Hey :)
Is it wise to have all your tracks the same level before mastering and then maybe tone down the highs during mastering so your mids pop out a little more? I am comparing my frequency curve post-master to my favorite tracks and I basically just need to tone down everything above around 4K. I am aware that compression and limiting may change the "percieved" volume of tracks when comparing their visual levels to other in a track but I think I may learn a lot from people's answers.
Thanks,
Luke
Is it wise to have all your tracks the same level before mastering and then maybe tone down the highs during mastering so your mids pop out a little more? I am comparing my frequency curve post-master to my favorite tracks and I basically just need to tone down everything above around 4K. I am aware that compression and limiting may change the "percieved" volume of tracks when comparing their visual levels to other in a track but I think I may learn a lot from people's answers.
Thanks,
Luke
posted by:
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Oregon
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, May 13, 2008 - 12:05 AMwhen mastering, i believe that less is usually more...
let me explain.
i feel that the track needs to sound good before you go to master it... like in your sequencer or daw or whatever. i almost never eq the master post production... i find that it's better to do the eqs for each channel while doing the mixdown
the idea here is that mastering is just minor dynamics tweaks to fatten up the sound ever so slightly.
hope this is helpful in some small way
david -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, May 13, 2008 - 1:14 AMDavid,
I agree with you and that is what I have been doing. I am curious of how people set their levels during the mixdown. Would it be wise to have the sounds in the mix around 1 or 2 Db lower than the rest with dance music? -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, May 13, 2008 - 9:27 AMwhat sounds? i'm confused.
the sounds in the mix?
i don't think there's a numbers based answer for how loud any sound should be (well the drums and bass need to be {or at least sound} hot hot hot)...
but for other sounds... i just don't see having a desired decible value..
david
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, May 13, 2008 - 3:41 PMI meant to say would it be wise to have the higher frequencies around 4k and up about 1 or 2 db lower than the rest of the frequencies pre-master? -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, May 13, 2008 - 10:54 PMoh... i have an image somewhere of what some guy somewhere says the frequency response graph for an electronic dance tune should look like
i'll hunt it down
david -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, May 13, 2008 - 11:14 PMin my experience... you want your track to 'sound' they way you will want it to sound when it is all done for master.
i don't master much, but i get the impression from the mastering jobs i have heard on my tracks that the mastering engineer is most likely not compressing or doing too much to those super high frequencies you speak of. so after he masters and fattens up the other frequencies, i bet those just kind of sit in their pocket.
the most recent masters i have gotten back were done by one of the 'masters' of mastering for the genre. and when i got them back, the tracks sounded very much like the originals, which made me feel good.
squee -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Thu, May 15, 2008 - 9:24 PMDavid - I have tried comparing eq graphs and that helps. That might not mean so much because of the "percieved" loudness I spoke of before.
Squee - I will take your advice, thanks :)
L -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Fri, May 16, 2008 - 9:18 AMI agree with squee... for the most part...
the only thing i would say is... make sure there's no huge spikes in your frequency response curve (like me... i tend to have a spike at 45-50 hz... for SOME reason... that i have to go back and take care of)...
but otherwise ya, it's about what you hear...
david
www.xstreamist.com/davidbuhau -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, June 3, 2008 - 1:30 PMI agree with Squee too.
sometimes I get a spike in my bass right above where I have an eq cut set. Like if I am cutting the bass out at 30htz then around 40htz will get boosted for some reason, even if I can't fix that by tweeking the Q.
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, June 3, 2008 - 2:29 PMluke... are you using the low cut filter in logic? or or you using the channel eq?
the low cut filter in logic is weird... it has a resonant spike just above the actual low cut. i noticed this awhile back, i had an automation of low cut on a bassline, and was hearing harmonics that just weren't in the non-eq'ed sound. now i pretend that the logic low cut doesn't exist anymore.
the channel eq though, i feel is a good eq and the analysis is good as well, and i don't feel that i get the spikes anymore.
squee -
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Re: Is it wise to have all your tracks at about the same level pre-master?
Tue, June 3, 2008 - 10:32 PMI am using the channel eq.
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