The question of questions

[Tony Hardie-Bick]

The only thing I can add to Martin's advice is the matter of familiarity: Get 
totally familiar with the system you're mastering on. The best room in the world 
is useless if you haven't calibrated your ears to it. For human beings there is 
no "standard" room - a flat response is just another (very unusual) special case.

Tony (HB)

On 19/10/10 12:46, Martin Naef wrote:
> 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
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