What the Sam Hell is Mastering?

What the Sam Hell is Mastering?

by Jeff Cripps

You’ve gone into the studio – most of the band turned up, on time, or at least, on the same day, some of the guys were even sober!!

The studio was easy to find once you figured out that it was No.1/40 and not 140, Roseland Street – not Rosland Street, Riverwood – not Riverstone. However, the NSW part of the address was impeccably accurate.

The studio recording went like a dream, that is, it finished about 6 in the morning.

The mix was like Nelson Mandella’s release from jail – a long hard battle, but worth the struggle (the death of the assistant engineer, due to the erasing of “The” guitar solo, was unfortunate – our condolences go out to his family – if he had one).

So now you have a DAT and/or CD of the final mixes – great – off we go to the CD manufacturer man for 1,000 copies.

No! no! no! There’s one more step – yes I know, there are more steps in recording a CD than a Fred Astaire movie.

The last step … “Mastering”.

Yep, ever since the 1930’s there has been a man in a room with a set of speakers and some knobs who gets all the final mixes and does stuff to them before the man at the record CD plant runs them off. It’s the way it’s always been, but very few people know about mastering. (Unfortunately this is very true for many computer buffs with home studios with mastering plug-ins).

So what does a mastering guy do??

I reckon that a recording studio washes the car, and the mastering guy chamois it. But probably a more useful description is this – in no particular order …

He:

gets the songs in order;

puts just the right amount of time between songs – or sometimes joins the songs to have no gaps;

makes sure all the songs appear to play at the same volume;

adds a bit of bass to the songs that seem a bit light in that area;

adds a bit of treble to the songs that seem a bit light in that area;

takes a bit of treble and/or bass out of the songs if they seem too much in these areas;

adds compression to songs to make them a bit punchier and louder – cos everyone knows that if a song is louder – it sounds better!!! (NOT)

makes a song more stereo (or wider) if needed;

inserts fade-ins or fade-outs;

cuts out bits of the song, e.g. verses 10 to 15 out of your 8 minutes epic so that radio will play it;

adds bits to a song – e.g. “Damn, we’ve stopped one chorus too soon” – no probs, we’ll cut and paste a chorus in – “simple”.

I know it’s tempting when you hear your latest recording of your latest ( and as a result favourite )song at full volume through the massive and expensive speakers at the studio at the end of the mix to say…” Bohemian Rhapsody sucks compared to this baby.!!!!!”..this is as good as it get’s…..BUT..”Beware Brother Beware….!!!!!”

I’ve done mixes that a band loves, they say “Oh man, it’s fabbo, it doesn’t need mastering”.

Well, maybe it doesn’t, but if you do master a song, then A/B it with the unmastered you will hear the difference. As I said, it will sound chamoised – not just washed. The bass will massage your liver, the treble will tingle your ears, the smoothness will soothe you, the ……. (enough – enough!! Ed.)

It will just sound more expensive – that’s the best way I can put it …A GOOD mastering guy has the ability to take what you give him and magically improve it….without losing any of the integrity of the original recording..a “win-win” situation… BUT!!!!

Buyer beware!!

A bad mastering guy:a “lose-lose “ situation….

Description: normally caucasian, wears baggy clothes, average height, low intellect, usually has computer in the bedroom with “mastering” plug-in with 3 settings:
1. Loud and thick
2. Louder and thicker
3. Pudding.

A mastering guy can also ruin a mix by:
(a) making it too loud, by using too much compression;
(b) making it too trebley and ‘essey’ by using too much top end;
(c) making it too brittle by using cheap digital converters, and cheap gear; or
(d) many other undesirable amateur activities.

If you see a man that fits the above description, do not approach him – report your sighting to the police – he is a very dangerous individual.

Always seek a pro mastering guy who has been doing it a while, don’t blow the quality at the last step (you might as well blow it earlier and enjoy yourself!!).

Mastering is like juggling razor sharp knives … very few can do it .. though many try, and even more get hurt.

Printed with permission.
Jeff Cripps
A# Sharp Recording Studio
Email: jeff@asharp.com.au
Phone: +612 9153 9988