Music Production Techniques and Tips - CD Mastering - Part 3 of 3

CD Mastering and Mastering for Digital Release - Part 3 of 3

Part 3 – Preparing a mix for mastering


Check your final mix
Once you’ve prepared your final mix and have it as a stereo WAV orAIFF open it up in an audio editing package such as WaveLab or one of the many others available and have a good look at the waveform.

If your mix looks like Image 1, you are in trouble; this mix has been smashed - check out what happens to the waveform in Image 2.

Image 1 - A brick-wall limited mix

Looking at Image 2 You can see the top of the waveform has been chopped off; this is a sure sign that there are big problems with this mixdown.

Image 2 – Zoomed in view of brick-wall limited mix

Now compare the above with the examples below:

If you look at Image 3 you will notice the dynamic range in the mix as opposed to Image 1

Image 3 – An Example of how a mix should look like

Here the waveform has been zoomed right in on the loudest point I could find. You see the waveform is in good shape, none of the nasty flat tops as seen in image 2.

Image 4 – The same file as Image 3 Zoomed In

Image 5 – The same file as Figure 3 Zoomed right in

How to deliver mix files to the mastering house
Details of how you should deliver your files to the mastering house:

• WAV or AIFF
  

• No Limiting on the Master Channel
  

• No compression or only light compression on the master channel
  

• No peaks above 0db
  

• 24bit/32bit Float files are preferred but 16 bit is fine
  

• A sample rate upwards of 44.1 kHz
  

If you are after a particular sound then by all means supply an additional file with your master compression/limiting on as a guide. The mastering engineer can hear the style or effect you are going for and adjust accordingly.

Also if you are after masters with a particular sound or style you’ve heard elsewhere then giving the mastering engineer example of other tracks with that sound can really help to get exactly what you want with the minimum amount of fuss and hassle.

- Copyright 2008, Luke Pepper, All Rights Reserved.
No part of this document shall be reproduced without prior consent from the copyright owner.

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