A guide to using multiband compression for mastering. With tips on setting bands and mostly attack and release time.
Can the pros give some info.

Thank you all in advance

 

Oh, and kaviar with a bottle of Dom Pérignon as well. You know, only pro food.

Thank you in advance

 

I have a special trick for mastering with multi band comp but I can't tell u cause I'm not a pro.

 

I am Pro and i will tell you my secret......... are you ready........10....9....8...7....6...5...4...3..almost there....2...1...........
............

..........
Is it time?

Ok here we go i use a preset called .....mastering... in each multi band compressor :D

 

Because you said thanks, here is a link to get you started. There is also plenty of literature on the subject.
Mastering techniques are like wine, they generally improve with age. Here's to putting one through the
uprights!

 

@Kanye are you there?

 

Last edited: Mar 9, 2016

The secret is to set the ratio bellow the room temperature on a cold summer night in Helsinki,shhh its a magic trick though.

 

Deffo can't go wrong with a Spartan attack - basically you scream "This is Spartaaaaaaa" while having a slow release.

 

Quadcore u d man.......... The rest of ya all are clo*ns and a bunch of comedy. Lol

 

transparency and problem solving comes to mind,
I would start with mild attacks and release, the number bands is set according too the desired effect.

 

fuad murad made a great tutorial for udemy (mastering edm), you should watch it. after watching i finally properly understood mastering and especially multiband compression

 

No real secret here just a lot of experience. I do have a few basic principles that I keep in mind.

The higher (faster) the frequency the slower the attack (within reason), to let the transients through. The more bands you use the more consistent (polished) the final result will be. If you have a range of frequencies that leap out at you, or an musical part that sounds too loud, assign a compressor band to that range of frequencies, with a high ratio, using it as a limiter, an example would be a loud lead break or shouting vocal.

I have to say the Lurssen Mastering Console sounds incredible, as far as I can tell it uses no multi band compressors, just unusual gain staging through several comp limiters with just a sprinkle of magic dust. LOL.

I feel that the most important part of mastering is accurate monitoring. Make sure you are not missing a problem that you can't hear.

 

Last edited: Mar 9, 2016

Ignore.. I wasnt even in here.. pros only..

 

Well, I would give you some tips for free, but since you want some PRO tips, I'll have to charge you 1000USD in advance; That's what PROs do.

Drop me a PM and I'll send you my paypal address.

R.

 

On a serious note, the main difference between a pro and a beginner is the number of tracks he/she mastered. After mastering hundreds or thousands of tracks, the pro will remember every little problem possible from experience and will quickly find a fix. You just can't beat that with a tool and a tutorial. Or 100 tutorials. At your level, you may very well start with the presets regardless of the plugin, usually they are made by real pros and made to fit a broad selection of audio material.

 

How you approach multi band compression always depends on what you want to achieve... more punch, or a tight low end, or a smooth top end. For each goal is there a different approach. We run a mixing and mastering studio, and i use multi band compression a lot. But its not "problem solver" or a "all-round tool" and if you use it wrong, you can destroy a lot with it. By the way, a very good multi band tool is Blue-Cat MB-7 mixer, because you can use your favorite compressor for each frequency band.

 

I will tell you exactly what a pro would tell someone who would ask them this question:
Learn what the parameters of a compressor do, exactly. Then learn exactly what your track needs. Apply the Compressor parameters accordingly.

There is really thing else to say. Multiband compressors are just compressors that give you compression parameters for designated frequency bands. Anyone who gives you tips without first hearing the track you are trying to apply it to is giving you bad advice.

 

Please tell us what material & Genre your working with!!!!! and even then it's subjective.

Please pay a pro if it's needed, the results are truly priceless.

You cannot push without pull.

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I mix through my mastering section as I like to end up with a mastered mix. There seems to be very few mastering engineers that get it right. The big names improve your mix but most of the others degrade the mix.
That said I have dumped multiband compression in favour of several compressors in series each doing a little bit. I just dont think multiband sounds right. The better you mix and control your frequencies the less compression you need. I have just come up with a new mastering chain that I am just about to use on a mix and will put it up on my website spencerlee.audio after I have proven it works. If I dont like it I will put up my current chain which I have devised over a lot of years mixing.
Spencer