I was watching flux pavilians 10 min video thing and he mentioned he runs his mix through a "Neve" to make it sound good. Are all these software VSTs a bunch of shit for mastering honestly? I have been focused on producing very hard for a few years now and it seems that the best equipment hardware is what creates the high end tracks and the VSTs just sound amateur in general. I am not trying to be a know it all I Just am looking for information and if running your track through specific hardware helps "that" much ill just pay a studio to master it who possesses these high end hardwares.

 

Knowledge is fragile...
God gave men the eyes and ears and other senses and give a reason...best regards bro

 

Can't think of any mastering studio running through Neve's. Could you post a link to the video? Mastering is basically translating your mix to sound good on most mediums. From ipods to home stereos to car speakers. Different gear from a recording studio. Surgical parametric eq's, different monitors ect... If you are mixing your music, have somebody else master it. Always good to have another set of ears on mastering.

 

All those ''nostalgia guys'' with their house-priced consolles and retro looking synths are gonna be ashes in a couple of years, just like people saying that sound was ''stupid'' back when silent films were a thing... Time to time, people!

 

You read that straight out of a mag right?

 

No no, you don't need hardware to get a good sound.

Look into phase correlation, and how this works in tandem with stereo spread/field. Also look into dynamic range, saturation, harmonics, and linear phase eq.

VSTs don't sound 'amateur', it's probably that you are unfortunately not using them correctly.

People often discuss oversampling to get 'higher fidelity' sound but really it just comes to practicality of how you use stuff.

I've heard all sorts of spiel from people trying to discuss the merits of analog audio but I have yet to encounter someone who actually has a better quality sound. Majority of the time, people seem to think enhanced bass or more harmonics seems to result in better quality from analog gear but it's all really a farce and just an excuse for people to feel better about squandering money on potentially useless gear.

Analog and Digital sounds different, but neither is 'better'. There are many articles about people discussing analog vs digital. The general conclusion is that they both sound super good and it's actually difficult to tell which one is analog and which is digital.

Even if you have someone else master it, the results can be poor. Primarily based around your understanding of phase correlation, dynamic range and how you eq'ed and stereo spread everything. Results will only be good if you actually mixed things properly, so I'd say, best to go back to scratch and study a little more about the function of mixing tracks and how to get a result that will work well at the mastering stage.

Mastering may seem esoteric, but think of it this way.... it mainly enhances your mix, so if the mix is bad, it will enhance that... if the mix is good, it will enhance the goodness

And last note, don't forget about aliasing and inter-peak sampling and how this affects the resulting sound.

Hope that helps!

 

just to let you know havent seen the video but i can tell you he isnt mastering his stuff.
what he is doing is using the "neve" as a mix buss to sum his tracks thru.
honestly look up acustica audio nebula and the libraries for it,
and always remember there have been amazing albums that have been made on horrible equipment
the tools help but knowing how to use the tools will always be more important

 

Running your signal through NEVE preamps through LINE-IN, allows your signal to hit those Carnhill/St. Ives transformers, which sounds great! There's much more to the Neve internals than just the transformers though.

Your converters make a difference too when running your signal analog out, into outboard gear, and back into your DA. The conversion alone imparts a sonic characteristic that "should" (if you have great ADDA) to your signal. A great ADDA also allows you to make multiple round trips (if needed) of the same signal with minimal nasty artifacts.

I still use Lucid 88192s, and I can make (if needed) about 8-9 ADDA round-trips through outboard before I notice any tiny bit of artifacts at all; using Mogami 2549 XLR, And Monster power conditioning.

300v clean tube gear sounds great too!

If you just have a joe-schmo interface, and want to impart some transformer vibe, then check this guys gear out (he also makes monitor controller/switchers for cheap) :

http://mammothcaveaudio.com/passive-aggressive-series/

But, if you want to get into outboard gear, and you primary focus is on the "mix" itself, I highly recommend investing in a hardware compressor, and mix into it from the very start of your project. An SSL clone with some transformers, wet/dry knob, and selectable HPSC filter is a great place to start. I can't get the same sounding results from the WAVES SSL, The Glue, or any other VCA VST effect plugin. I'm not saying that VCA compressor plugin models are bad, it's just not the sound that I prefer, when compared side-by-side.

 

Last edited: Jan 9, 2016

Sooooo much worry and emphasis on this stuff these days and not nearly enough time spent crafting GOOD songs.

 

never heard of these guys, definitely interesting looking gear.
reminds me of stuff from shadow hills, which i love.
a cheaper clone of the mastering comp is on my work bench right now (well after adding up the hours ive put into it, maybe not cheaper)
gonna look more into them, thanks for the heads up.

 

I get good results with plugins waves plugins and a few other plugins after I mix n bounce it down and export then I drop it into T Racks it's just experience there is no magic software plugin is going to do it for you

 

No problem. I've don't own any gear by this guy, but, it seems to be loaded with trafo flavors, it passive, and can color the hell out of any signal - especially perfect for guys with built-in interface pres. Not to mention, the price is right!

 

It sounds amateurish, because you are an amateur. Hardware will not help you. You need talent, and that takes time and dedication, of course you can use someone else's engineering talent, if you've got the money.
I know you want it all, and you want it now, but life doesn't work that way.

 

It's called mastering and not noobering for a reason.
Advice like "Allways run your mix through xyz" really sounds more like noobering. lol.

 

I like this guy . He has hit the nail on the proverbial head.

 

Haha Tim, I wish I had. I had to learn it the hard way!

 

You must have something prior to master ,like 200 or 250 patterns (or tracks). Music is a hoby (for 90% of us). Mixing is also part of production but i suggests that you forget it for about 10 years (you must create what you like, not what will sell better)...

 

I would say ask yourself why so many recording/mastering houses went digital then almost immediately converted back to analog or went hybrid???

 

A good song is the most important thing.. That said, give a proven professional great outboard gear to track, mix and master, parallel, and with at the same using the software varieties. There will be a discernable 3D difference in the hardware version. The deepness is deeper and aa well a greater sense of placement of instruments. The software version will be great but the hardware version greater. Microphone emulators are way further behind in this area and there is absolutely no comparison at the moment. True Piano is nice for what it is but has a long way to go.

 

izotope apps should do it but need good speakers, ears, nose and sense of touch i guess