All About Music Production

Some Mastering Tips

Yendo Starritz

Table of Contents

General

– a Digital EQ is Perfect for Working in the High End, i.e. Bringing Transients on Vocals / Lead Sounds etc. to the Foreground

– a Passive Design (which Works with Reels) is Perfect to Work Within the Music, i.e. Working in the Mid Range, e.g. Knif Soma, Pultec 1A

EQ with Transformers on the Other Hand are Perfect for Building and Adding Overtones to the Bass Fundament, e.g. Neve / SSL / EQP1 / API

Its All About Balancing and Making the Product Better than it is, e.g. Either Reduce Problems / Expression Where Frequencies Fight Against Each Other, or Increase Expression when Necessary

Probably You can Not Tell the Exact Problem Frequencies Just by Ear (Maybe at Around 300Hz?), therefore Use the Analyzer and Cut Problem Frequencies Immediately

Work Fast so the Brain Does Not Get a Habit of Anything (i.e. Suddenly Everything is OK, or Everything is Too Dull)
Try to Find Out Why a Productions Sounds as it Sounds, e.g. if there are Problems are they Coming from Poor Mic Placement, Poor Room Info, Typical Home Studio Errors, Arrangement Problem etc.

1) Examine Where the Product is Going to be Played and Use Tools that Suite the Specific Genre

2) Listen to the Mix and EQ in Broadband Where there is Too Much

– Start with a Colorful EQ for Broadband Tasks, i.e. Add Air, Freshness, Size but Without an Additional Sound

e.g. Dip Where there is Definitely Too Much (e.g. Often Low Midrange) and Increase Air Band

– the More Broadband you can Fix Basic Problems the Less you Change the Original Overtone Structure

3) Fix More Narrow Imbalances with a Dynamic EQ, e.g. Single Bass Notes that Resonate by Nature More Louder than Others

4) Listen and Try Guessing Problem Frequencies, Use an Analyzer for Manifestation and Cut Problem Frequencies Immediately

– but Do Not First Push Them or Wait Too Long

– Sometimes Though Decide to Boost a Problem Frequency when the Dip was Not the Solution