kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Feb 27, 2020 4:51:53 GMT -6
Wondering what people are using and what they like about it?
I’ve demod Ozone, parts of the Softube Wiess stuff,
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Post by levon on Feb 27, 2020 9:08:47 GMT -6
I don't master my stuff myself, I use Abbey Road, always the same guy. However, when I was there last week, he told me about the Waves Abbey Road Mastering chain plugin. He said it was really good and very close to the TG hardware he uses. He also uses a Manley VariMu, Massive Passive EQ and PrismSound and Weiss EQs. Some of those are available as plugins, so you could build your own Abbey Road chain. Not sure if this answers your question...
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Post by swafford on Feb 27, 2020 10:28:12 GMT -6
Combination of Logic and DSP-Quattro.
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Post by trakworxmastering on Feb 27, 2020 10:36:06 GMT -6
I assume you're asking about plug-ins not workstations or other mastering related software...
FWIW, DMG, Fabfilter, Oeksound, and UAD are the companies who's plugins get used most here.
If I didn't use analog hardware then I'd likely have a longer list for you.
Cheers,
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Post by Darren Boling on Feb 27, 2020 10:40:04 GMT -6
For metering I like the Klanghelm VUMT deluxe, Mastering the Mix Levels, and SPL Hawkeye. In processing plugins I use 95% of the time are the Magic Death Eye plugin, Acustica Azure2, and Pro-L2. These seem to get me the gentle shaping and level I need without fuss. Also have used: Ozone 9 (the module that lets you adjust vocal level can be a lifesaver!) UAD Ampex, Pro-Q3, Sonnox dynamic eq, Weiss, Dangerous BAX, Massive Passive, Curve Bender, Oxford Inflator, bx_digital V3, E27 (very touchy though) and on occasion UAD Pultec and StageOne. Combinations of these came in when more heavy lifting was required, which I try to avoid unless it's absolutely unnecessary.
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Post by swafford on Feb 27, 2020 14:24:19 GMT -6
Oh, I thought you meant for assembly and metadata. I use hardware in my chain with Pro L2 at the end.
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Post by javamad on Feb 27, 2020 16:08:48 GMT -6
FabFilterQ3-> UAD Maag EQ -> UAD Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor -> FabFilter L2
FF Q3 for high pass at 30 or 40Hz, mono-izing bass, sometimes low shelf cut of a db or two at 80 and below Maag EQ to add the air band, sometimes that 3.2k shelf aswell UAD SHMC mostly on the "Medium Program Material" preset .. it just brings things forward a bit nicely FF L2 to bring up to -10LUFS (I generally bounce my mixes (through summing) at the mixing stage without trying to get loud and concentrating on tone and balance)
If a track is still a bit peaky on the top end I might add Soothe .. but I am likely to have already used it in the mix on whatever elements were bothering me
All the above is my starting point so I would use depending on how the mix had turned out.
I would be wary of a plugin that does "mastering" for two reasons ... 1. if it is any good it would do the same thing as for everyone else so killing my originality and 2. it would limit my creativity .. I prefer to build up a chain and adapt/grow over time
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Post by swurveman on Feb 27, 2020 16:19:41 GMT -6
Wavelab. I keep upgrading because I know it. It works for what I need, compiling montages, normalizing rms levels so loudness is what I want, burning CD's etc., but I'm not a pro by any means. I do a lot of premastering in Cubase while I mix.
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Post by mcirish on Feb 27, 2020 17:08:53 GMT -6
I use wavelab when I need to do some self-mastering but normally I send it out. I just like having another set of ears on my mix that can catch stuff I missed. BTW, Wavelab has changed so drastically. It's a bit hard for me to navigate now. And, it no longer burns CDs so I end up having to use an old version to make CDs.
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Post by Martin John Butler on Feb 27, 2020 21:43:53 GMT -6
Try ARIA, 10 tracks in a month costs less than $50. Your tracks go through high end gear, and it sounds like it.
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Post by theshea on Feb 28, 2020 6:58:48 GMT -6
i mix with VUMT deluxe on my 2bus. for checking levels and making the bass mono. since i bought the drawmer 1978 it sits on my 2bus and i mix into it with a bit of compression, a bit of low and high eq boost. after mix is about 70% finished i do the unusual and almost forbidden thing: i add my mastering plugins IN my mix session: >SDDR in desk mode, it gives a bit of clarity and witdh >waves linear multiband: used lightly but it makes everything sound "like a record" >Vlad limiter no9: loudness
than i can hear it like a finished mastered song. i can finetune the volumes of each track better and the frequency curve of the whole track. i got used to working like this and like it a lot. the finished version is also the mastered track. all in one session window. i never get screwed up volume balance after mastering again! i vary my mastering chain when needed and add eq etc. when mastering a whole album i can import a finished mastered song and use that as reference.
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Post by schmalzy on Mar 1, 2020 12:37:15 GMT -6
I do all my processing in Reaper then export the entire record as a single .wav file. I add metadata and export DDP, individual .wavs, and MP3s out of Hofa.
My processing in Reaper is something like this:
ReaEQ for any hpf or notching that needs to happen. A Kush EQ for tonal shaping. Most likely to be the Hammer but is sometimes Electra or Clariphonic. Oeksound Soothe if necessary One of the Kush Omega plugs if I need some more tonal shape and saturation. This decision is typically made before the EQ choices. Kush's Novatron or AR-1 for compression if necessary. Cleaner compression would come from the Focusrite Red 3 plugin. Every now and then the Boz Digital Labs +10db strip is the right choice here instead. JST Clip to eliminate anything spikey. SOMETIMES it'll go before the compression. It just depends on what I'm trying to do. If I'm mixing I'll probably handle that big transient stuff in the mix but what I get from mixers is a crapshoot. Reaper's Event Horizon Limiter Vlad's Limiter No9 just to make sure I have inter-sample-peaks sorted out and possibly a touch of a different sounding limiter and clipper (the ISP limiter is at the end). Voxengo SPAN for frequency analysis Youlean Loudness Meter to check RMS/Lufs.
The only things that are really always there are the ReaEQ, JST Clip, and, Event Horizon, Vlad Limiter, and the analysis stuff. The rest of that is as necessary. Basically the Kush saturation and compression is all vibe stuff. If I need a touch more sauce it'll probably come from those plugs. The Kush EQs are fairly clean though Hammer seems to add a little love.
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Post by swurveman on Mar 1, 2020 14:36:27 GMT -6
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Post by jampa on Mar 1, 2020 20:17:53 GMT -6
REAPER SIRAudioTools TDR Oeksound DMG audio Ozone
RX HOFA XLD
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Post by Ward on Mar 2, 2020 8:51:26 GMT -6
I'm surprised any mastering engineer weighs in here. If I were a mastering engineer, I'd keep that all to myself and my peers.
Actual mastering is the last bit of secret magic left in the recording world where you can make a living without being nickel and dimed to death.
I am not a mastering engineer. I have a guy who does that.
IMHO . . . Albums mixed and mastered by the same ears do not sound as good as when you have fresh ears for the final step.
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Post by jeremygillespie on Mar 2, 2020 9:59:53 GMT -6
I’m with Ward. If I’m engineering, producing, playing and mixing, then I’ve got to have another set of ears on it. I leave that to the people who make a living doing it. Sometimes that means handing off the project to an outside mixer as well.
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Post by mcirish on Mar 2, 2020 10:29:19 GMT -6
Wavelab 10 does not burn CDs. I go back to version 8 or even 7 if I need to burn something. On a side note, Wavelab 10 is pretty confusing. Everything has changed.
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kcatthedog
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Post by kcatthedog on Mar 2, 2020 17:47:05 GMT -6
I was just curious what software peeps thought were good tools and why?
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Post by nick8801 on Mar 2, 2020 17:50:09 GMT -6
Digging Ozone here.
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Post by Johnkenn on Mar 2, 2020 20:43:17 GMT -6
This is not asking about projects with budgets that allow for mastering. That is always the preferred option. This is about mastering software for those projects that require it.
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Post by Johnkenn on Mar 2, 2020 20:44:15 GMT -6
I did notice today that Ozone 9’s RMS metering was off pretty badly.
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proxy
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Post by proxy on Mar 2, 2020 22:30:59 GMT -6
I usually have a separate mastering engineer do it, mostly for the value of fresh perspective.
When I do it, I use: UA Manley Vari Mu (sometimes regular, sometimes M/S, sometimes not at all) Oxford Limiter for some final “bigness” Ozone Limiter or UA Precision Limiter for final levels
This is almost always preceded by: AM660 / API 550A Rear Bus 2a3 and Clariphonic Mix Bus
But the mastering plugs I add later, after mixing into the other stuff.
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Post by swurveman on Mar 3, 2020 8:39:23 GMT -6
Wavelab 10 does not burn CDs. I go back to version 8 or even 7 if I need to burn something. On a side note, Wavelab 10 is pretty confusing. Everything has changed. Are you saying the procedure below in the software is not working? I haven't seen this as a overall problem on the Wavelab Forums for 10 at all, but I did see issues from individual users in earlier versions: www.steinberg.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=36318Procedure Optional: In the CD window, select Functions > Check CD Conformity to check that all settings conform to the Red Book standard. Insert an empty CD into your drive. In the CD window, select Functions > Write Audio CD or DDP. From the Device pop-up menu, select the writing device that you want to use. If you want to bypass the Master Section, activate Bypass Master Section. Select the writing speed from the Speed pop-up menu Select the number of copies that you want to write When you want to write more than one copy, it is recommended to activate Render to Temporary File before Writing. Optional: Activate one or several of the following options: Activate Test Only, Do Not Write if you want to test if the writing operation would be successful. Activate Render to Temporary File before Writing if your audio montage uses many plug-ins. This way, the audio data is sent to the CD writer fast enough. Activate CD-Extra Compatible (New Session Possible) if you want the resulting audio CD to be compatible with the CD-Extra format. Activate Eject after Completion if you want the disc to be automatically ejected after the writing operation. Click OK. Result The writing operation starts.
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Post by mcirish on Mar 3, 2020 11:07:53 GMT -6
Thanks Frank for the tutorial. I guess since they dropped the Basic Audio CD tab (which is what I always used) I thought that it no longer could burn CDs. I'm happy to be wrong. I just need to wrap my head around the new layout. I get lost too quickly and haven't had the time to dive in.
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Post by swurveman on Mar 3, 2020 12:50:08 GMT -6
Thanks Frank for the tutorial. I guess since they dropped the Basic Audio CD tab (which is what I always used) I thought that it no longer could burn CDs. I'm happy to be wrong. I just need to wrap my head around the new layout. I get lost too quickly and haven't had the time to dive in. Mo problem mcirish. Yes, the Basic Audio CD is really handy for quick burning of CD's. I use it all the time for people who want a quick CD done before the master. Don't know why they got rid of it. I haven't read the full Wavelab 10 manual, but I wonder if they've called it something else. Hard to believe you'd have to do everything in the montage, but could be wrong.
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