The question of questions

[Martin Naef]

Gert, Kai,

On 18.10.2010 22:59, Gert van Santen wrote:
> the conclusion that, in this day and age, and with the technology
> we have now, getting your masters done by a pro is highly
> overrated. You can just as well do it yourself. You DO need good
> ears, though.

I generally agree, though there are a few additional considerations:

- The good ears are essential, but so is a room that is properly 
treated. If you have both, go ahead. Of course, the same applies to mixing.

- Experience. You need to know how mixes translate to different systems. 
I recently had a rather disappointing experience when I heard one of my 
tracks on a BIG system.

- Second opinion. I think mastering is as much about a "sanity check" as 
it is about improving the sound. Having somebody else master your track 
is important as you get a fresh, more objective pair of ears that is not 
already accustomed to your mix. Also, an independent person will hear 
your mix as what it is, not as what you intended it to be.

If you master yourself, make sure you leave plenty of time between 
mixing and mastering (days, weeks). That's exactly what went wrong with 
the track I mentioned above - things were done in a hurry, I couldn't 
listen to it at higher volumes (living in a flat...), so I never came 
back to it with fresh ears. I totally overcooked the bass. Had I sent 
the mix to somebody else (e.g. Gert), I'm sure he would have rejected it 
immediately...

Conclusion: DIY mastering? Sure. But send it to a friend.

Martin