Recording - November 2012 - 4

PUBLISHER: Thomas Hawley ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER: Brent Heintz

Mastering You think you got your project to sound as good as it can sound. Everybody involved in it has listened, repeatedly and critically, in varying circumstances, and signed off on it. You send it to the mastering engineer, and lo and behold he makes it sound even better. How can it be? He wasn’t even there, during the writing, tracking, mixing, he doesn’t know what you all discussed, again and again, what you agreed that your aim was—more edge, more vibe, bigger bottom, bolder attitude, or whatever... And yet, when you get it back from mastering, your project sounds more ready for prime time than you might have hoped for. How can it be? The above scenario is as it should be, and it usually is. But it takes two to tango. You do your part, the mastering engineer does his, and to find out what your part is, we put a bunch of questions to four individuals who do mastering for a living. We were looking to bring you, the reader, closer to the process and experience of professional mastering, and we do so by having two of the interviews reflect a project-based relationship. Bruce Kaphan—no stranger to these pages—had engaged the services of mastering engineer David Glasser to work on Bruce’s own project (Quartet, written up in our Aug. 2012 issue), and he was curious about the process. Glasser not only responded to Bruce’s questions, but he drew our attention once again to a document on his website from which many readers will gain insight into the nitty-gritty of a CD release. We list it at the end of the interview that begins on page 28. Prolific contributor Paul Vnuk Jr. picked the brains of mastering engineer Howie Weinberg after Weinberg had mastered a band project that Paul recorded and mixed. This allowed Paul and the band members to comment on the before-and-after differences that Weinberg’s mastering job made to the project, and you can hear audio examples on our website—the URL is listed at the end of the article on page 18. Longtime friend of this magazine and occasional contributor Dave Martin, musician and studio owner in Nashville, referred us to his favorite mastering engineer, Brad Blackwood, whom we welcome to these pages. Blackwood says “Keep in mind that mastering is the polish on a fine paint job; try not to rely on mastering to fix issues...”—and he addresses what you can do to make your project into “a fine paint job” that requires no major surgery at the mastering stage, “even if it means having the mastering engineer help dial in the mix before the session via feedback.” Chris Sonia of New Hampshire projects a working-man’s can-do attitude, by saying “What I have to say isn’t for analogue purists or equipment snobs, [...] this is for “blue collar” musicians, [...] for the regular guys in the trenches”, and he has some very happy customers backing him up on his website. He offers this—a good checklist for anyone about to complete a mix: “The top five most difficult problems to fix, in this order, are: quiet or lifeless drums, weak bass, masking, low or loud vocals, and phasing.” You can hear the results of his mastering a Recording contest winner’s tracks in at the URL given on page 58. But do you always need to engage a mastering engineer before releasing a project? Allow me to quote from a book that should be on anyone’s shelf: Mastering Audio— The Art and Science, by Bob Katz (Focal Press, 2nd. ed.). We reviewed it a while back, and I can still recommend it, not just for mastering specifics but for a wealth of well-written good advice on all matters audio. Katz, himself a veteran mastering engineer, writes, “The perfect mix may need no mastering processing at all!” Katz also quotes another veteran, Glenn Meadows, as having said, “There is no magic silver bullet. There is no one magic anything that will be ”best” in all situations. The ability of the operator to determine what it is that needs to be done and pick the best combination of tools is more important than what tools are used.” If these statements encourage you to try your hand at mastering, you’ll appreciate what Darwin Grosse offers in his article on DIY Mastering (page 20). His premise: “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.” Then he tells you how. With this much input from a single issue of our magazine, how can you not become the master of your own universe? Happy Recording!

EDITOR: Lorenz Rychner ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mike Metlay EDITOR AT LARGE: Beto Hale MÚSICO PRO EDITOR: Fernando Curiel

EDITORIAL

CONTRIBUTORS Paul Vnuk Jr., Darwin Grosse, Bruce Kaphan, Eric Ferguson, Jerome Gilmer, Marty Peters, Scott Dorsey SOCIAL MEDIA Brent Heintz, Paul Vnuk Jr.
ART DIRECTOR: Scott Simmonds PRODUCTION MANAGER: Colin Courtney WEB GOALIE: Colin Courtney

ART & PRODUCTION

EDITOR/PRODUCER:

PLAYBACK PLATINUM SERIES Lorenz Rychner CIRCULATION Tiffany Sepe

CIRCULATION MANAGER:

ADVERTISING SALES AND MARKETING DIRECTOR: Brent Heintz CLASSIFIEDS MANAGER: Colin Courtney
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE:

ADMINISTRATION Thomas Hawley

PRESIDENT: Thomas Hawley VICE PRESIDENT: Brent Heintz

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RECORDING November 2012

Recording - November 2012

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