Recording - November 2012 - 20
DIY Mastering
When mastering is usually the province of pros —why do it yourself?
By Darwin Grosse
In this issue of Recording, you will read about different aspects of the fine art of mastering, mostly from pros. Working with professional mastering engineers can be a rewarding and positive experience, but there are some instances where you may decide to do your own mastering work. The reasons behind this decision probably fall among four issues: cost, speed, quality and creativity. Decisions, decisions Let’s be frank: A good mastering engineer will cost you some cash—and will generally be worth the money spent. However, when no budget for mastering is available, you are left with no other choice than to do the work yourself. You may save money, but realize that saving this money may cost you a significant amount of time. Mastering engineers are pros because they are masters of the process; you on the other hand will have to work extremely hard to gain the insight you need to do a credible job. You also may have to purchase some task-specific tools, and that costs money. Once you are set up, you may be able to save some money by doing your own work.
20
RECORDING November 2012
Perhaps a more important reason for doing your own mastering is to speed up the turnaround time between recording and release. This is especially the case for creating fan-accessed material. If you want to get last night’s gig into your fans’ hands tomorrow, you don’t really have a choice other than to master the work yourself. A flip side to quicker turnaround is working purposefully slowly. When I’m doing creative mastering work (whether for myself or my clients), I’m notoriously slow with the work. I’m honest with people up front: I let them know that I have to live with the work, and let it “reveal its nature” to me. This may sound rather New Age-y, but I find that when I spend time with the tracks, I can often come up with results that are more cohesive and more interesting to the listener. Another important consideration is quality control. Depending on the type of material you produce, you may find it difficult to find a mastering engineer who can do right by your music. A good example is found in experimental music genres: these can often be ruined by a rock/pop or dance-oriented mastering engineer, because the techniques that are “correct” for a chart-bound release are completely different from those for more experimental works. If you find yourself at odds with the mastering engineers you meet, it may well be time to DIY.
Recording - November 2012
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recording - November 2012
Recording - November 2012
Fade In
Contents
Talkback
Fast Forward
Q&A With A Master: Howie Weinberg
DIY Mastering
API A2D
Earthworks DP30/C Drum Periscope Microphone
Q&A With A Master: David Glasser
Q&A With A Master: Brad Blackwood
Samson Graphite 49 USB MIDI Controller Keyboard
Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 11: Signal Flow Part 3
Plug-in Outlet
Sibelius 7 As A Tool For Sample Playback. Part 2: Adding Third-Party Virtual Instruments
Readers’ Tapes
ADK Thor Condenser Microphone
Blue-Collar Mastering: Chris Sonia
Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Advertiser Index
Special Ad Feature: Mastering Services
Fade Out
Recording - November 2012 - Recording - November 2012
Recording - November 2012 - Cover2
Recording - November 2012 - 1
Recording - November 2012 - 2
Recording - November 2012 - 3
Recording - November 2012 - Fade In
Recording - November 2012 - 5
Recording - November 2012 - Contents
Recording - November 2012 - 7
Recording - November 2012 - Talkback
Recording - November 2012 - 9
Recording - November 2012 - Fast Forward
Recording - November 2012 - 11
Recording - November 2012 - 12
Recording - November 2012 - 13
Recording - November 2012 - Q&A With A Master: Howie Weinberg
Recording - November 2012 - 15
Recording - November 2012 - 16
Recording - November 2012 - 17
Recording - November 2012 - 18
Recording - November 2012 - 19
Recording - November 2012 - DIY Mastering
Recording - November 2012 - 21
Recording - November 2012 - 22
Recording - November 2012 - 23
Recording - November 2012 - API A2D
Recording - November 2012 - 25
Recording - November 2012 - Earthworks DP30/C Drum Periscope Microphone
Recording - November 2012 - 27
Recording - November 2012 - Q&A With A Master: David Glasser
Recording - November 2012 - 29
Recording - November 2012 - Q&A With A Master: Brad Blackwood
Recording - November 2012 - 31
Recording - November 2012 - 32
Recording - November 2012 - 33
Recording - November 2012 - Samson Graphite 49 USB MIDI Controller Keyboard
Recording - November 2012 - 35
Recording - November 2012 - Recording Fundamentals. Chapter 11: Signal Flow Part 3
Recording - November 2012 - 37
Recording - November 2012 - 38
Recording - November 2012 - 39
Recording - November 2012 - 40
Recording - November 2012 - 41
Recording - November 2012 - Plug-in Outlet
Recording - November 2012 - 43
Recording - November 2012 - 44
Recording - November 2012 - 45
Recording - November 2012 - Sibelius 7 As A Tool For Sample Playback. Part 2: Adding Third-Party Virtual Instruments
Recording - November 2012 - 47
Recording - November 2012 - 48
Recording - November 2012 - 49
Recording - November 2012 - Readers’ Tapes
Recording - November 2012 - 51
Recording - November 2012 - 52
Recording - November 2012 - 53
Recording - November 2012 - 54
Recording - November 2012 - 55
Recording - November 2012 - ADK Thor Condenser Microphone
Recording - November 2012 - 57
Recording - November 2012 - Blue-Collar Mastering: Chris Sonia
Recording - November 2012 - 59
Recording - November 2012 - 60
Recording - November 2012 - 61
Recording - November 2012 - Recording’s Showcase of Sounds
Recording - November 2012 - 63
Recording - November 2012 - 64
Recording - November 2012 - Advertiser Index
Recording - November 2012 - 66
Recording - November 2012 - 67
Recording - November 2012 - 68
Recording - November 2012 - Special Ad Feature: Mastering Services
Recording - November 2012 - 70
Recording - November 2012 - 71
Recording - November 2012 - Fade Out
Recording - November 2012 - Cover3
Recording - November 2012 - Cover4
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