Mastering Conundrum

Link changed. I mistakenly had it restricted.

I took a listen.

I listened to your mix first and my impression is that it has a strange "fog" in the midrange. I'm not sure how to describe it.. It's not mud but it's taking up space in the mix. "Blurry" maybe. Anyway, the bottom end is bit light and the top end sounds fine to me although I could see how some might feel it's a little strident in some singer's notes.

I listened to the master, and honestly to me it sounds like a louder version of your mix with a little more bottom end. I didn't find the top to be much different between the mixes and still sounds fine. The master still has that strange blurry midrange. I'd think that a strategic cut or two in a few midrange frequencies could clear up a lot.

Overall, I thought your mix sounded 90% "there" and the master was just adding a bit more lows and getting the level up.

Just to back up with the other guys are saying:

In my master I didn't do anything in too dramatic amounts. I used my Summit EQF100 plugin (the one I wanted to try) to add some gentle 100hz shelf and to brighten the overall top. Then I used Soothe and a dynamic EQ to target a few things that were a little too harsh in my listening situation. I think 5kHz and 12kHz on the dynamic EQ and Soothe focusing on 8kHz (but it would grab some 2-4kHz stuff every so often). A small cut around 250 and a smaller cut around 90. It felt like there was a resonance there (in my room?) and that cut seemed to help. Half a db I think.

After I did my "what's this plugin sound like" master I quickly null checked your mix vs their master - obviously not a scientific test but it revealed a few things. What revealed was a high pass filter, a low shelf boost, a 500hz cut, maybe cut some 7kHz and added 14kHz. That 500hz cut is probably what's sounding scooped to you...plus their overall top and bottom boost.

When we engineer sometimes we lose sight of the prize by being too analytical. Your mix is way better than the master, I can say that with certainty. The reason I know is I listened while going to the grocery store. Your mix played the whole 12 minutes and my ears enjoyed the fidelity and could tolerate another 2 hours of the same thing. When I tried to listen to the master I had to switch to something else within 2 minutes.

Most of us fall into the quick AB trap.. we listen and make opinions based on little Adrenalin kicks thanks jolt us for a fleeting moment. I think the loudness impresses at first, but it wears fast.

I wonder how the pro ME sounded? I would reach out to them and ask for a specific help in the lows, since you paid the money already. If he doesn’t respond well, then ok. But imagine you are getting handed top mixing engineered stuff all day every day, you aren’t going to tell these producers “you screwed up 400hz and you didn’t put enough top” ... you are going to get an earful about how it’s their vision.. Those guys have probably been cursed out on scales we have no clue.

Very interesting!

At first I listened to the master and thought, wow. This is good he just needs reassurance.

Then I listened to the mix and understood why he isn’t happy. His mix is a work of art that puts the listener in the audience a few feet in front of the stage. The careful tucking of the highs and blossoming of the lows adds to the effect. The result is the singer feels like she is standing at the front of the stage, above everyone else. The sides are incredibly detailed and surrounding, It makes me feel like I’m at the concert among other audience members. The master feels like they lost a little of that Width even though it’s easier to hear what’s going on.

Going back to the master it’s a different experience, ok for a radio spot or short single, not a live album. They are trying to transform the mix into something it’s not. It’s like they want the listener to be up on stage hearing every nuance. That’s not what the producer went for ...or he would have done that, IMO. [edit: listened one more time actually I think they cut back the mids and brought out the sides. I was hearing that as being on stage with the mains in front, but now it feels more like at the back of a stadium, listening mostly on the LR mains. Feels a bit too far away be involved in the audience having fun? Like the lawn at Shoreline. I guess that’s better description]

For the bass, I think there’s room to make it bigger, and some loudness? Not much to do I don’t think for mastering, some loudness, controlling dynamics, run it through some tubes or whatever.

All this said, I’ve only listened on consumer devices so far iPhone earbuds/car. I know them... pretty well I guess at this point. I’ll try to listen on monitors this week.

Gang, thanks SO MUCH for the comments and all are valid. I do like my tonality but also recognize that the master opened up the track. The problem is that the lead vocal was already at the border of harsh and he made it worst, to my ears. I also had a drummer friend mention the high-hat being too sizzle but I personally like it that way. the song and coming album are a negotiation. There is TONS of bleed. Say it with me, "bleed is my friend" - lol. to be COMPLETELY honest, the team is very spontaneous. In fact, the albums past and coming lean into that. That is where much of the movement comes from. They are most higher end pros.

Reading into all comments, I see an agreement with my assessment, with your and my notes considered. Thanks!

I don't have a master of THIS single from the original guy but will post another song before/after.

Yes, the vision of my stakeholder is the share the experience. I mix the live event while I have an assistant monitoring tracking levels. The room is nice and has an AH SQ7 running 96hz. While mixing in the room, the system is naturally warm and I tend to keep it that way so I can crank it. We are generally 100db or so. you can feel the drum kit but nothing is painful. I have zero complaints and the stakeholder is in her 70's - lol. She loves to rock.

I shared very specific examples from Urban/Niebank/Huff with the ME and feel that he missed it and I am not sure how. I left the low end and top end soft to allow them to adjust - trusting them to know what the average is with commercial releases. Thanks for the feedback.

I listened to the entire mix on my KRK V6S4 but turned off the master when I heard the clipping. The master has audible clipping. I wouldn't accept it. The mix has some warmth and is much, much better than the master. You can hear the distortion on the snare and cymbals in the master. The snare is nasty and the cymbals become a hash. The mix is much cleaner. The master is flat and disgusting.