How do perform surgical eq'ing when you have 5 set bands of eq with no options for bell or shelving. No HP or LP roll off? No side chain? How do you deal with high end conflicting frequencies when you only have a 10k boost or cut?
It's a nice toy for kids to polish their tracks by finding a preset (now boasting of a Jazz preset according to the website..... gee, if that doesn't tell you who this is marketed at what does?) but aimed at pro's who have Fairchild, Manley, Shadow Hills, Cranesong etc..? Nope. You are mistaken and locked into a quick fix product that is not at all related to Professional mastering studios.

 

When I mentioned Jazz preset I didn't mean it's aimed at jazz players, but the fact that they label it with such simple terms. "Buy this plugin and you can even master Jazz songs!!"

 

Hmm. This software is not a gimmick when used by Gavin Lurssen. It almost certainly is when used by me and the likes of me.

A great way to make all music sound the same whether it works or not.

 

If I'm mastering and it requires me to apply an extreme amount of editing to an individual song.. what I'm doing is "mixing". The confusion is that DIY producers have a tendency to focus on mixing and mastering as a hybrid task, and it's not. Mastering is to maximize and retain the tonal, depth, and dynamic properties of a professional mix. It's also about identifying the nominal RMS/Peak ratio for all songs in an album. And importantly, it's about high quality conversion to one or several formats.. cued for distribution. This is why it's even common for songs that are maximized to be sent off simply to be re-recorded. If one has a renown ad/da device right at home it's definitely possible to achieve great sounding masters. One thing a plugin won't give (whether it be a Lurssen or Shadow Hills plugin) is conversion quality. When bedroom producers use instrument and fx plugins they don't all hear the same thing happening when they play or edit something.. because each man is reliant upon their ears and the signal quality of their interface.. it's that simple.

 

Last edited: Jul 1, 2017

how do you take a screwdriver with a plastic handle and hammer in a railroad spike?

(maybe i assume too much when i make the assumption that a human being bare minimum requirements is to select the right tool for the job)


IMHO , if you are mastering, yet think you need to surgical eq , something went horribly wrong with the mix process ( yet sometimes you might get a job WITH a horrible mix in that condition, what i would do is get individual tracks or stems from the client get a decent mix, then begin to master once it is in healthy shape.) you need the right tool for the job, expecting a tool to do what it was never intended is not the fault of the tool itself.

maybe you think it can only be possible, for a track to require to be surgically eq'd , if the transient response of that track is not even throughout with the same width and thickness throughout the track. then you will have transients that pop out all over the place different amounts in different frequencies at different times. if this is the case you are NOT ready to begin mastering yet.

here is an example

track a fresh dry recorded snare drum straight from mic with just transparent preamp to capture. this audio track is in a pure state the dynamic range is massive and the transient response is all over the place different thickness throughout the frequency response when the stick hits the drum hard you get a click that is thin and fast at 5khz, a thicker transient whack at 2khz little looser ,a very thick and flabby transient at 200hz

the transient response is different thickness and width and duration at different times and places within the audio track this is entirely independent of dynamic range ( what you use a compressor for) and independent of frequency response (what you use a eq for) until delt with this transient response problem in this bare bone track you wouldn't consider doin "mastering" or final touches getting ready for final product you are at the very beginning with it.
when you tale about surgical eq that is a rare occurrence and done in the beginning stages , maybe that you are attempting to fix a transient response problem with the wrong tool ( eq is for frequency response NOT transient response)
i have never in my life found and example where a microphone was so poorly designed to where it required a surgical cut because the frequency response actually captured was a big thin spike somewhere in the spectral say 1.2 khz . and IF that did happen i would without hesitation grab a different microphone and re-capture.
i cant think of a legitimate reason to cut thin deep holes in the frequency response during mastering or any other part oif music creation production or engineering.
I have mastered thousands of songs in my life and never one single instance have a used a narrow eq cut what could that possibly accomplish?
are you honestly saying a tiny thin part of your spectrum is 7 db too loud? for example 1.2 khz to 1.4 khz is actually 7 db too loud compared to the rest which is even? dont get it.

 

Last edited: Jul 1, 2017

The big fail on most people: mastering stage is for final touch in a production, NOT for make GOOD a poor mixing or a bad composition.

 

Of course, buddy, but you got me wrong. When I refer to home studios I mean a typical makeshift studio in an untreated or poorly treated room with standard prosumer monitors and an audio interface and mike. Or you're just pulling my chain.
A properly set up studio in a home is A+ without a question.

 

Too much people whining here, if your mix is shit, there will be no plugin that can fix it. Lurssen is a good plugin, I find it a bit expensive tho, also i see a bunch of "wannabe" Dave Pensado here. LOL
If you're happy with Ozone, great! Happy with Lurssen? great too! Stop whining and go make music.

 

This is all you needed to make your argument. Waste of time to argue with one about mastering who uses an example of a mix that isn't ready to see mastering.. Lurssen software, or anything in regard to mastering. A bad mix sent for mastering earns a referral to a mix engineer.. the stage that achieves the good mix can't just be skipped. Stems are required to genuinely correct a bad mix. Mastering is when access to stems should no longer be necessary.

 

Last edited: Jul 1, 2017

"I have mastered thousands of songs in my life"..... yet you have not pointed us one. I can say I have written hundreds of songs and at least I can prove it. You talk talk talk, but that's all and I extended a personal message to you which you ignored, so you're starting to annoy me in the same way Donald Trump does. Not everything revolves around your belief in yourself without showing us your work. Who are the artists who have faith in your one plugin mastering? Either show us the music or just please go away. Because you're not providing any evidence for the validity of the Lurssen Mastering Console, you are just talking it up like a salesman desperate for a sale. And please stop singling me out as your only enemy on this thread. Go back to the start to see the dozens of others who would also find your appraisal of this software, a joke.

 

my point is you can smile brother relax it is just a plugin.:D

based on the way the plugin was developed and modeled , if you tried to use the actual chain this was modeled form you would say it is a gimmick also?

 

Last edited: Jul 2, 2017

There are situations where a mastering engineer may require surgical eq...

One note bass is one example...Lurssen does sound pretty good to my ears but it's a bit noisy, I've used it a few times.

 

I def get your viewpoint , but regarding the use of surgical eq in that time period and example he showed, it was used as a substitute for getting the client to give him stems and making the mix better before mastering ( different times) second we live in totally different world regarding how we mix and master today . times have evolved and we use harmonics to control transients there would have been steps taken on that bass line because of modern advancements whether analog modeling use of outboard gear and the variety of plugins , to where the adjustments are based on modern reference tracks.
for example if your working on a top 40 pop song you are referencing that also. if your working on EDM that is of the style of the charts last 6 months you reference based on that. my point is as great as Bob is, at no fault of his own there have been some advancements in the way we tackle problems , our techniques and available tools , when ever possible a mastering engineer of 2017 will deal with non destructive techniques whenever possible.
the technique that he showed was in a specific context of many variables including the time period and reference tracks of that period, the techniques and tech at his disposal etc.( think of trying to make a new set stems or mix back then , compared to 2017 may be 7 mins to make new stems for the mastering engineer)
here is a example imagine that ex bob showing BUT in the context of a reference track the top 40 charts imagine if this song is your reference for the client

as you can see if bob was using this as his reference track and used everything available including knowledge this day and age how techniques have been advanced he would have done very different things.
here is a possible reference for that period

you can see it is a completely different context back then , by todays standards would be considered not mastered at all just a mix.

 

Last edited: Jul 2, 2017

Why so much noise? I even got the demo to test it. Nice app. easy to use. Decent result. But cpu hog. You can use it in the daw/Ozone or as standalone app. Not so many mastering solutions here i must say. T-racks, Ozone, Lurssen and... that's all. Ppl always need to sh!t something...

 

Last edited: Jul 2, 2017

that my point too, it is useful for some things and i welcome new plugins that do different things to add to my tool box, (always welcome new mastering plugs!) if i try a plug it does at least one valuable thing for me i begin to consider it as an option.
the goal is to have a tool box you pull out the right tool for the job.

"oh, i need to do a specific thing to this right this moment what tools are available to accomplish that, oh , i know i can use such and such. then move on to next step of what exactly you need to adjust next and little by little to iron out the wrinkles of the mix.

 

I will share something valuable with you guys i found out about lurssen plugin.
it is excellent for re-mastering
that is to say take a big song say from 90's that was mastered very well high quality studio for its time , and lurssen can bring it up to todays standards (start with input preamp gain all way down then slow bring up)
I havne't found ozone to do that exact task very well or the others ( i mostly use plugs to do specific thing not more than one thing at a time )but for re-mastering most plugs dont accept a previously limited audio track very well its like crunchy destructive transients, but lurssen works great here is a test for you take say KORN follow the leader get the FLAC( or any other track to remaster from back then) version bring in your daw(make volume that hits lurssen around -9db rms throw lurssen on it start with input gain in lurssen all way down slowly bring up and then begin to fine tune parameters.
this advantage to this plugin means the way it deals with transients is like analog gear which gives different toolset than digital typical results
another trick take a already finished mastered song FLAC or WAV bring the volume of the track down to - 9 db rms before you put lurssen on it ( makes sure the lowed volume is what enters the plugin)to see how it affects tone and timbre and transient etc

 

Last edited: Jul 2, 2017

Looks like there was an update to remove the modelled hardware noise...That's pretty good, it was my only complaint about it! Thinkin of giving the Lurssen another try!

 

EDM is not dead...it just smells funny..... all genres have their day then fade into the archives of history...EDM is after all behind the eight ball being so simple and formula driven, lacking melodic or harmonic content and quality...simply relying on the mindless 4 on the floor rhythm...its surprising it hasnt died already......vale mindless music on with the show....next genre please

 

Surely a sign of the times at least here in the West, when music is as a drug, used and abused in an effort to forget the crazy world encircling and preparing for the kill. Hypnotic, the body and mind are carried light as a feather far away from the heavy, bone crushing blows of the nightly news cycle. EDM is the saferoom, the closet to hide in when the bad men break open the door. EDM is not going anywhere soon, it serves a vital function, literally.

 

It is Lurssen Mastering Console, not Lurssen Mastering Tools Bundle. Here is an emulation of paths. So to say, saturation of analog gear. Mastering requires minimum of adjustments to fix your mixes. Fixed settings of compressor and deesser made by "Lurssen and Co" require only threshold to be adjusted. So, it is close to saturate through mastering line of gear than fix, improve, restore mixes...from update to update it gets better and better btw. It is not a bundle of mastering tools, there are hundreds of them, but here is another concept. Use your tools to mix and master your audio well, then try Lurssen Mastering Console to extra polish and some vibes.