How can I get the best possible results from mastering?
The first thing to recognize is that there is no standard for a “good recording” or mastering job. Every album is its own unique artistic creation with its own sound. Some people like an old-school organic sound, some people like a polished modern production. Some people like guitars loud and up front. Others like the drums to be louder, etc, etc. Some people care about making their albums sound “loud” while others want high fidelity and don’t care about that.
When an artist asks a mastering engineer for a test master they usually do not know exactly what they want, and if they, do, it’s often difficult to describe. They just “know it when they hear it”. So the mastering engineer has to use their own best judgment. This is why it’s common to make multiple test masters for a band during the final mixing phase.
The first test master that is sent back is often “average”. It gives the artist a chance to hear what their mix will sound like mastered but it’s usually not perfect on the first try.
After the first test master comes back, if the band is not satisfied with the sound they should try to describe to the mastering engineer, as accurately as possible, what they want changed. In most cases, the changes that the artist is looking for will need to come from the mix engineer but sometimes the mastering engineer can fix it up.
If the mastering engineer can’t fix these issues, the artist can give the test master back to the mix engineer and they can discuss what changes need to be made in the mix. Then they can provide a new mix to the mastering engineer for an updated test master.
Of course when re-mastering an album that was recorded many years ago, all improvements will be left up to the mastering engineer.
It’s very common that the recording/mix engineer cannot make the mix sound quite as good as the band would like it to sound. This is just reality and there are many reasons for it. Some reasons are based on the band’s playing and their gear choices. Other reasons are due to the mix engineer’s experience or personal style. Often this happens when a band went into the recording studio without a producer or a clear plan.
Sometimes the artist then goes to the mastering engineer to try to “fix” what they don’t like about the mix. This is possible to a small degree, but the improvements possible in mastering are much smaller than in mixing so its best to get the mix as good as it can get before sending it out for mastering.
Its also a good idea to show albums you like from other bands to your mix engineer early on in the process.
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To get the best possible results from mastering do the following:
Work with the mixing engineer to get the mix as good as you can possibly get it. If he has been making his own “pre-masters” that you have been listening to, thats great. Work with him until you are as happy with this pre-master as possible and then ask him to make an un-mastered version for the outside mastering engineer to work with.
Then tell your mixing engineer to: “Fully bypass all master fader plug-ins such as EQ, compression and limiting and mix down a 24 or 32 bit WAV file at the original project sample rate.”
If you follow this process you will be happy with the mastering because usually the mastering engineer will make a better master than your mix engineer’s pre-master. Also, when you send your mix to the mastering engineer, include your mix engineer’s pre-master so he can try to beat it.
More advice: If the outside mastering engineer’s version is better than your mix engineer’s pre-master but you are still not satisfied with the results, ask the mix engineer to make important adjustments and then ask for another test master and that will probably satisfy you. If this is not possible, ask the mastering engineer to make adjustments. If you are still not happy, my best advice for you is to trust the mastering engineer because he is more experienced and he will probably give you a master that is close to the best your album can sound. This is assuming you are working with an engineer who is an actual mastering engineer with many years experience. You now have to accept the results.
Most of the time, artists get very anxious as their album production nears completion and they tend to over-analyze the sound. They tend to over amplify small issues and get caught up in small things that don’t matter that much. My advice is that after the mastering process is complete, do not listen to your album for at least 6 months and then go back to it. All those little things will have disappeared and you will be much happier with the results than you were in the days of production. Also, every album production is a learning experience and few artists are completely happy with everything about their own albums. But hopefully they learn a lot each time and every new album is an improvement.
Know this: Your fans do not hear music the way artists and engineers do. Fans care about the vibe and the songs themselves. As long as your production is clean enough so that it sounds acceptable on most stereo systems, your fans will enjoy your music. Most music fans are not audiophiles who will care if the snare drum is a little too quiet. They definitely will not care if your album is 1 or 2 db louder or quieter than another band’s album. That’s not what music fans listen for. Yes, as artists and engineers we should try to make our albums the best they can be, but after we have done that, in most cases, our work will be fully appreciated by our fans.