This is a great interview a must see.
Kevin Shirley, this guy is a legend (Rush, Led Zeppelin, Aerosmith, Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, Deep Purple...)
"There are 1000 ways to do a mix." "its not that complicated".
"I think mastering is dreadful these days"

Second interview more about the gear and the desk he is using, also great.

 

Great videos! Thanks for sharing :D

 

Nice share, Thanks Von.

 

Mastering is very ez task these days, dont pay for dat/ cuz its not so important as mixing. For nice mastering you need to open izotope ozone on your master bus and try most proper preset. Another way is put Pro-L and crank slider on the left as fvck.

 

no

 

People don't know what mastering is any more.

Every time I hear the word "mastering" it is within the context of limiting and EQ and techniques that will enable you to squeeze out every last dB of dynamics from the track, whilst trying to avoid too much distortion without significant success, because it is just unavoidable when a track has 3dB of dynamics, when even a peak meter barely moves the whole time. Tracks I hear these days would pass as total garbage sounding 20 years ago. People would honestly laugh saying "is this your "master"?!? Sounds like you recorded it through a Marshall."

 

Its always a good start of the day when you listen to a mastered track on AS, volume on minimum and your head almost explodes.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Feb 5, 2017

I have a special technique for that. If the waveform looks like a fat sausage, I don't even bother to hit play anymore. Tired of getting my eardrums burst.

 

I love what you did with that break in the middle, stopped the bleeding for a second.

 

Weeeeell... it's not all like that.
When I mix I go for a -5db max out on master channel (no compressor on there). And when I master I never let the mastering compressor do more than 2db of compression and the final limiter will only add another -0.5db of reduction.
Proof is here:
or here, if you want more

 

Last edited: Feb 5, 2017

Well, if you do, enlighten us, because every definition of mastering I heard is schizophrenic. It certainly isn't about cutting the grooves on vinyl records.

 

Dear Mastering Engineer,

Less is more, subtle is spectacular. Our mix is OUR mix and should express how we/I and/or our/my/I client envision the final outcome give or take 2 or 3%. Please listen and gently balance the tracks so that they gel in the context of the album, nothing less, nothing more. If you cannot abide by this request I/we have erred in our judgement and will pay another to help us out. No worrys.

The Management

 

You're over complicating things/attempting to blind people with science.

Bang a Waves L2 on the master channel.

Pull down the threshold fader until you can feel a small rivulet of blood from your ears run down your cheeks.

Sit back, get a Kleenex for the blood you've let, EXPORT that mofo. Job done!

Plus, you can legitimately say you've 'sweat blood' on the mastering of the track and charge more.

 

you are all over-complicating. one knob soundgoodizer is the way to go.

 

Shirley`s more popular work.
Production, engineering, mixing
Aerosmith — Nine Lives
Release date: 18 March 1997
Label: Columbia

 

That's Northridge University in their video! Cool, it's a nice campus for a dry and dusty Valley location.

Sounds like multiple passes on the vocal with optical tube compression. Great depth, sense of space though I miss some dynamics in the rhythm guitar tracks, things were toooo even in a dynamic sense for me. My ears didn't bleed for which I am always grateful.

 

All these latest 'loudness standards' telling me how loud it has to be for radio, streaming, iTunes etc are a real PITA as well.

I want to see a plugin that encourages me as I'm working, not some numbers I have to be aware of.

I suggest something like flashing up these motivational messages on the screen as I get ever closer to 'mastering nirvana':


'What are you, a man or a fecking mouse? Give it some ball-axe, you lavender smelling nonce!'


'Getting there. Still a bit on the polite side though. I've farted louder than that after a curry and half a dozen pints!'



'If I can still hear the next door neighbour pleasuring his wife, then it's hardly gonna jump out the speakers on Ganja FM 104.6 in a TWOC'd XR2 at 80mph in a 30 zone is it now?'

(Admittedly, some of this means feck all outside the UK and will have to be tweaked according to the territory.)



'Yesssssss, you are now approaching 'Peak Gabba' Obi-Wan, the crossovers in the monitors are glowing white hot and the double glazing is vibrating throughout the house!'

 

Last edited: Feb 6, 2017

Don't forget what goes on pre-mastering is also important

 

Last edited: Feb 6, 2017

If you don't have AT LEAST a manley massive eq rack, SSL X rack, with sufficient acoustic treatment I wouldn't let you pay me to master my song. Izotope and other vst mastering suites are fun, no doubt. Yet the difference between someone mastering their own tracks with software compared to a trained ME with dedicated hardware, is an ok mix compared to a great mix. From my experience.