Do you use mastering effects while writing

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kingrad
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Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by kingrad »

Hi what are peoples thoughts on using mastering plugins on your master output while writing once a good main loop is up and running?

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by kuba_rubacha »

NO.

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Críoch »

I will sometimes.. to hear what it sounds like for the craic.

But as I don't really ever finish anything, I'm allowed to do this :D

I would never do it while making / creating.. getting levels / basic mixing.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Lost to the Void »

If you are using it live then it isn't mastering.
Mastering is mainly Eq work, and why have an EQ on your master??
Just EQ the mix properly.

If you mean, do you use a limiter on your master channel, personally no, why would you?

I do run a compressor on the master channel and mix into the compressor for specific effects, but with gentle gain reduction, and i run a mastering meter too, always handy.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by ARiFF »

ICN wrote:But as I don't really ever finish anything, I'm allowed to do this :D.
OMG LOL !

and to answer posters' question : not really. Basically what Steve said, have a mastering meter onto there, maybe a instance of S(M)exoscope and an FFT. But thats about it mainly for me than.

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mattias »

Lost to the Void wrote:If you are using it live then it isn't mastering.
Mastering is mainly Eq work, and why have an EQ on your master??
Just EQ the mix properly.

If you mean, do you use a limiter on your master channel, personally no, why would you?

I do run a compressor on the master channel and mix into the compressor for specific effects, but with gentle gain reduction, and i run a mastering meter too, always handy.
This.

I would also like to add that I reckon many people do put up some compressors, EQs and stuff, and god forbid, Ozone on their master bus while they write and this is a huge cause to why many tracks sounds crap today. It's often beyond rescue if its overdone.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mslwte »

Don't use any as it is a bad practice. But I might add an eq Id I go back to a project and I think it doesn't sound like I want it to. Leave the master clean.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Críoch »

So no more saturator on the master James? :mrgreen:
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by s-tek »

if you mix your stuff as good as possible, the only things you need most of the time are EQs and maybe gates as dynamic EQs.
I only use limiters for vocals or guitars(non techno productions) or synthesizers with high resonance. what the limiter does is only peak limiting of crazy frequencies. I try to safe transients every time, cause they are the most important thing to have a pounding mix.

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mslwte »

ICN wrote:So no more saturator on the master James? :mrgreen:
I don't give away my secrets ha ha
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Esh »

Mattias wrote:
and god forbid, Ozone on their master bus
Just out of interest. What's the difference between using Ozone rather than any other limiter? or do you just not like it?

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mattias »

Well because Ozone gives too many options in the same box, it's easy to destroy the tracks by adding "enhancers" and multiband compression etc etc.

Of course, using certain effects on the master to set a tone or color to achieve a certain sound and the likes is totally ok (if not overdone)!
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Esh »

ah i see. the one stop shop to greatness problem.

makes sense.

how about whacking a limiter on the bass line to give it a more solid and consistent level?

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Barfunkel »

I tried Ozone for a short while (duration of the try-out period) and at least I couldn't find any use for it. With mild settings it doesn't do anything (could be just my ears or monitoring though) and when you push it starts to distort nastily. I never could find it's sweet spot. I was much happier with using The Glue in combination with some freeware limiter on my master bus. Easy and fast to set up and things sounded a little bit nicer.

I'm no mastering engineer though.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Barfunkel »

Esh wrote:
how about whacking a limiter on the bass line to give it a more solid and consistent level?
Not a huge fan of compressing or limiting synthetic bass. You can synthesize it any way you wish and you can always use different midi velocities to make it consistent. Compressors also tend to do nasty things to bass in my experience.

That said, I've never used a high end compressor, only cheap hard- and software. Those who can afford 3k€ compressors/limiters probably think otherwise...
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mattias »

Esh wrote:ah i see. the one stop shop to greatness problem.

makes sense.

how about whacking a limiter on the bass line to give it a more solid and consistent level?
Hmm, if it's part of the sound then sure, just using very little gain reduction, but if you do use limiters on bass you might as well use a compressor instead to gain more control of it all.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mslwte »

I think the main problem with the likes of ozone is that people don't know how the use them regardless if it is a good plugin or not.
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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by ARiFF »

imo the problem today is that people dont want to work anymore to get results, they just want to add a mastering vst onto the master and be able to get insta awesomeness results. I think that this is mainly a problem spanning a few generations now, since nowadays everything seems to be "up for grabbing" anyways. Nothing "costs" anymore like it used to. Few years ago you had to actually "work" to get semi decent results, if you wanted to be ace you had to be one of the few who knew his software and gear from the back of his hand. Most likely this would also explain the success of sample cd's and loops or prefab DJ producers like Avicii, Afrojack and the rest of that crew... Grab'em, arrange a few in a sequencer, apply some fx and Ozone and thats it.

The good thing is that the quality of someone with golden hands and ears at the mastering table like Steve and some other members on the forum for example, are still by far more superior than any VST mastering plugin available...

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Esh »

Mattias wrote:
Hmm, if it's part of the sound then sure, just using very little gain reduction, but if you do use limiters on bass you might as well use a compressor instead to gain more control of it all.
good point. I only every really use it when i have higher pitched notes in a bass line that loose some bottom end weight. But like you said maybe a compressor with a high ratio is better.

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Re: Do you use mastering effects while writing

Post by Mattias »

Yeah Esh, I would go with that, then you have control over the attack / release as well which is highly important for bassey material if you ask me.
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