Crushing the Death Magnetic
Posted on | November 22, 2008 | No Comments
Well, even though world stock markets are crumbling before our eyes, you can take solace in the fact that I’m looking out for the quality of your audio. As proof, check the Nov/Dec issue of Tape Op magazine.
The last page is a section called Paul’s End Rant, which is an article I wrote called “Crushing the Death Magnetic.” A little sonic state of the union to let you know in the darkest of hours, there’s hope.
Integrity
Posted on | November 19, 2008 | No Comments
In modern mastering, engineers often boast about a finished product by how different it sounds from the original mix. As if to say, “Look, we did some real work here.” But with a high-quality recording, a mastering engineer has to utilize very high-quality tools to enhance the sound without compromising it.
Bernie Grundman once said that a recording will never have more sonic integrity than when the mix is finished; meaning that there is a price to pay for every tool used in mastering.
I recently did a project for a client who gave me a very good compliment. He said, “You’ve retained the integrity of the audio nicely and there’s a little extra punch to it.”
IMO, this is what professional mastering is all about. Enhancing the sound without losing what was good about it to begin with.
Playing the Edge
Posted on | November 13, 2008 | No Comments
More in my series of yogic comparisons to mastering…
In yoga (asana) practice, there’s a concept called “playing your edge” where you push things as far as you think you can safely go. This changes from day-to-day depending on how you’re feeling and what’s going on in your life.
In mastering, I would equate playing the edge to what a lot of people are looking for in a “produced/ mastered” sound: pushing the song as far as it can safely go without damaging it, sonically. This, too, is a moving target, as it’s easy to get used to what you thought was the edge one day, and seems like it could be pushed further the next.
What makes it possible to determine this is objectivity and a pristine playback system. I know, I’m probably sounding like a broken record (or crashed DAW), but that is what it always comes back to. Anyone telling you otherwise is selling snake oil.
Parallels
Posted on | November 12, 2008 | No Comments
Some people think that in yoga you twist and contort yourself to impose an effect on your body. In reality, you are using postures to undo muscular-skeletal patterns that have been slowly created over time…to, eventually, bring you back to equilibrium and balance. So, each posture becomes a deliberate antidote to undo what you have unknowingly done to yourself in the course of life.
Similarly, in mastering some people believe that an engineer is applying effects to impose (or create) a sound on a recording. In reality, the engineer judiciously uses effects to clarify, and sometimes counter-act or undo, aspects of a recording so that the inner elements and details come out and it translates successfully to the widest greatest variety of playback environments. The goal is to bring back an equilibrium and balance to the song or album.
I once read a quote that basically said “understand one thing completely and you understand all things completely.” Maybe…
Hear with Your Ears, Not Your Eyes
Posted on | November 11, 2008 | No Comments
So many times in audio, people focus on the things they can see. What mics does a studio have? What compressors, reverbs, or equalizers? It’s pretty simple to see why…I mean, why would you invest money in gear no one can see when you’ll get more clients with knobby knobs and flashing lights? Well, because of sound quality.
At ZenMastering, the soundcard we use costs more than the computer it sits in. Then it travels down an audiophile 75-ohm digital cable. Then into a world-class D/A converter, which has audiophile balanced interconnects taking it to the speaker’s amplifiers.
None of this is evident to the client, but it makes a world of difference in our sound. Compromise on areas like this, and the gear you can see is a lot less effective.
Turn Everything Off
Posted on | November 10, 2008 | No Comments
One night many years ago I was asked to sit in and do sound for a friend/ local musician at a medium-sized coffeehouse in San Diego. When I showed up and started sound checking, I tried to get a handle on the room and the performer’s sound. There was a 16-channel Mackie console with an additional stereo graphic equalizer that, I was told, had been “tweaked” to perfect the room. However, what I heard was a pretty thin, edgy sound.
I listened for a while and then made a few decisions. When the performer took a break, one of my friends came over and said, “his sound is really great, what did you do?” I told him I turned everything off. Or, I bypassed all the EQ and effects and just worked on getting the acoustic guitar to balance with his voice. After that, I think I rolled off a little 80Hz to remove some boom…maybe 2-4db. That was it.
Turning everything off isn’t always the answer (in recording, mixing, mastering, or live sound), but I’ve found it’s the best place to start. Then you can see what you have and work from a more objective place…not working from presets and preconceived ideas.
Do Online Mastering Samples Work?
Posted on | November 9, 2008 | No Comments
Before-and-after samples have become popular, especially with all the new breed of online mastering facilities cropping up. But I think that they can work against a mastering facility…for a few reasons.
1) While a sample may showcase that someone can manipulate sound, a client really never knows how his or her music will sound…just how a sample in their genre may be mastered.
2) Most of these samples are posted as .mp3 files. That’s not really an effective way for anyone to hear clarity, detail, and resolution in a recording…or determine that the mastering process hasn’t imparted some processing-induced artifacts on the track.
I recently secured a client because they said they had listened to another mastering facilities online sample and felt the “after” sounded worse than the “before.” Prior to that, they were considering using that facility due to price (which I matched).
Professional mastering facilities work from a reputation based on years of quality work, and never do before/ after sample and in a compressed format.
Organization Is Key to Success
Posted on | November 8, 2008 | No Comments
When I start working with artists to master their music, they usually fall into two categories: prepared and unprepared. There are, obviously, varying degrees of both.
I notice that the people who are prepared have been well-organized throughout the entire process of their recording…and it shows. Good mixes (that have probably been referenced on various systems and adjusted before reaching me), proper formats (you’d be surprised how many people send me .mp3s), and backups of their work. (A client recently finished mixes and was about to send them to me when his hard drived crashed…luckily he backed everything up!)
The point here, obviously, is that there’s a lot more involved in making a good recording than just having talent and some good songs. There’s a lot of boring work involved as well, but it’s all necessary. And the artists I’ve known who have the discipline to be organized usually get further than the ones who aren’t.
Homegrown Success
Posted on | November 7, 2008 | No Comments
In my opinion, there’s nothing more inspiring and gratifying than a homegrown success. I just went to my P.O. Box and found that one of my clients sent a copy of their latest CD, which I mastered.
I remember hearing the original mixes and thinking, “this is as good as any album I’ve ever heard in recent times…in songs, production, and musicianship.” And when the complete package arrived I was all the more excited to hear it.
It’s great when you master an album and then a month or so later (after you’ve forgotten about it) the finished product arrives. You can finally hear it like a consumer…and enjoy the hell out of it.
That’s one of the things that makes this job gratifying…enjoying the fruits of your labor, and helping people achieve their goals.
(heavy exhale)
Posted on | November 5, 2008 | No Comments
Well I’m happy to say that, after the presidential election results, I don’t need to move to Canada. Which is good, because there’s already a mastering facility there going by my moniker.
That would have been confusing.
About This Blog
From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
We welcome comments from readers...pro or con!
