Best Mastering Software?

[andygabrys]

Hi all,
What mastering software do you use and are there any books that focus specifically on how to master?

Also Michael had mentioned in his music edits Taxi TV show about a new mastering software he was going to review, do you know if that new software is released as yet?

thanks
Ahjay

Michael might have been speaking of Rob Chiarelli's Mix Buss Lite plugin.

some info including site to buy (its uber cheap too)

http://www.kvraudio.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5655002

http://finalmix.biz/Final_Mix_Signature ... dium=email

[Len911]

+1 on sales!

Sonnox Oxford Enhance bundle

Plug-in alliance

Flux

Wavelab

Generally it's maybe most about what you might want in a mastering package. The limiter is probably most often considered as the base for a mastering package.

[kclements]

Speaking os sales, ik multimedia has a bogof offer going on right now for the t-racks stuff.

cheers
kc

[jdhogg]

My own experience is that the biggest factors are your mastering theory knowledge, "golden ears" and speakers/listening environment. Mastering engineers dont need mastering software just the above and a few plugs.

With that in place a pro will get fantastic results with built in daw plugs.

Give them top of the range plugs and they will flavor/sweeten to taste.

There is nothing stopping you mastering in your daw.

ps avoid waves unless you want to pay WUP fees.

[GavinKMusic]

I agree having great ears is important. or actually having a 2nd pair of ears is a good idea. Also the pro's are using outboard gear to really fatten and warm up the sound.

I'd prefer to hire someone to master. unfortunately the guy I'm currently using is unreliable.

If anyone knows of someone out there offering a mastering service I'd be interested. Thanks.

[kclements]

A fresh set of ears and someone removed from the entire writing, arranging, recording process is also very important. Perhaps more than what plugs or gear they are using. And of course the room.....

I also think it varies depending on the final destination of the track. If it is for a CD for sale, I think the mastering requirements are different than if it is for a TV track in a library. You still need high quality for both, don't misunderstand me. But when doing a complete album, other things come into play with the mastering as opposed to a single track.

kc

[Len911]

I agree having great ears is important. or actually having a 2nd pair of ears is a good idea. Also the pro's are using outboard gear to really fatten and warm up the sound.

I'd prefer to hire someone to master. unfortunately the guy I'm currently using is unreliable.

If anyone knows of someone out there offering a mastering service I'd be interested. Thanks.

This article is old, 2008, but it might give a reference as far as what a top notch mastering house charges, Doug Sax and Mastering Lab.
http://mixonline.com/recording/masterin ... milestone/

Sax mostly works in the Ojai studio (profiled in December 2005 Mix), but he still travels to Hollywood for film clients and others who prefer to work there. He says that some aspects of his business have remained constant — the custom gear, the basic principles of making the best possible transfers, and using critical listening and good judgment — but he's willingly adjusted budgets to accommodate clients who record and mix in personal studios.

“I love working on home projects,” Sax says. “We have two fixed rates for self-released albums. There's a package price if you're working with Sunny or Robert Hadley of $1,500, and for me it's $2,250. I love the fixed price, because if something needs more work I don't want someone who can't afford it to be sweating while I'm working, and I'm always going to put in as much time as it needs.”

[playagibson]

Fab filters mastering bundle is off the charts, but I would first make sure your monitors and room acoustics are up to snuff.
I recently finished a mix I was proud of . I took it to another studio and I heard a ton of things that my monitors didn't pick up.
( mostly low end )
My next purchase In the very near future , some high end monitors .
Rich.

[AhjayStelino]

Thanks for your help guys.

Its come down to the old adage: Its not what you have but how well you know how to use it - My 16 year old acoustic guitar works just fine for recording but I'm always looking to buy a new drum software to get that elusive sound

I've mainly been using Maxim to get rid of the headroom on the master and have my highest peaks reach 0.3dB. However its not getting it hot enough to reference CDs. Will try the Maxim chain trick.

Yes, I think the Rob Chiarelli website is the one that Michael was referring to. It says in the FAQ that a new mastering software is due out soon and I'm assuming that this is the one that Michael was referring to.

[mojobone]

Keep in mind that for TV and film pitches, it's really not necessary to eliminate ALL the headroom as is common for CD mastering, these days; you only need to be in the ballpark for your genre, they can squish it further when it gets to audio post-production. I highly recommend Bob Katz' book Mastering Audio: The Art and the Science He lays out the underlying principles of the art, and once you've absorbed them, you can use pretty much anything, so long as you have a decent monitor situation. There's tons of great technical detail throughout, and in the appendices, too! You'll need to have a basic understanding of how PCM audio encoding works, but there are plenty of good, free tutorials for that online.