sonic purity of this app but the features of SoundForgeM2. Thanks for checking in.

[BobK]

FWIW:

I use DSP-Quattro in Mavericks for creating DDP premasters, and it works fine (I'm not sure what advantage 64-bit would provide...).

I happen to do EQ and dynamics adjustments in DP 8 and usually let DSP-Q do the bit reduction and SRC (as well as heads and tails fades, metadata, etc). Haven't had any issues with the CD manufacturers, and the artists have been happy with the results. See the discography at my web site for links if you want to hear the results.

[Timeline]

FWIW:

I use DSP-Quattro in Mavericks for creating DDP premasters, and it works fine (I'm not sure what advantage 64-bit would provide...).

I happen to do EQ and dynamics adjustments in DP 8 and usually let DSP-Q do the bit reduction and SRC (as well as heads and tails fades, metadata, etc). Haven't had any issues with the CD manufacturers, and the artists have been happy with the results. See the discography at my web site for links if you want to hear the results.

I'll try it next. Thanks Bob

[Timeline]

FWIW:

I use DSP-Quattro

Been playing with it all morning and the freakin GUI is a million % better than all the hidden Control key crap in Blade. I was able to program an entire album, use plugs and everything else. But.... The sound in Quattro is not even close to Sonic Solutions Blade for some reason. So i must press on with this quest. Thanks for the heads up on DSP-Quattro Bob.

[BobK]

If I had SB (and the time). I'd try a null test to compare the two apps and see what's going on.

[Timeline]

I know. They're doin something. My guess is they use the de-click somehow. I had a few pops in one tune i processed through the Soundblade LE demo and it almost disappeared. Either way it still sounds more present to me and its not subtle.

I may just buy both of them, output the processed Blade files to DSP-Q and cut the master CD. Even my Titanium Toast 11 with all its faults seems usable sonically that way and it allows UA plugs like the Precision Limiter which i use in DP all the time. But, Toast runs out of buffers if you bog it down with to many UAD plugs so its not really usable, except for quick refs.

If you do that let me know.

[Shooshie]

FWIW:

I use DSP-Quattro

Been playing with it all morning and the freakin GUI is a million % better than all the hidden Control key crap in Blade. I was able to program an entire album, use plugs and everything else. But.... The sound in Quattro is not even close to Sonic Solutions Blade for some reason. So i must press on with this quest. Thanks for the heads up on DSP-Quattro Bob.

Hold it. If you take off plugins and processing, the raw tracks in SSBlade sound better than the raw tracks in DSP-Quatro? Like Bob, I think I'd want to try a null test. Are you sure you didn't normalize one of them or something? (or maybe one normalizes automatically?) I just find it hard to believe that any mastering software that yields sound that is "not even close" would have such a great reputation as DSP-Quatro. Or if it's the other way around, and Sonic Solutions Blade does some kind of magic that yields tracks like you've never heard them before, then I'd suspect that I couldn't have gone this long without having heard of it before, especially since I've looked high & low for mastering/CD burning software to replace my Waveburner app on which I've depended for about the last 7 years.

I'm not saying this as an authority on the subject; just more as a skeptic, as in "what's so great about SSBlade?" And also, I suppose, I'm saying it as one who's a little bit lazy, thinking "oh crap, not again. I just settled on DSP-Quatro; don't I even get to rest for a few projects?" Not to mention buying and registering and learning another mastering app. At this point I'd really like to know the absolute truth, here. Is DSP-Quatro really inferior to Sonic Solutions Blade?

Any mastering gurus out there who can settle this score once and for all?

Shooshie

[Timeline]

I'm as surprised as you Shooshie and almost as skeptical, well not as much as you. Your the king on that. Download the LE demo and try it yourself. I did it without plugs, they don't even allow any plugs but theirs anyway. Quattro is so damn much better GUI wise. Only $99 bucks too. Amazing i think. I put the processed tunes outputted 44.1 16bit converted from S-Blade into toast and it still sounded better to me.

Let me know what you think. May buy both.

[BobK]

You have both apps, so why not do a null test? No processing - just SRC and/or bit reduction if needed to output a 44/16 file. Or not even that - just pass the files through and bounce or record. If they truly are that different, the null test will show it.

If you're claiming that SB's proprietary plugins (EQ, dynamics, etc) are that much better, then of course there's no way to test that as precisely, though you could try to find the closest plugins, match the settings as much as possible, and do another null test.

[Shooshie]

I'm as surprised as you Shooshie and almost as skeptical, well not as much as you. Your the king on that.

Haha! Well, I'm not nearly as skeptical as I am lazy, and right now my bones are just saying "oh no! Not again!" Rather than have to find yet another app, I'd sure like someone to tell me that DSP-Quatro is the most amazing, industry standard mastering app on the planet. Of course, not if it ain't true.

shoosh

[Timeline]

I was never one to not use the tools given to me in an app but in this case i'm using the SoundBlade EQ so, It would not be a fair test. Also, I'm a believer in first impressions pretty much. Most on this website are not and rely on null instead of ears with no reserve or doubt.

I spent all night with both apps and hear a difference. Voodoo? To me, its there. Don't claim to understand it and don't think null is or has ever been the final answer either.

Better for me would be a digital audio IM distortion-spectrum analyzer. Costs about 20 grand for a good one. If someone like you or Shooshie wants to take the time and download the demos and do it, that to me would be a valuable differing opinion I would like see. I think you may get the null you expect but also will be confused as to why S-B sounds thicker. That's the best way i can describe it. Reminds me of a little bit of the old 3m Analog 8 track 1" half track recording tone without the noise, which would mean some HF saturation. I am old school I admit. Like i said, I don't understand it so rather than guessing that my opinion is wrong please check it out for yourself and post yours.

BTW Sonic Solutions was the first truly digital Mastering system. Thats why i decided to check them out.

[Timeline]

I'm as surprised as you Shooshie and almost as skeptical, well not as much as you. Your the king on that.

Haha! Well, I'm not nearly as skeptical as I am lazy, and right now my bones are just saying "oh no! Not again!" Rather than have to find yet another app, I'd sure like someone to tell me that DSP-Quatro is the most amazing, industry standard mastering app on the planet. Of course, not if it ain't true.

shoosh

I'm going for it too. I just emails them to see if i can get the crossgrade deal. Couldn't hurt ta save 50 bucks. I'm going to continue learning S-Blade too and see if there are any more improvements sonically i can find in the CD outputting process.

When i mix, i already output from RME analog and go through an L2 wave peak limiter preceded by original passive 2 BAND UA eq pair and a newer UA 2-1176 comp/limiter. The end result then goes SPDIF from L2 to a Tascam DA-3000 recording up to 192k. Hard to beat that for mastering.

I have found via these trials though that the S-Blade eq in parametric has some no phase midrange additive bonuses and nice level adjustment timeline features much like DPs i really want. Their conversions are very good too with specialized dithering. Hey it all could be just more money down the drain compared to just Quattro but here goes anyway. Thanks again Bob for post in that one. Anyone else out there?

Regards,
GB

[mhschmieder]

Waitaminnit, I think I misread the original post, based on BobK's response and then re-reading some things here.

I thought you were referring to Audio Mastering, but I guess you meant CD Mastering? And in that case, DDP is of prime importance, n'est-ce pas?