Okay, okay, I just copied this from a post I made on another forum. However, this question comes up a lot (e-mailed at least a few times a week - you know who you are... ) and I thought I'd share some top-of-my-head thoughts about it here. This guy was asking about getting started in mastering. I'm assuming he meant as a specialty, but I could be wrong.

If anyone hasn't figured out by now, I'm very big on doing what you can with what you have. So, I just gave some suggestions on a "starter" setup that (IMO) could do solid work and went from there.

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The first thing most would recommend is "Mastering Audio" by Bob Katz. And yes, it's a great book. However, it really doesn't have any real "mastering techniques" in it that you probably wouldn't try on your own. But as a guide, and a great technical reference, everyone (not just mastering guys) should have it. I suppose it might spark an idea or two if you've never tried parallel compression...

[IMHO] - If you really want to get into it, you need to start with serious monitoring (not "studio" monitoring) and serious amplification. Me? I'm a B&W guy. If I had to start from scratch, I'd go get a pair of B&W 603's and a used Bryston 2B or 3B amplifier. For the money, I don't think you can beat that setup. Get the 603's up on blocks so the tweeter is just above ear level. A passive signal path volume control (such as the PreSonus Central Station) would also be on the list. There's also a box with a nice passive volume control out there (I think it's NHT) that's like $200 if you're only using the one set of monitors and don't need the extras found on the CS. It's a box with a knob, and nothing more.

Monitor chain first - Everything else later, once you can actually hear what everything else actually sounds like.

Next, get some albums that sound fantastic and get to know them note for not, sound for sound. I use Steely Dan's "Aja" and Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" as two staples. "Aja" has a simply disgusting amount of high end, but it sounds wonderful. This is something that is key, and is part of the next step which is learning to listen like a "mastering guy."

When you're mixing, you're listening for tonal balance, clashing tones, instruments, etc. When you're mastering, you're treating the mix as a single track - You need to be able to listen to a track, and visualize what the track "should" sound like in a matter of a few seconds. You should also be able to figure out what settings on what gear will be neccessary to get it 90% there in the next few seconds. Obviously, this can and likely will take several years of practical experience. So, having a fresh bunch of tunes coming in on a regular basis is a must. I would imagine you could probably get loads of volunteers here that wouldn't mind some experimentation on their stuff...

Gear wise, it's open. All dependent on how far you want to go. You're obviously going to need A/D-D/A. You can go super-cheap and start with Lynx, you could go super expensive and start with Lavry, or anywhere in between. You'll need compression & equalization. Again, price tags. If it makes you feel any better, I can get 90% there totally in the box using nothing more than the UAD collection. That thing smokes. There is cheap, usable harware out there that can be inexpensively modified, or there's Manley and Pendulum. The sky is the limit.

After JEM was sold and I was starting out again, I started small, with just a handful of clients, and worked cheap part-time, with less than stellar gear. Local bands, local budgets, any improvement is a good thing. This builds up a client base and keeps some cash flowing in to upgrade gear. Over time, you upgrade the gear, you get more clients, you need to spend more money so you don't get killed on taxes (tell THAT to your wife - "Honey, I need to go out and buy a Vari-MU so we don't get killed in taxes this year...") and there you go. [/IMHO]

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Comments? Thoughts?

John

what about your room? (acoustic treatment etc) or is that simply a given (i.e. dont even consider this stuff until you have a great room)

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Acoustic treatment is important, yeah. It took quite a while to get my room to the point where I liked it. I still need a little low end absorption in the upper rear corner... The room I work out of is more of a medium "post" sized room. It took some getting used to and a bit of tweaking. And unlike most mastering rooms, it has a defined "sweet spot" that I actually use to my advantage - There's a low-end build in the rear, but it's very clean - If it sounds dirty, there's a problem.

Auralex is a wonderful thing... RealTraps are also. IMO, the right combination can give you decent results in a shoe box. Ideal? Maybe not. Acceptable? Certainly.

Very nice post, John. Thanks for sharing that!

-Dusty

John, thanks - I also forgot to say thanks for the original post. Very informative.
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You know I didn't realize until recently that Digital Domain is 45min. from where I live...might be worth a trip to make it over to meet Mr. Katz.

...Not to take anything away from you John.

-Stixxs

No worries - I'd go to if it was that close. And, I'd have him autograph my copy of his book (I've suggested it to so many people I figure I ought to finally get a copy ).

quote:

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Originally posted by John Scrip:
No worries - I'd go to if it was that close. And, I'd have him autograph my copy of his book (I've suggested it to so many people I figure I ought to finally get a copy ).

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-Stixxs