Prep for Rep
July 23, 2008 Filed in: Recording
I like being a one-stop-shop. When I am approached to
produce a project, I usually end up working well
beyond the industry norms for what a producer
typically does.
The question a producer has to answer is "How are we going to do this?" How will the recording go down? What instruments will be used? What's the tempo? How do I get the best performances out of the musicians at the session?
Often, a producer will double as session engineer. This is fairly common. The engineer's job is to facilitate, in technical ways, the vision of the producer. For example, if the producer wants a vocal with a lot of natural ambience, the engineer might set up a distant room mic to capture the vocal performance. The engineer is the technical guy who'll capture the sounds the way the producer wants them to be.
Less common, but common still, is the producer/engineer triple dipping as a mixing engineer. The mix engineer is responsible for putting together the multitude of tracks into a single, stereo two-track mix. Mono mixes and surround mixes are less common, but are occasionally requested. My mixing philosophy is centered around vocals; the essence of why people listen to music.
Even more rare is a one-stop shop, like myself, who will offer budget mastering services in addition to the other three. If the project is on a tight budget, or perhaps just a "demo" quality is requested of the client, I am happy to offer an audio master.
The best book I've read on mastering is Bob Katz's Mastering Audio. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in recording a CD. It's a great primer for what mastering is and why it is important for commercial audio.
The goal of mastering is to create a seamless, consistent listening experience for one continuous piece of stereo audio. When an album is created, it is common that all of the tracks aren't tracked and/or mixed the same. A solo acoustic guitar track and a full, slammin' band track aren't going to have the same EQ curves. And, yet, so many records now a days have these night-and-day moments. Mastering is the stage at which the EQ's get matched up. A critical listening environment is essential for a successful mastering job. Mastering is also the place where "loudness" is determined. If you put on a CD that came out in 1989 and one that came out yesterday, you'll hear a big difference in relative volume.
When I'm asked to create a master, I use a program called Peak LE. It's just a two track editing suite. I primarily use the Ozone 3 plug-in to assist in matching eq's within the audio program and setting loudness levels. I can also create crossfades and establish a sequence in Peak. I love the program.
Occasionally, I have clients who ask that I deliver the master to a replication plant. This week, I preped a master for John Gillespie. He's replicating a CD he recorded with me earlier this year. It's called Always Falling. It should be out this fall.
Preping a master is fairly simple. All the hard work is done. It's a good idea, if you're using an entirely computer based system, to burn a fresh master with no other programs running and no internet connection active. This will prevent burning errors. It's also a good idea to have a "verify disc" function at the end of the program burn. This will ensure that the data have been transfered properly to disc.
I like to listen to masters in a non-critical setting. This gives me a realistic picture of how a record will sound in the real world. I'll typically listen to the production master, just once, on my home stereo. I'll also burn a separate copy for importing into iTunes. Then, I'll listen to the master as a compressed audio file (mp3 or AAC). After all, iPods and ear buds are how 90% of music is experienced now-a-days.
Some replication plants are tweaky when it comes to master disc specs. The company I sent this most recent master to requested that no ink, what so ever, be on the master disc. They claimed that ink corrodes the aluminum face of the CD and can corrupt the data. I've never seen that happen, but I wouldn't want to delay the production of the master. Also, they prefer paper sleeves to jewel cases. I don't have a problem following instructions. It is a good idea to have an understanding of how a replication company wants the master. This will invariably speed things up so the client can get his CD's faster.
Producing audio is a blast. I like to be a one-stop-shop. I also like to have just a hand in some element of the production process. The music business is a specialized industry. There are studios that only specialize in mastering, mixing, or even just tracking. Whatever your goals, it's great to find the fit that's right for you.
The question a producer has to answer is "How are we going to do this?" How will the recording go down? What instruments will be used? What's the tempo? How do I get the best performances out of the musicians at the session?
Often, a producer will double as session engineer. This is fairly common. The engineer's job is to facilitate, in technical ways, the vision of the producer. For example, if the producer wants a vocal with a lot of natural ambience, the engineer might set up a distant room mic to capture the vocal performance. The engineer is the technical guy who'll capture the sounds the way the producer wants them to be.
Less common, but common still, is the producer/engineer triple dipping as a mixing engineer. The mix engineer is responsible for putting together the multitude of tracks into a single, stereo two-track mix. Mono mixes and surround mixes are less common, but are occasionally requested. My mixing philosophy is centered around vocals; the essence of why people listen to music.
Even more rare is a one-stop shop, like myself, who will offer budget mastering services in addition to the other three. If the project is on a tight budget, or perhaps just a "demo" quality is requested of the client, I am happy to offer an audio master.
The best book I've read on mastering is Bob Katz's Mastering Audio. I recommend it for anyone who is interested in recording a CD. It's a great primer for what mastering is and why it is important for commercial audio.
The goal of mastering is to create a seamless, consistent listening experience for one continuous piece of stereo audio. When an album is created, it is common that all of the tracks aren't tracked and/or mixed the same. A solo acoustic guitar track and a full, slammin' band track aren't going to have the same EQ curves. And, yet, so many records now a days have these night-and-day moments. Mastering is the stage at which the EQ's get matched up. A critical listening environment is essential for a successful mastering job. Mastering is also the place where "loudness" is determined. If you put on a CD that came out in 1989 and one that came out yesterday, you'll hear a big difference in relative volume.
When I'm asked to create a master, I use a program called Peak LE. It's just a two track editing suite. I primarily use the Ozone 3 plug-in to assist in matching eq's within the audio program and setting loudness levels. I can also create crossfades and establish a sequence in Peak. I love the program.
Occasionally, I have clients who ask that I deliver the master to a replication plant. This week, I preped a master for John Gillespie. He's replicating a CD he recorded with me earlier this year. It's called Always Falling. It should be out this fall.
Preping a master is fairly simple. All the hard work is done. It's a good idea, if you're using an entirely computer based system, to burn a fresh master with no other programs running and no internet connection active. This will prevent burning errors. It's also a good idea to have a "verify disc" function at the end of the program burn. This will ensure that the data have been transfered properly to disc.
I like to listen to masters in a non-critical setting. This gives me a realistic picture of how a record will sound in the real world. I'll typically listen to the production master, just once, on my home stereo. I'll also burn a separate copy for importing into iTunes. Then, I'll listen to the master as a compressed audio file (mp3 or AAC). After all, iPods and ear buds are how 90% of music is experienced now-a-days.
Some replication plants are tweaky when it comes to master disc specs. The company I sent this most recent master to requested that no ink, what so ever, be on the master disc. They claimed that ink corrodes the aluminum face of the CD and can corrupt the data. I've never seen that happen, but I wouldn't want to delay the production of the master. Also, they prefer paper sleeves to jewel cases. I don't have a problem following instructions. It is a good idea to have an understanding of how a replication company wants the master. This will invariably speed things up so the client can get his CD's faster.
Producing audio is a blast. I like to be a one-stop-shop. I also like to have just a hand in some element of the production process. The music business is a specialized industry. There are studios that only specialize in mastering, mixing, or even just tracking. Whatever your goals, it's great to find the fit that's right for you.