Here is my take on your video. You are obviously a very smart guy and really trying to help younger engineers understand the various aspects of recording music. Bravo I understand that your videos are aimed towards engineers with limited experience. That said… I have been recording and mixing for about 50yrs. And have been very fortunate to work with some of the greatest musicians of my lifetime. I have Grammy’s for musicians including Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker etc. So I do have a bit of insight. I think one of the most important aspects of using a Real Mastering engineer Is the fact that they will listen in a completely different space, using very different speakers in a very different setup. Plus they have fresh ears when approaching a project that as mixing engineers we can get toooo close to the music. Around 23min into your video you spoke about a very important part of mastering for a full record. About making all the tracks sit well together. I know that these days there are few artists actually releasing full records as many people are releasing a single song online. But the idea of truing to master your mix, in the same room with the same speakers seems a waste of time. If that’s the situation just keep mixing till you think it’s as good as it can be. The best Mastering engineers like Bernie Grundman, Mark Wilder, Doug Sax etc will charge you $400-600 an hour. And worth every penny if your music deserves it.
@GingerDrums
6 күн бұрын
Short answer: 80 bucks for peace of mind and an experienced second pair of ears is great value
@fardinfahim3478
5 күн бұрын
Wait mastering is 80 bucks???
@lyrixFH
5 күн бұрын
@@fardinfahim3478 Masterplan
@griffini19
5 күн бұрын
Likely ‘mastered’ by someone with limited experience and no great success. For my high end artists we pay $450-550 an hour. And it’s worth it
@fardinfahim3478
5 күн бұрын
@@griffini19 may I ask, who are those artists?
@stx6671
3 күн бұрын
@@griffini19 ah yes...overpaying and thinking someone is better just because hes more expensive is the best way of scamming...god i love overcharging pepole who are half deaf and cant make decision based on the audio
@audio2u
5 күн бұрын
Kyle, another great video. Well done. Couple of things to add... Not mentioned: Mastering engineers generally have gone to the trouble and expense of setting up a room that is far more accurate than the bedroom (!) the music was tracked in. So, when THEY master your music, they are more than likely going to hear things you didn't. Also, through the 70's-90's, it was common for artists to record songs in different studios around the world, and for those songs to be mixed by different engineers. So another task for the mastering engineer was to take a bunch of mixes (which may have sounded fine as standalone tracks), and make them sound cohesive/balanced when played back-to-back. I hadn't heard of the plugin, Masterplan until I saw this video, and loved the fact that it reports 'crest factor'. This is something I have to explain to other engineers too often. It seems not enough people talk about it. For those who've not heard of it, it is simply the difference (in dB) between the peak value, and the RMS value, of a piece of audio. In essence, you can think of it as a quick numeric 'judgement' on how much the dynamics of a signal have been mangled/compromised through audio compression.
@1loveMusic2003
3 күн бұрын
Just the fact that someone with experience mastering thousands of songs is putting their fresh ears on your mix for the first time is so very valuable. After you've heard your mix 100 times you have lost objectivity and won't notice certain issues no matter how good your mixing skills.
@astralboy
2 күн бұрын
one technique is that you stop producing for a month or 2 and listen to other music, and then when you get back you can be more a effective self-master. For larger commercial artists or artists who only create, sending to ME would save time.....for an individual artist IMO, it is best to self master.
@nabman_
5 күн бұрын
One of your best episodes. Great explanation covering nuances of what goes on at the professional process. 👍👍👍
@drewinman7171
5 күн бұрын
I'd be interested to hear your take on the Loudness Wars.
@DerekPower
5 күн бұрын
Mastering is the optimisation of the final approved mix for its intended medium.
@Manmademadman
5 күн бұрын
Thank you for this video! I bought Master Plan early and ended up using it on individual tracks as well for punch and clarity. Of course, I also used it on the Master Bus JUST as much for its simulation as for increasing overall loudness... Smart people making a really smart plugin!
@berkeokur99
5 күн бұрын
I don't do mixing or mastering but this video was incredibly entertaining and informative, like always
@databang
5 күн бұрын
Yes, I’m interested how the loudness wars are going. But I’m also curious about how modern independent musicians (like bedroom producers) approach track transitions when uploading albums to streaming platforms. Do they usually upload each song as a separate file, or do they create a continuous mix and then use software to delineate tracks? What’s the best practice for ensuring smooth transitions between songs when skipping the traditional mastering stage? Would love to hear your thoughts in a video!
@sekritskworl-sekrit_studios
5 күн бұрын
@audio university, Thanks for all of your amazing content. I learn SO much! HOWEVER, the graph at @7:26 is a bit confusing... within the box you share a legend about masking... but there are no markers which indicate the vertices on the graph where these are taking place based upon the labels you created. I am admittedly very new to all of this stuff. But if the markers for the legend are not on the graph, it can be confusing to recognize/absorb for many of us. Thank you for your time.
@AudioUniversity
5 күн бұрын
It is explained better here: kzitem.info/news/bejne/2Wecv4SBgKR8dagsi=ZkxITDjsbbjuhsiy
@3eye-trick
5 күн бұрын
The best advice I have gathered over months is listen to similar tracks and see how yours compares using same system(s) this way you get a good idea of where your tracks are at. There is at least one plugin that has compiled sonic levels of hundreds of tracks to get you averages and show where yours is at. Once you know how to hear and what to listen for the technical aspects usually will fall into place. So many plugins, just pick a couple a see what you can make happen with them if nothing it's probably not the plugin, Sign of the times I guess overcomplicating things, some of the greatest tunes were created and mastered using way less stuff than today, everything is re-mixed re-mastered today 😉 Anyway there's only one way to know if you can master tunes release a couple in the wild and see the reception, what's the worst that can happen you don't get that Grammy you were expecting😁 Thanks for all the great videos!
@boomcrayon
3 күн бұрын
I rate this guy so much
@solacemuzic
5 күн бұрын
Great video, thank you man 🙏🔥
@vidtech2630
4 күн бұрын
Fully Agree , on Vinil , what you hear and like is the mastering, it's not the pure recording .
@mattg082
15 сағат бұрын
30+ years doing this and yes…for anything you are actually putting out to the public. If it’s for fun, demo hand out, maybe song previews on Instagram….not necessarily. But if you care about what you’re putting out, as if that is part of your life’s work. I’d pay $200-$300 a song if I have to, if I’m that confident and especially if you’re going on tour to promote. If you’re not that confident, playing bar gigs in a small town… then float it as an EP at shows only. But never skimp on mastering for something that is your best at that time, and you feel passionate about. Don’t cheap out on the mastering either.
@johnvender
5 күн бұрын
Back in 1981 I was a member of a Sydney indie band and we got some free time in University of Sydney's radio station's studio, three weeks, and we recorded an EP there. It had a Tascam 80-8, a Soundcraft console, bunch of microphones including a Neumann U 87 and some other stuff. I was the keyboard player but I had four track home studio experience so I did the producer/engineer job since we had the studio to ourselves for those three weeks with nobody there other than us. The final mix was to a Revox A77 two track. EMI in Sydney had a mastering and pressing service for indie bands and the guitar player and I went to their Studio 301 to master the EP. The engineer at first looked like he was only doing the job because he got paid for it because at the time lot of the work was badly recorded punk. He put our tape on a Studer two track machine and aligned the heads to match the misaligned Revox. Our stuff was nothing like punk and he quickly became enthusiastic and I was totally blown away by how much he improved my mixes. Then he cut the first 7" 45 rpm master on a lathe there. Experience I will never forget.
@gogasoft7202
5 күн бұрын
Thanks for videos. You make me better
@whiskyngeets
Күн бұрын
We live in a time where it's possible for an artist to be as precise as they want and have as much control as they want over what they put out into the world, and yet they still confuse themselves with this ocean of technology, plugins, hardware, etc thinking that somebody else knows how to do it better than they do. All of this technology has created an environment where young artists are extremely insecure. It's a complete inversion of the Geoff Emerick era of sonic exploration with the Beatles. Listen up youngsters, if you like your song how it is, then you're done. Move on to the next one. You don't need somebody else to tell you're doing it wrong. The reason you're so confused by mastering is because it's no longer a necessary step. Your final digital product will convert just fine so long as you stay within the requirements of to streaming platform to which you are uploading to. If the end user is listening to your tune on inferior equipment, that's their problem. We seem be slipping ever farther into a dangerous paradigm where "artists" have become more concerned with technical diddling and pursuing obfuscated conventions than creating meaningful and impactful music. Everything has become sterile. You can record a good song with a guitarist singing into a freaking phone, and if it's a good tune that resonates with people, then you're done. Mission accomplished. Move on.
@user-cr4pz5yg7y
14 сағат бұрын
As a pro dj, all those clippers and limiters degrade the sound under large amplification. All thise clips (distortion) become extremely audible to my ears. I work hard to hide it from audience. Not a fan of modern mastering
@oservoasafe
Күн бұрын
moral of the story is: the mastering engineer will not fix your bad mixing
@ferenclucas2842
5 күн бұрын
what is the reason for the upc looking stripes in the audio treatment behind you ? :)
@pauliusmscichauskas558
5 күн бұрын
I don't quite get it. Everything named here is something completely in the same skillset of a mixing engineer. So why do master engineers exist? Audio problems (Clicks and pops and etc) is most definitely something that has to be fixed in the mix, not the master. As if mixing engineers can't EQ, or adjust the track, as a whole, to taste?... What is it that the mastering engineer hears that the mixing engineer doesn't?
@mattg082
14 сағат бұрын
Well the mastering engineer is another set of ears, with what I hope be a good background. Most bedroom or rental studio guys, do not have rooms like some of the mastering engineers. A lot of times they are taking the pressure off, to check all those mid and low masking frequencies. They can change a lot with mid/side EQ and tons of things. But a crap mix, crap recording is still polishing a turd. Must those mastering guys have finely tuned rooms, and decades of experience most just don’t. I feel a lot of great recorded music gets messed up due to ego of the mixer….usually the guitar player or someone in the band that wants to have say over everything…I am that guy lol. But I know when the material is something I need to step away from, and have people better than me step in. Especially if I’m proud and believe it’s my best work at that time. I’d rather focus on creative side, and whatever upcoming tour. I’ve been at it 30 years, and I know my limits and when I just don’t need to pressure or stress…it’s worth it to hand off to someone who can do it right, and has a track record of doing just that.
@goodtimejohnny8972
4 күн бұрын
To help my learning about things I've loaded many cd wav files into daws for reference. So I can say that when you measure lufs and peak rms on commercially released music the loudness war idea is very evident. Sometimes even hitting plus 6 db peak. Also when trying to tone match some instruments you can do so by utilizing crazy EQ band increases or cuts. I've seen the EQ tricks in many videos and thought wow is that a lot. Same with compression. Most music now is uninteresting to me because of these techniques. Reminds me of a cookie press. Especially in hard rock music. Gobs and gobs of compression on drum especially but can also be heard on guitar, vocals and bass. In my opinion I shouldn't be able to tell that compression is being used. Today's music is just plain and simple over analyzed and over processed.
@donaldbundy3499
5 күн бұрын
In developing any project, be it in the arts, science or industry, it is sometimes beneficial to have different perspectives. Even if your finished project seems to be at it's best, using someone else's perspective might make it better. Which leads me to a question. In todays digital world, is it a thing to master the same project differently for playback on websites, to CD or downloadable/purchasable files? I am currently working with an artist who says his engineer will create two masters of his project. One for on line listening and one for purchase. Is this a legit thing?
@mattg082
14 сағат бұрын
Yes, because Spotify and others will format and change the overall volume. All that changes perception of the mix and final master, vs a raw mastered Wav lossless file. I send my stuff to work with people on lossles Wav files on DropBox, but uploading those same songs to Instagram or Spotify could see a volume bump or issues. There is a chart out there to measure each platform and standards. It’s very legit these days to have that done. Also meter VST programs, that let you select each digital platform for playback testing to see if issues pop up,
@gregedenfield1080
5 күн бұрын
imo: "don't master your own mixes"(if possible) its another rabbit hole you will for sure and needlessly go down. Sometimes project $ doesn't allow for it and you have to do it. The cost of being in "THE FUTURE" (insert reverb and Delay here) lol
@JerridFoiles
5 күн бұрын
Since you said "this requires several videos" several times, and since I'm a drummer... *hits china cymbal 4 times*
@dakota-sessions
5 күн бұрын
IMHO, everyone should hire a pro at least once or twice. Even if you never do it again, it will change the way you see all of this.
@ODanCaramelO
5 күн бұрын
W video
@endieroyafrica.6157
6 күн бұрын
😎
@TeslaDanser
5 күн бұрын
Master as you go and save money all while learning.
@phoenixrise3126
5 күн бұрын
Mastering is a must to make your final product professional.
@mattg082
14 сағат бұрын
100%, problem is bedroom/rental studio musicians trying to do it all, in a less than stellar room with $300 worth of foam treatment. That’s fine for your bar bands EP, to play out local and hand out for free or $5 a pop. But if you believe in your music, going to actually really tour…best to leave it to a pro Mastering engineer imo. There’s levels to it, and I wouldn’t want my best work mixed and mastered by just myself. Plus takes off the stress if you got the low mids and lows just right and all the other stuff. Musicians and mixers should be focused on other parts at that point. Touring, booking, publishing, merch and getting things going. But I think many commenting are not coming from that view point. A lot of people make songs at home, upload and done. Or cut a hastily put together album in a bedroom and play a few local bars a month or clubs…and that’s fine. But going outside that to the next level, def bring in help and do it right.
@coryfeldman-hz2yj
23 сағат бұрын
So many left over ideas from a bygone era... I don't want think a real artist really wants someone else doing this anymore. There's no way they will put the time or love into it like you would. Then again you might like the music on the radio and want that Kmart just like everything thing else sound.
@vandorb12
2 күн бұрын
I would love to hear more about the loudness wars, especially from your perspective and teachings. I've listened to a few lectures from big industry tech wizards about LUFS and how laws on commercial media have adapted to the post-loudness wars meta, but your voice has my ears wanting to learn more.
@thegroove2000
23 сағат бұрын
Masterplan my arse.
@ErreGamer
5 күн бұрын
I just started watching and read "Paid promotion" and that was it for me 🤣
@MrMikomi
5 күн бұрын
Yep. It's a shame because I think (having just skipped through it) there's nearly half an hour of really good information in the video.
@AZisk
5 күн бұрын
How dare he tried and get paid for providing information to us for free. We have to put a stop to this.
@nicholasmullins3693
2 күн бұрын
Yeah! Creators shouldn't get paid for their work! They should do it for free! For exposure even! @@AZisk
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