do you put anything on your master track?

  • Thread starter Thread starter mylesp510
  • Start date Start date
M

mylesp510

Member
i dont put anything on my master track but was wondering if you guys do? should i be putting something?

i dont know much about mastering as i do mixing so i'm wondering
 
I put a Limiter on mine with heavy 808's that's about it.
 
Ya i have a chain i always use. It's not necessary to have something on the master if it's mixed nicely through out the individual tracks, but in my personal opinion I would atleast put an EQ to make tweaks to the overall mix. You will be surprised out how much cleaner and crisp your mixes will get if done properly. Usually boost low and highs and cut my mid's about 4-7 db's, it really opens up your mix and also leaves more space for vocals as an added bonus.

My usual chain goes like this:

1-Parametric EQ 2 -for cutting frequencies below 35 hz and above 18 khz
2-Paremetic EQ 2 -for master EQ as described above
3- Sonnar Oxford Limiter -for small brickwall limiting or for extra limiting (only if needed)
4- Waves L3 MultiMaximer -used for final limiting, also gives me control over the various bands
5- RMS Buddy -for measuring my RMS levels and keeping them in the same levels for all my beats

That's pretty much what i'll always use standard but in some instances i'll also add Ozone or a stereo imager to the chain if i feel the track could benefit from it.
 
Before I start mixing, I like to put a real light compressor on the Main Bus, just to help glue everything together as I go. Then when I'm about done, sometimes I'll bring in a multiband exciter, and a stereo widener. I leave the limiter off until I'm basically ready to bounce the track; I don't recommend mixing through it. (I use the hardware volume control on my interface, which doesn't effect Pro Tools, to adjust the volume during the mix process).
 
Last edited:
SoundHustle said:
Ya i have a chain i always use. It's not necessary to have something on the master if it's mixed nicely through out the individual tracks, but in my personal opinion I would atleast put an EQ to make tweaks to the overall mix. You will be surprised out how much cleaner and crisp your mixes will get if done properly. Usually boost low and highs and cut my mid's about 4-7 db's, it really opens up your mix and also leaves more space for vocals as an added bonus.

My usual chain goes like this:

1-Parametric EQ 2 -for cutting frequencies below 35 hz and above 18 khz
2-Paremetic EQ 2 -for master EQ as described above
3- Sonnar Oxford Limiter -for small brickwall limiting or for extra limiting (only if needed)
4- Waves L3 MultiMaximer -used for final limiting, also gives me control over the various bands
5- RMS Buddy -for measuring my RMS levels and keeping them in the same levels for all my beats

That's pretty much what i'll always use standard but in some instances i'll also add Ozone or a stereo imager to the chain if i feel the track could benefit from it.
Click to expand...

Are mastering your beats so they all sound similar when showcasing them online or are you sending the tracks already mastered to the artist that buys your beat?
I'm only asking because there has been hundreds of times I've been sent vocals with a stereo instrumental track that has already been mastered, and it shouldn't be like this.
Mastering should be the last step in the production process, not half way through before any vocals are added.
 
I agree, I wouldn't want to add anything to a project that has just been mastered.

Surely if you were adding vocals to an instrumental you would stem mix the tracks prior to mastering?
 
If it's a finished track (vocals and everything) then you certainly want a compressor/maximizer/limiter, EQ and perhaps a stereo enhancer.
 
I mix first, without anything on the master bus.

Then I typically throw a good bus compressor and a limiter. I usually use SSL4000 compressor and khjaerus MPL Pro limiter. Ill throw an EQ on if I think it needs brightness... but I seem to try to handle the low end stuff before it gets to the master bus
 
themixspace said:
Are mastering your beats so they all sound similar when showcasing them online or are you sending the tracks already mastered to the artist that buys your beat?
I'm only asking because there has been hundreds of times I've been sent vocals with a stereo instrumental track that has already been mastered, and it shouldn't be like this.
Mastering should be the last step in the production process, not half way through before any vocals are added.
Click to expand...

Both, i have it mastered to showcase online and that's also how i send it to them. I imagine it would be quite hard to showcase and sell a beat that hasn't been mastered yet, it just wouldn't sound as good and people would assume it's a bad mix job instead of 'it's just not mastered'.

I think most people would prefer to have it already mastered anyways imo.
 
I'm warming to using the master bus for plug-ins more often, whereas before I was just leaving it till the mastering stage. Two main reasons...

1/ I like to have a reference track to aim for during mixing, and these are usually mastered as the finished product. Therefore I like it more if mixing was aiming for the finished product as opposed to one that is "nearly there"

It also seems logical to maybe use the master bus as a sort of group bus where you can affect everything at once. If the song is overall too bassy, for example, then why not fix this at the mixing stage - you're conscious of things like this anyway so it's not as if it is a different skill.

2/ It can be useful to have a finished product after mixing - for promotions etc.

I think the main reason for leaving things till the mastering stage is for when the song has to work alongside other songs - like in an album.

Not saying not to use mastering, just that I want to get things closer to the finished product. Maybe Eq and compression if I think the song needs it.
 
SoundHustle said:
Both, i have it mastered to showcase online and that's also how i send it to them. I imagine it would be quite hard to showcase and sell a beat that hasn't been mastered yet, it just wouldn't sound as good and people would assume it's a bad mix job instead of 'it's just not mastered'.

I think most people would prefer to have it already mastered anyways imo.
Click to expand...

I understand that people may prefer it that way, but you are letting the quality of your music suffer as a result. If you limit a track at the end of your 'mastering' chain you will be cutting all the peaks off at around 0.1db. When vocals are added, the beat needs to be turned down because theres no headroom left which means you mastered it for no reason except to maybe balance the frequencies a bit better or just the make it 'loud'.

I would say around 70% of the artists I mix for have no idea that a beat has already been mastered, especially when they are asking me to master their song at the end. I then need to explain to them that the beat has already been mastered and doing it again will only make the sound quality worse.

Why don't you just try using a limiting to bring the volume up for promotion but then send the artist a 'unmastered' version when they purchase. If you explain the proper production process (recording -> mixing -> mastering) I'm sure the artist will understand and they may even thank you because you will have made the final track much better quality. If an artist refuses to accept and unmastered beat I would say they aren't worth working with because it's YOUR reputation on the line as a producer.
 
mylesp510 said:
i dont put anything on my master track but was wondering if you guys do? should i be putting something?

i dont know much about mastering as i do mixing so i'm wondering
Click to expand...

I put very little on there. Occasionally a spec (and I mean a spec) of compression. Occasionally a hint (and I mean a hint) of EQ. But the less I can put on there the better. Unless I'm printing a reference, in which case I'll apply a limiter for overall level.

By the way, not that it's all that important - but the master channel is a channel, not a track. The word track comes from tracks on a tape reel, and has come to mean track in a digital print. Neither applies to the master channel.
 
themixspace said:
I understand that people may prefer it that way, but you are letting the quality of your music suffer as a result. If you limit a track at the end of your 'mastering' chain you will be cutting all the peaks off at around 0.1db. When vocals are added, the beat needs to be turned down because theres no headroom left which means you mastered it for no reason except to maybe balance the frequencies a bit better or just the make it 'loud'.

I would say around 70% of the artists I mix for have no idea that a beat has already been mastered, especially when they are asking me to master their song at the end. I then need to explain to them that the beat has already been mastered and doing it again will only make the sound quality worse.

Why don't you just try using a limiting to bring the volume up for promotion but then send the artist a 'unmastered' version when they purchase. If you explain the proper production process (recording -> mixing -> mastering) I'm sure the artist will understand and they may even thank you because you will have made the final track much better quality. If an artist refuses to accept and unmastered beat I would say they aren't worth working with because it's YOUR reputation on the line as a producer.
Click to expand...

Word. For online, beat CD's etc. I would throw a limiter on the master, like the Waves L series...just adjust the threshold setting to your liking so its loud enough to compete with everything out there. For recording though, if you master the beat and then it gets mastered again it sounds like shit! I've made this mistake before a couple years ago, go back and listen to it now you can hear the comressor working on the whole track...it hurts your ears to listen to. This should have been caught by the so called "engineer" too, but its def not a good look when you are credited to something like that as a producer. Its also a pain in the ass when an artist wants to record to a beat that is squashed to the max. Best way to go IMO is use the mastered beats for promo only, when it is time to record use the tracked out version of the beat first, if thats not an option use an unmastered wav version of the beat.
 
Good advice on not sendin mastered beats guys!!! You saved me! I use ozone 4 on mine jsut to get the beat sounding good for others to listen to. But your totally right, i can completely understand why you wouldnt want -0.3 headroom when theyre trying to put vocals. Plus the way i EQ just the beat may not sit well with the vocals. When i do get to the point of selling my beats, i definatly will be explaining that im sending the MIXED wav, and that they have to either master it themselves...send it to their engineer or.....hmmm back to me!?!? Maybe a whole nother form of revenue from that tip! Thanks guys
 
Last edited:
I suppose it depends on just what sound you're shooting for, but I've been informed to keep that chain to a minimum, and I know in my mixes, shelving EQ (adding bass and treble at the extreme ends similar to a basic system's knobs) is something to be very careful with. I'd rather not do any boosting at all on the entire mix. Maybe a little cut around 200-400 if the bass line is too muddy and drowning out the kick. Compression should be very light on the entire mix especially if you've done EQ and/or compression on sub mixes or separate tracks. Usually the separate tracks and submixes are more important to do this kind of processing with. You could use a hard limiter on the final mix, but keep your threshhold really close to the peaks.
 
I mix into compression from the beginning. Usually hitting 3-4 db's at most. Then towards the end I add a 3 band broad EQ. Sometimes I'll also have some saturation on the mixbuss but again if I do I find it better to mix through it from the beginning than to add it later.
 
I just mainly mix my shit, add filters, ill only add compression on a track if something is really quiet, i tend to make it loud then turn it down, get my mix how i want it, which normally sounds good but is quiet, then i throw ozone on my master, do the limiting, LIGHT eq on high and low, some mastering reverb, and maybe harmonic exciters (dont really know what they do) and then some other shit i dont know what does but i know what my ears are hearing lol. But only thing on the master is generally ozone
 
I mix into a compressor at about 1.5:1 with the needle just ticking slightly. Just for a bit of glue.
 
I would make sure that you aren't clipping the master before putting anything on there. I get so many peoples mixes to remix that are just slamming the master and clipping like crazy. Everybody on here that talks about just putting a little bit of compression on the master seem to have a good idea what they are sending there.
 
Most well respected mixing engineers actually don't put anything on the main track unless they are running it out to the analog domain. In that case they are simply intending to add "color" to the track.

As another poster mentioned, its actually recommended that you DON'T put anything on the main track. The reason is because if you plan to actually master the track (whether you do it yourself or send it to someone else), you'll be fighting against the processing that you already applied to the entire track.

As an example, if you applied a limiter to your master bus and set it to boost the volume to just below 0 DB. Well now you have VERY LITTLE if any room to work with when you are actually mastering your song. So if you happen to want to make the song louder or add a little more bass or treble, there is nowhere to go. In this case, any extra volume is likely going to add distortion to your track since you've already used up all of your head room when you threw the limiter on the master bus.

This is the reason professional mastering engineers prefer that you not put things on the main bus. Now if you prefer to do your own mastering, then the same logic still applies. I think its best to leave the master bus alone unless you are either going out into the analog domain (via summing) or you are already working in the analog domain.

Just my 2 cents. :-)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top