Best Mastering Plug-In

[tommymandel]

I'm using MW Compressor into MW Limiter. One client called me "Too Low-Fi for Broadcast." I am aware that it's how you set these things that separates the Silk from the Crunch, but I'd just like to find out here, what people are using, and like the best. Thanks!

[Dwetmaster]

I use mainly a mixture of MWEQ
Izotope Ozone 5 advanced
PSP Vintage Warmer

I heard great things about Voxengo Elephant for maximizing purposes

[mikehalloran]

As George Martin said, "All you need is ears".

Nothing wrong with what you are using. The MW Compressor has built in quirks that one really needs to understand to get the best use - it doesn't behave like the other kids. There is a recent thread on this and detailed explanation in the documentation.

Many of us use Izotope's Ozone, currently v.5. Izotope has a ton of tutorials on YouTube and you can download for evaluation.

Understanding your tools is the key, IMO.

I am one of those who uses such effects until I can hear the results - then I back off 40% or so - unless I am mixing for Christian radio. KLOV stations squeeze the life out of the sound to get maximum range out of all those 10W stations that broadcast their signal - I give them a mix that they cannot harm anymore than I have already but, since I did it first, I have control.

[tommymandel]

thanks, and thanks!!

[BobK]

I've been happy with the results using the Masterworks EQ along with Waves' Renaissance Compressor and L1 Limiter. (Before I got the L1, I used George Yohng's clone of the L1, the W1.)

I was unable to get the results I wanted with the MW Limiter - couldn't get rid of artifacts like pumping and 'crunchiness.' But that could certainly be due to my lack of skill. Though I've mastered a few projects, I make no claims to being a mastering engineer!

[Gravity Jim]

Best results with least pain, for me, at any rate, has been Waves Linear Phase Multiband Compressor and Waves L3 Maximizer.

[Tobor]

I'm hardly a mastering engineer either, but I would also recommend Ozone 5, the regular version. There's a lot to access at the touch of a button that can make a difference in your mix and you'll learn a lot by experimenting.

One thing I have learned is that it's important to back off your channels to avoid overloading your master buss. That gives you some room to experiment and the limiter assures that your mixes will be adequately loud. Any distortion created by overloading the buss or individual channels will be magnified by the limiter and master buss compression.

As Mike said, find something you like and then back it off by 20-40%. Ozone makes this easy. There are also some interesting presets on the individual modules that can change the warmth and tone and eq in ways you may not have thought up on your own.

Learn by doing.

Tobor

[James Steele]

I'm a big fan of Slate FG-X:

http://www.slatedigital.com/fgx.php

[buzzsmith]

I'm hardly a mastering engineer either, but I would also recommend Ozone 5, the regular version. There's a lot to access at the touch of a button that can make a difference in your mix and you'll learn a lot by experimenting.

One thing I have learned is that it's important to back off your channels to avoid overloading your master buss. That gives you some room to experiment and the limiter assures that your mixes will be adequately loud. Any distortion created by overloading the buss or individual channels will be magnified by the limiter and master buss compression.

As Mike said, find something you like and then back it off by 20-40%. Ozone makes this easy. There are also some interesting presets on the individual modules that can change the warmth and tone and eq in ways you may not have thought up on your own.

Learn by doing.

Tobor

I've learned that when mixing a pretty hot pop or country tune, I crank up the monitor volume pretty loud and get just the kick drum to hit about -18 to -12 on the meters. Everything else is pulled completely down...just listening to the kick. (The louder monitor lets me "feel" it.)

Then I add in a few more things and then back down the monitors to a gentler listening level.

This usually gives me enough headroom for whatever mastering plugs that I want to put on the Master.

If I mis-guessed (and automation is already drawn in) I'll trim each channel down by an equal amount to get the headroom back.

YMMV...

Buzzy

[Tobor]

I've learned that when mixing a pretty hot pop or country tune, I crank up the monitor volume pretty loud and get just the kick drum to hit about -18 to -12 on the meters. Everything else is pulled completely down...just listening to the kick. (The louder monitor lets me "feel" it.)

Then I add in a few more things and then back down the monitors to a gentler listening level.

This usually gives me enough headroom for whatever mastering plugs that I want to put on the Master.

If I mis-guessed (and automation is already drawn in) I'll trim each channel down by an equal amount to get the headroom back.

YMMV...

Buzzy

That Trim control is one of the handiest and important tools you already have- I use it on just about every channel and Master buss.

Tobor

[tommymandel]

Taking heed of these great posts, I just instantiated a Trim plug-in on a channel (not the Master), set it to -3.20db, and then copied by option dragging, it to every channel strip. But when I checked the copies, they were at 0.00db. Is that a 'feature' that I should know about, or was it more likely a careless error on my part? thanks again all good posters here!

[David Polich]

AFAIK, there is no right or wrong in mixing. If it sounds good, and doesn't sound like it's clipping, then fine. Don't mix with your eyes, that's my mantra.

Here's a little story - the first 24-track studio I apprenticed at, my first
official mixing project was a heavy metal band, because the studio's owner/engineer hated metal and wanted to take the day off. So I mixed with
the 24-track with the heads set to sync instead of repro, which was not
"correct". He came back the next day and listened to the mix and asked me
what I had the heads set to and when I told him he went, "awww, man, that's
totally wrong - but how did you get it to sound so good anyway?"

My other mantra is, a good master is always a function of a good mix.
If you've done your mix right, then in mastering there really shouldn't be
anything to do other than make it louder.

[mikehalloran]

I've been happy with the results using the Masterworks EQ along with Waves' Renaissance Compressor and L1 Limiter. (Before I got the L1, I used George Yohng's clone of the L1, the W1.)

I was unable to get the results I wanted with the MW Limiter - couldn't get rid of artifacts like pumping and 'crunchiness.' But that could certainly be due to my lack of skill. Though I've mastered a few projects, I make no claims to being a mastering engineer!

Those artifacts are actually intended as part of the design. Here is the thread I was referring to:
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... +1#p425477

[Prime Mover]

My other mantra is, a good master is always a function of a good mix.
If you've done your mix right, then in mastering there really shouldn't be
anything to do other than make it louder.

Funny thing is, this confused me about the definition of "Mastering" for the longest time. People and books would explain about overall EQing, ways of bringing certain instruments out, etc. And I always thought, "wait, isn't that what a mixer is supposed to do?" Then it hit me, a good deal of what we call "Mastering" is just correcting mixing mistakes. Kinda silly if you ask me, the RIGHT way that we should all aim for is to do it right the first time, and as David said, let the masters just make it louder.

In fact, I would imagine that if you're a really really talented mixer, than self-mastering shouldn't be out of the question. Out of all the jobs that mastering engineers usually perform, I would imagine that basic dynamic smoothing and loudening on a well-mixed album is one of the easiest jobs they perform.

Then again, sometimes it's just good to have another set of ears to do the final touches, one that hasn't been listening to the recording for weeks on end.

[BobK]

I've been happy with the results using the Masterworks EQ along with Waves' Renaissance Compressor and L1 Limiter. (Before I got the L1, I used George Yohng's clone of the L1, the W1.)

I was unable to get the results I wanted with the MW Limiter - couldn't get rid of artifacts like pumping and 'crunchiness.' But that could certainly be due to my lack of skill. Though I've mastered a few projects, I make no claims to being a mastering engineer!

Those artifacts are actually intended as part of the design. Here is the thread I was referring to:
http://www.motunation.com/forum/viewtop ... +1#p425477

That thread is about the MW Leveler; I'm talking about the MW Limiter.