Mastering a small ensemble-classical piece inquiry

[buzzsmith]

Hi, all...

I recorded an unusual ensemble about 10 days ago consisting of 4 members...

Bass Trombone
Flute(s) (flute, piccolo, bass flute)
2 Percussionists (multiple instruments; gong, tambourine, camel bells, etc.)



The session went fine, we did all of the edits where the conductor/composer wanted to redo several sections and now we're mixing. ("Cantigas"; Movements I-IV)

The mixing is not difficult because the conductor controlled the ensemble dynamics and the players' positions did not change. (The flautist was not at this position when recording...she was sitting about where I'm standing to take the photo.)

I'm noticing, of course, being a classical 4 movement piece, that the dynamics are all over the place. Using Inspector XL, I'm reading that I have 30-40 dB of headroom quite often, then when the piece gets loud I may only have 1.5 dB left. I put a very gentle Nomad CP2S Compressor on each track to hold back some of the peaks, which sounds transparent and is working just fine. I'll probably be drawing a few volume lines, but I'm not anticipating too many.

So, when mastering this classical piece, I know dynamics are very important. But if I want to kick up the whole mix just a little so the very quiet parts would at least be audible in a car, for instance, what would be some good advice?

I'll be using iZotope, and my initial thoughts are to ignore all of the parameters except maybe a little EQ and maybe the Loudness Maximizer. (I do have a few other plug-in options including the Nomad suite, some Waves, and MOTU, of course.)

I just haven't done many classical small ensemble works so...

Thanks for any input!

Buzzy

[Pappy725]

You're right, that is an unusual ensemble. But it would be interesting to hear.

Sorry, no tips on the mastering aspects, just intrigued by the instrumentation.

Pappy

[Frodo]

For classical music, I often find it necessary to "bring up the floor" a little just to avoid the frustration of straining to hear lower dynamic levels. It will also be important to assess where the "average high peaks" are and determine which of those peaks habitually exceeds the average-- and then to determine if the largest of those peaks exceeds comfortable tolerance.

I often refer to several favored mastered recordings of music similar to those I'm working on to try to sculpt my mixes accordingly.

Inasmuch as overly compressed masters can render an undesirable result, it also follows if the ear has to strain or recoil with the available dynamic range that a certain discomfort is likely.

However, if the "floor" (the lowest dynamics) can be tamed, the peaks may not feel as "peaky". Certainly, the last thing you want to do is to squeeze the life out of something as expressive as a classical recording, but even a classical recording must fit within a dynamic realm of acceptability and still "breathe".

I'd say to sort out your average dynamic-- what a "mezzo-forte" feels like-- then to reel in the softer dynamics comfortably. At that point, how far over the line the loudest bits should venture will be easier to determine.

[Shooshie]

Hi Buzzy. I work in classical a lot, and while I like a wide range of dynamics, listening in the car, on a plane, or any other noisy environment makes it nearly impossible to utilize all those dynamics without destroying your eardrums with the peaks. Yes, for general listening it is almost essential to compress most classical music. I still leave the original uncompressed for "natural" listening in a quiet environment. Even that, however, can be a problem if the peaks are too loud.

What causes me the most problem are the highs. I start dialing down the highs between about 2K and 5K, so that those giant peaks are not so painful. I'll sometimes actually bring up the higher highs -- say 8K to 15K -- for a bit of shimmer. That varies widely depending on the content. Percussion, flutes, piccolos, and other high instruments can be particularly offensive. Even high piano can be a problem, and trying to mix piano is probably the greatest challenge of all. Brass are not so bad, and bringing up the higher partials of any brass instrument can be very effective.

I do most of my EQ with MOTU's Masterworks EQ, while compression I'll divide up among a number of processors. First and foremost among my limiters is the Waves L3 MultiMaximizer. It is tricky to learn how the interface relates to the output. It's not like the C4 or Linear Phase Multiband (C5), even though it looks very much like them. It works on the basis of priority per each bandwidth. You basically are selecting the threshold of each bandwidth, combined with which bandwidths receive higher priority for the amount of limiting. Anyway, it is ideal for this kind of application, because you can limit the flutes and percussion more in their high end while leaving the trombones more or less intact. Then with the master threshold, you bring up all the quiet parts up according to taste. If not the L3, then the L2 is very effective while being far simpler.

Other processors that come in handy for me are the Waves C4 (or the LinearPhase Multiband which I call the C5), the MOTU Masterworks Leveler (which can be excellent for this kind of thing), and I sometimes find the Nomad vintage compressors or EQ to be most helpful. I haven't developed a favorite among the Nomad plugins, so I just try things until I find one that works. The other plugin I almost always use is the Waves S1 stereo image control. I just like the listener to feel like they're hearing things from the conductor's podium.

Even the Waves Renaissance series can be very effective for classical stuff. What I try to keep in mind is simplicity, even if my description above sounds less than simple, and the Renaissance plugs are definitely simple, but I usually use the ones I mentioned earlier. I rarely have more than two or three plugins over all a classical mix, outside of reverb. Of course, I use Altiverb on the final output of everything, and I often EQ Altiverb with its own controls to dampen some of the highs. Recording in a box shaped room with low-ceiling is always going to create undesirable reflections, and Altiverb can help mellow that out.

I try to work on classical sounds as an ensemble, avoiding individual processing of the instruments, but sometimes it's really necessary to EQ individual instruments if they don't fit together well. For example, percussion almost requires a different mix than winds and strings, so you might want to make a percussion stem and treat it separately from the others until the final mix.

So, to sum up: roll off the highs at the point where they become painful, then bring up the low dynamics. Separate the stereo field. Control your reverb so it doesn't mask the foreground. Polish it with Lemon Pledge, or Turtle Wax, and… oh… oops… wrong sort of classical lines.

When you find yourself adding more than a couple of processors in classical, chances are the you are losing ground, and further tweaking will be counter-productive. I mean, if you have a particular goal in mind and you know how to get there, then who am I to say not to use a hundred EQ's and compressors? But generally speaking, if I find myself getting in a rut with plugins, the answer is usually to wipe the slate and start over, keeping it simple.

Good luck with it!

Shooshie

[buzzsmith]

Thanks to both of you for your valuable insight.

Fortunately, the mix is sounding good. I'll be tweaking a bit, of course.

And you're right about the high end. Most of the 20 minutes or so is pretty mezzo-forte (thanks, Frodo), however twice in one of the movements the composer intentionally has the flautist really overblow to get that growling, fluttering effect. That's really where it gets really piercing.

I've thought about automating a MW EQ just for those 2 places with the flute. Leave her alone for most of the track except for the really shrill and really loud section aforementioned

More tomorrow...

Buzzy

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Shooshie]

I've thought about automating a MW EQ just for those 2 places with the flute. Leave her alone for most of the track except for the really shrill and really loud section aforementioned

That's probably what I'd do, too, Buzzy. I like to leave those harmonics in there until they grow offensive. If it's too sudden, though, the change of timbre can be too obvious. The cool thing about the Masterworks EQ is that with the FFT display turned on, you can nail the exact harmonic that is drilling into your eardrum, and cut it down to size. By being that selective and automating it with care and precision, I find that the result improves the sound enough that a player may actually like the timbre change, to the extent that it's noticeable. Well, speaking for myself as a player, I can say that *I* like it!

Shoosh

[Phil O]

Buzz, I hate to suggest compression with music of this type but I also recognize it as a necessary evil at times. I agree with Mr. Frodo that bringing the floor up is often required, and sometimes the best way to do that is with careful automation. But, that requires man hours (i.e., money). So if compression becomes necessary, I notice that you have a UAD card. Have you demo'd the Precision Buss Comressor yet? Although I've found it to be a life sucker with heavy rock stuff, it works quite well with the acoustic music I've tried it on - very transparent in these situations - worth giving it a look IMHO.

BTW, the percussion guys look familiar. Are they connected with Blast in any way?

Phil

[Dan Worley]

As a starting point, I'd suggest splitting the soundbites for the different sections and use Bite Gain to help balance the dynamics. Then I would mix backwards by mixing the loudest section first.

c-ya,

Dan Worley

[mhschmieder]

I recently switched to PSP Xenon for most smaller classical ensembles, finding it more transparent in the rather subtle context such as the one above. My notes are at home, but if it helps, I can find them and publish them here. All of the preferred settings are designed to meet the criteria of the various responses to the O.P. I do love Ozone 4, but am using it less on classical music at this point...