Numerous observations of the work of various sound engineers lead to the conviction that the ability to do mixing and mastering is a real gift that people find much less often than musical hearing. If you use a calibrated monitor when working with graphics that does not distort the image and accurately reproduces colors, then in the case of sound you need good speakers. This will be the only guideline for us. Sometimes special headphones for mixing and mastering can help, but still experts work mainly with speakers.
Unlike video monitoring, working with sound is much harder. It's all about sound waves. They tend to reflect off the floor, ceiling, walls and various objects. Moreover, the reflection properties will vary depending on the wave height. In this article we will talk in detail about such difficult activities as mixing and mastering using the example of a home recording studio. So let's get started.
Mixing
Let's start by defining this term. Mixing is the process of processing sound before mastering, which includes six stages:
- normalization;
- compression
- EQ
- noise filtering;
- pan;
- sound effects.
Let's sort them in order.
Normalization
First, normalization is the process of processing sound. And secondly, this is the first stage in the struggle for the volume of music. Normalization can be done in the program Cool Edit Pro, which will be described below. To do this, go to the menu item Effects and select Amplitude-Normalize.
Compression
Compression is a very important step in the field of mixing and mastering. It is she who distinguishes professional records from amateur ones. Allowing enough time for practicing the dynamics, you will get high quality.
Reasons for difficulty
- If the effect is done correctly, then it is very subtle, but it is felt in the recording. Although it can not be heard like, for example, a flanger.
- The compressor cannot work all the time. Most of the time you hear a sound without its participation. Therefore, the diagrams of the compressor and its level are almost indispensable here.
- All compressors cannot be considered the same. Despite the simplicity of the idea - lowering the signal level when crossing the threshold, the execution can be different.
Using a high-quality compressor will help smooth out all the flaws of the sound.
Compression Basics
The most common analogy is a sound technician twisting the adjustment knobs and monitoring the signal level. How much he scrolls them is called a ratio. For example, a 3: 1 ratio means that when the signal exceeds a threshold of 3 dB, the engineer will adjust the knobs so that the signal exceeds the threshold by 1 dB.
EQ
Equalizing is a frequency correction of compositions and one of the most crucial moments before mastering. Any frequency adjustment is carried out before processing the composition with other effects.
Those who know things like mixing and mastering know that equalizing vocals is a big problem for almost everyone. If a good sound can still be imitated with high-quality samples, then a poorly recorded voice cannot be corrected. Almost none of the fans have an expensive studio microphone, and if there is, then, as a rule, it is incorrectly selected. In professional recording, the right microphone is half the success. The second half is a correctly crafted voice. Due to the fact that the material is initially of poor quality, the voice should be treated with double attention.
Noise filtering
If you use a dynamic microphone directly connected to a sound card when recording sound at home, then a lot of unwanted noise will appear in the resulting file. Some of them will help to avoid simple forethought: turning off the TV, closing the window, checking the stability of the microphone stand, wearing soft shoes, etc. However, some noise sources cannot be removed like that. For example, the noise of an electric guitar or the microphone itself, connected to a sound card through a line input.
Pan
Before mastering, the vocals must be distributed between the ears of the listener. Or, as the sound engineers say, between the right and left channel. This distribution is called panning. In a home studio, it is carried out using the pan controls. In English versions of programs they are designated as pan.
The easiest way to do this is to pan in the headphones, but you will need to check the result of your own work by listening to the finished mix in the speakers.
Sound effects
To get a “tasty” mix, you need to add sound effects just like spices, sugar and salt to your food. It’s like a make-up for recording (after all, all artists apply it before going on stage). Sound effects fill the music with magical content and give it a sense of flying. They are used both in combination with each other, and separately from one another.
What is mastering?
Sometimes during the recording process a gross error may be detected. In this case, the musicians joke: “Let's fix it on the mastering”. The meaning of this joke is the same as that of the famous expression: "The grave will correct Humpback." If mixing is the process of creating one track from a variety of mono and stereo tracks, then mastering is further work with the resulting result. It involves the last processing of a record before it is mass-produced on disks.
So, we have decided what mastering is. Now find out how many stages it includes. There are only five of them:
- Professional sound. The main task of this stage is to add finishing touches to the existing record. You need to level the levels, analyze the overall smoothing of the track, etc. In general, you need to make the sound professional.
- The general consonance of the whole disk. No less attention is required by the consonance of all disc compositions together during sequential playback. Does everything sound smooth? Are there level mismatches? Does the CD have its own “character”? At this stage, it is important to achieve the minimum difference between the sound of individual tracks, taking into account the overall picture.
- Preparing for replication. This is done at the factory.
- The specifics of analog sound. It is difficult to say something unambiguous, but in general, analog equipment is a source of additional nonlinear distortion. This makes the sound much better. For example, an analog equalizer can introduce subtle per-channel phase delays. High-precision digital equalizer does not have such a "drawback". But this does not mean that he is more musical. In the case of concentrators and compressors it is still more complicated. Although it is precisely this specificity of analog processing that gives the music depth, brightness, bass and warmth, making the overall sound more pleasant.
- Graphic tools. Some sound engineers who consider commercial mixing and mastering their true vocation do not need sensors. They can determine the frequency and level of compression by ear. Mortals, of course, need a variety of sensors and monitoring the position of the tuning knobs, the adjustment of which allows you to visually display the changes made to the sound. However, in this activity, ears are the best working tool.
Mastering software and information
There are tons of reviews online on this subject. We will talk about two, in our opinion, the best programs. For information, Cool Edit Pro is suitable, which has an excellent interface and ample opportunities for working with stereo files. For mastering, we recommend T-Racks24. It emulates several tube devices: a limiter, a compressor, and an equalizer. Most reputable experts praise the warmth and softness of its analog sound.
Mastering Effects
We list them:
- Equalizers (balance formation).
- Expanders, limiters and compressors (dynamic recording range). In order to work with the dynamics of a certain frequency range, you will need multiband dynamic effects.
- Stereo image effects (expand the sound space).
- Reverb (add extra brilliance to the recording).
- Noise suppressors (noise filtering).
- Harmonic exciter (help in revitalizing the recording).
- Volume maximizer (increase recording volume while limiting peaks).
Conclusion
Now you know what mastering and mixing is. We hope you find this article helpful. And finally, remember: in order to achieve heights in this area, you need to master the technical techniques of mixing tracks, as well as cultivate and cultivate your own sensation and taste of sound, thereby creating a unique sound.