I'm a mix engineer and wanted to try some DIY mastering. I've followed the most common steps such as, single band compression - eq - multiband compression - peak compression - brickwall limit. But what I found is my own mastered version doesn't have the tightness like the song is playing together as one unit and the volume is not as consistent as the professionally mastered version.

And I've tried some web based mastering services like LANDR and MasteringBox. Even the song I put on them is instantly consistent and tight.

Did I miss something?
Thanks in advance.

 

hi

m/s mid side processing is the secret.

on the sides hp filter around 150hz. there are two resonant frequencies which build up easily , around 250 and 540hz. notch those out with a narrow Q. (both mid and sides)

you can compress the sides a bit more and boost, giving a wider stereo image.

i love to use analog emus to add sparkle, i use u-he satin, sonimus britson/satson, wavearts tubesaturator.

control the bass on the sides. to make it solid, make everything mono under 150hz. use a clipper before the final limiter to play with the gain-staging.

use low-pass filter around 16khz and add back extra sparkle with saturation plugins. if after compression there's too much shizzle on the top, you can use a deesser to pull it back when needed.

u can use more than 1 limiter at the end. use reference tracks.

so yeah, sometimes compression is not needed at all, a good saturator or tape-sim will compress it for ya.

the most important : a good mix to begin with(too much info to write it here).

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best tools to me today are :

- sonimus britson (for meaty "analog" sound)
-uhe satin (for old-school wibe)
-ik multimedia SSL comp (can be used in m/s mode), eq432. The Glue (even better than ik), vertigo vsc-2
-ozone6 advanced (linear phase surgical m/s eq,killer tape/tube emus, easiest and most powerful multiband compressor, and probably the best limiters/dithering)
----

hit me with any question

 

Pro Tools 10 beat me to the punch. You have have right tools, it's just how you use them. Mid/Side processing and stacking limiters would be my suggestion. I also like to use a little of the Maag EQ4's Air Band

 

Thanks to both of you, I'll learn it ASAP.

Anyway, do you know about any algorithm of the online automated mastering sites?

 

i listened a few of those demos (before after). most of it just a +10db limiting , maybe a hp/lp filter. i would stay away from those money hungry sites, with a little practice you can do the same or better.

 

It's amazing how they can make the track gel together steadily by only using limiter and filters.
Me too, I won't pay. I was just curious about them.

 

you nailed it in my opinion *yes* , multi-band just is heavily overrated in (again my opinion) and certainly not necessary in each situation..

to emphasize what protools said I will write down my approach which is almost the same. Remember, I am not a mastering engineer. I'm not even trying... some thing are better done other people that's life...
What I can do is mix a session more then properly, It won't be as 'good' as a track thorn down by a mastering engineer but some tracks (the majority these days) simply don't get mastered anyway :

I most likely start any session with filtering unwanted frequencies, starting with frequencies which bother me and stand out to much.
This should be done quick, if I first take time to listen the whole track, my judgement would be blurred by hearing fatigued or hearing habituation... (cant find the right word sorry for my Babylon English )

then I put a highpass filter to filter out unneeded low frequencies, start at the lowest place possible and swipe it up until you hear what it does.
You want to have a thick basement for your mix but you don't want to keep the speakers to be busy with pooping out sound you won't even notice,
and other frequencies in the bottom need that attention. (this needs some practice and some a/b-ing on different systems)

you can also cut a little of the top end by taste, it's like this: I want them to hear what I hear, Humans can’t really hear above 20K and most humans, especially if you’re a musician, probably can’t hear above 18, 19.
(don't confuse this with removing sibilance which I rather knock down in an earlier stage...)

next is the stereo image, narrow everything around 140hz and below, low frequency's are non-directional tus making stereo nugatory. then why don't leave it in? well... since phase cancellation is most apparent in the low frequency range, that's why! one could also try to widen the stereo image for the higher frequency range, but be careful. I don't care how sophisticated your widener is, widening has unavoidable side affects on different systems so choose wisely!

Next is the limiter, this is were the money is *yes* ...
I won't tell you what dynamic range you should aim for, I don't want to start a flame war...

If you done everything right it should be as easy as lowering the threshold where you want it to be... if it isn't. and thats were multiband compressing comes in, there is possibly something stressing your limiter to much which can be fixed with the multi-band if you can't go back targeting the problematic instruments with simple volume adjustments...

I'll leave harmonic excitement for what it is, I believe there isn't an 'in the box' effect that has an accurate and dimensional representation of the analog tape sound. maybe there is. maybe it's in nebula, but I don't know. it's tragic to hear a effect next to the real deal, even the expensive ones don't even come close in my opinion. they might sound good on some tracks but certainly not on all and less often then the real deal

Again I aint no mastering engineer, and I don't claim I am. But I'm sure that with our approach, a little learning and determination. you can easily top auto mastering services

GL!

 

One thing no mention is parallel fx for the vocal and master parallel compression.
Also the best fx is personal/technical thing.
I can say with proud that I tested everything.
The best tool for m/s processing, without a doubt for me is bx digital v2.
About the analog/desk thing I prefer NLS Nevo set, but as Slate said its better to use different emulation for each group of instruments

 

+1000, imo ozone6's eq is easier to use, same quality. also, instead of adding one volume boost at the end, i like to add it in more stages. sometimes i put 3-4 sonimus britson one after the other, i use 2 for adding saturation, 2 for gain, in small steps.

the glue has parallel ability

 

@ The O.P/ I highly recommend you check out Bob Katz, he literally wrote the book on mastering and there is a PDF of it floating all over if you look. I interned for him for a awhile and learned a lot during that time. One thing I can say is that mastering can not properly be done in the box. Sure plugs like Ozone and Waves have really stepped it up by nothing will ever compare to a hardware and a properly tuned room set up. I have yet to hear a track that was mastered well using software and only software

 

Well, this was mastered using Ozone 4:

[media]https://youtu.be/_jw7yk8hm_0[/media]

 

I'm with ppl above :

Low cut and high cut, because it is a big part of spectral balance. We judge FIRST by tonal balance, not by strict value.
It it too harsh ? Too muddy ? ... And when you cut on one side, it slide the other side.

Stereo work : monobass under 80-120Hz, some widening on highs freqs over 3.5kHz-5kHz because we are less sensitive to "phase smearing" in this region

Mid/Side compression and EQ : it will add something you miss at mixing stage. Here, you aim at the "big picture" only.

To me, the key is spectral balance first. You can accept some dynamic troubles, because human hear "limit" peaks at high volume.
That's why things sound better when loud...and why you mess your mixing/mastering before being deaf too

You want my personal spices ?
Maxxbass before low cut/high cut (especially on electro/metal/indus... tracks)
Nebula/Acqua tape, console, EQ set to zero ... in the chain.They will give you that subtle stereo "glue", digital transients reduction and more
Ozone Harmonic Exciter : you can affect only treble for more shine

Multiband can be considered as a "fix", or broadcast-like effect. Not so much mandatory. Some ppl use multiband comp to pump only a single band from a bassline in the mix. I think multiband work better in the mix in fact. Because on master track, it will have a tendency to break dynamic articulation...until you push it so hard you get a radio-like sausage

 

The topic is Mastering and you use a youtube vid with compressed audio as an example? Does not make any sense to me.

 

My bad, I should've posted the lossless FLAC version here.

BTW, The song is Gateways by Dimmu Borgir.