automation on mastering?

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ZenoSupreme
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automation on mastering?

Post by ZenoSupreme »

I was wondering about this, since I use automation in mixing. Is there any use for automation in mastering and if so, when and how (eg, what effects/parameters and in what amount)?

anybody experience with this?

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Lost to the Void
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by Lost to the Void »

If you mean do mastering engineers use automation, then the answer is yes, when required
More commonly in album mastering, maybe for fades or blends, or changing setting between tracks if it's for a cut.
Sometimes you might have the EQ working differently in different sections of a piece of music that maybe changes a lot (so not techno then).

As an example, if I am mastering for a long cut, then I have automated EQ, HF limiting (and saturation) on the top end of a track to compensate for progressive inner curve distortion on vinyl.

It's a very open question so I won't list every single reason.
When required: is the best answer.
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ozias_leduc
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by ozias_leduc »

i think it's important in mastering techno to mix in a big flanger into a drop

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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by ozias_leduc »

i think it's important in mastering techno to mix in a big flanger into a drop

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mindstuff
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by mindstuff »

I've done this before but it felt dirty :).

However what kind of problem does that cause you if you need to bounce your tracks for mixing/mastering if someone else is to do it. I've always wondering if I mix into a compressor and/or EQ this could lead to the same issue.

Anybody with experience bouncing tracks to a mix/master engineer...do you bounce each track through the 2bus?

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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by Meatwad »

mindstuff wrote:
Sun Nov 03, 2019 7:50 am
Anybody with experience bouncing tracks to a mix/master engineer...do you bounce each track through the 2bus?
Imagine you had a comp on the 2bus and you mixed into it throughout the arrangement. Then once you bounce separate stems through the same compressor/2 bus chain they would interact differently with the comp/2 bus chain then if you bounced all the summed parts through it.

Although I've never sent any tracks or stems to a mixing or mastering engineer before so couldn't comment on that process...

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ZenoSupreme
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by ZenoSupreme »

Tnx, I guess it's a very open question indeed, but I get the answer :).

@mindstuff; why would you want to have something going on on the 2bus if you sent it out for mastering? I would leave the 2bus alone and let the mastering engineer do his job on it.

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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by 2latuile »

ZenoSupreme wrote:
Mon Nov 04, 2019 2:30 pm
@mindstuff; why would you want to have something going on on the 2bus if you sent it out for mastering? I would leave the 2bus alone and let the mastering engineer do his job on it.
Depends... Most often and for most genres it's indeed better to avoid dynamic processing on the master bus when exporting for mastering (as far as I'm concerned for more genres it just doesn't make sense to have any dynamic processing on the master bus anyway, but YMMV). Now it's not uncommon - specially in club oriented tracks - to use a touch compression on the master bus for a slight pumping effect, and then it often works better if you set your compressor right from the start and mix "into" it (tweaking the compressor's setting along during the mix). In this case the compression becomes more of an artistic tool and is actually part of your mix.

But even then (unless you have a good compressor and _really_ know how to use it) chances are the mastering engineer can still do a better job with his own gear and ears, so you'll probably want to send two exports - one processed and one raw - so he has enough options to do the right thing.

In the case of stem exports, it doesn't make sense to keep your master bus compression, obviously - but then you'd still send a "complete" export too _with_ the compressor on so the mastering engineer knows what you're trying to achieve.

In all cases if the mastering engineer is serious those points will be discussed right from the start anyway.

My 2 cents...
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by Lost to the Void »

2latuile wrote:
Tue Nov 05, 2019 6:28 pm

Depends... Most often and for most genres it's indeed better to avoid dynamic processing on the master bus when exporting for mastering (as far as I'm concerned for more genres it just doesn't make sense to have any dynamic processing on the master bus anyway, but YMMV). Now it's not uncommon - specially in club oriented tracks - to use a touch compression on the master bus for a slight pumping effect, and then it often works better if you set your compressor right from the start and mix "into" it (tweaking the compressor's setting along during the mix). In this case the compression becomes more of an artistic tool and is actually part of your mix.

But even then (unless you have a good compressor and _really_ know how to use it) chances are the mastering engineer can still do a better job with his own gear and ears, so you'll probably want to send two exports - one processed and one raw - so he has enough options to do the right thing.

In the case of stem exports, it doesn't make sense to keep your master bus compression, obviously - but then you'd still send a "complete" export too _with_ the compressor on so the mastering engineer knows what you're trying to achieve.

In all cases if the mastering engineer is serious those points will be discussed right from the start anyway.

My 2 cents...
There are literally 2 threads covering all of this as a sticky at the very top of this forum, one 13 pages long, the other 8 pages long. We`ve discussed this ad-nauseum.
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ZenoSupreme
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by ZenoSupreme »

^I didn't read the whole thread, but I tought that was for home mastering...?

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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by Lost to the Void »

ZenoSupreme wrote:
Fri Nov 15, 2019 10:19 pm
^I didn't read the whole thread, but I tought that was for home mastering...?
It covers all sorts of stuff regarding the mastering process. Between that and the master bus compression thread most of what is being talked about here has been covered.
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ZenoSupreme
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Re: automation on mastering?

Post by ZenoSupreme »

cool, tnx, i'll take a look at it again! :)


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