Numerous observations of the work of varioussound engineers lead to the conviction that the ability to make mixing and mastering is a real gift found in people much less often than musical ear. If, when working with graphics, a calibrated monitor is used that does not distort the image and accurately reproduces colors, then in the case of sound, good speakers are needed. This will be the only guide for us. Sometimes special headphones for mixing and mastering can help, but still experts work mainly with speakers.
Unlike video monitoring, working with soundmuch harder. It's all about sound waves. They tend to be reflected from the floor, ceiling, walls and various objects. Moreover, the properties of reflection will vary depending on the height of the wave. In this article we will describe in detail about such a difficult activity as mixing and mastering on the example of a home recording studio. So let's get started.
Information
Let's start with the definition of this term. Mixing is a pre-mastering sound processing process that includes six stages:
- normalization;
- compression;
- equalization;
- noise filtering;
- pan;
- sound effects.
Let's sort them in order.
Normalization
First, normalization is a process.sound processing. And secondly, this is the first stage in the struggle for the volume of music. Normalization can be done in the program Cool Edit Pro, which will be discussed below. To do this, go to the Effects menu and select Amplitude-Normalize.
Compression
Compression is a very crucial step in suchsphere, as mixing and mastering. She distinguishes professional recordings from amateur ones. If you devote enough time to working out the dynamics, you will get high quality.
Causes of difficulty
- If the effect is done correctly, then it is very thin, but at the same time it is felt in the recording. Although it can not be heard as, for example, a flanger.
- The compressor can not work all the time. Most of the time you hear the sound without it. Therefore, the diagrams of the compressor and its level are almost indispensable here.
- All compressors cannot be considered the same. Despite the simplicity of the idea - lowering the signal level when crossing the threshold, the performance may be different.
Using a quality compressor will help smooth out all the flaws in the sound.
Compression basics
The most common analogy is sound engineering,twisting adjusting knobs and watching the signal level. How much he scrolls them is called a ratio. For example, a 3: 1 ratio means that when a signal exceeds a 3 dB threshold, the engineer will adjust the knobs so that the signal exceeds the threshold by 1 dB.
EQ
Equalization is a frequency correction of tracks and one of the most crucial moments before mastering. Any frequency adjustment is carried out before processing the composition with other effects.
Those who understand such matters as mixing andmastering, they know that vocal equalization is a big problem for almost everyone. If a good sound can still be simulated with high-quality samples, then poorly recorded voice can not be fixed. Practically none of the amateurs has an expensive studio microphone, and if there is, then, as a rule, it is incorrectly chosen. In a professional recording, a properly chosen microphone is half the success. The second half is a properly processed voice. Due to the fact that the material is initially of poor quality, the voice should be treated with double attention.
Noise filtering
If when recording sound at homeIf you use a dynamic microphone directly connected to the sound card, there will be a lot of unwanted noise in the resulting file. Some of them will help to avoid simple forethought: turning off the TV, closing the window, checking the stability of the microphone stand, wearing soft shoes, etc. However, some sources of noise can not be removed. For example, the noise of an electric guitar or the microphone itself, connected to the sound card through a line input.
Pan
До процедуры мастеринга вокал необходимо distribute between the ears of the listener. Or, as sound engineers say, between the right and left channels. This distribution is called panning. In the home studio, it is carried out using the panorama controls. In the English versions of the programs, they are denoted as pan.
The easiest way to do panning in the headphones, but you will definitely have to check the result of your own work, after listening to the finished mix in the speakers.
Sound effects
Чтобы получить «вкусный» микс, добавлять звуковые effects need the same as spices, sugar and salt in food. It's like a make-up for recording (after all, all artists put it on before going on stage). Sound effects fill the music with magical content and give it a sense of flying. They are used both in combination with each other, and separately from one another.
What is mastering?
Sometimes during the recording process it may appear.a blunder. In this case, the musicians joke: "Let's fix it at the mastering." The meaning of this joke is the same as that of the famous expression: “The humpbacked person will fix the grave”. If mixing is the process of creating a single track from a variety of mono and stereo tracks, then mastering is a further work with the result. It assumes the last processing of the record before its release into mass production on disks.
So, we decided on what mastering is. Now find out how many stages it includes. There are only five of them:
- Профессиональное звучание.The main task of this stage is to add the final touches to the existing record. It is necessary to align the levels, analyze the overall smoothing of the track, etc. In general, it is necessary to make the sound professional.
- General consonance of the whole disk.The consonance of all compositions of a disc together with sequential playback requires no less attention. Does everything sound exactly? Are there any level discrepancies? Does the CD have its own "character"? At this stage, it is important to achieve the minimum difference between the sound of individual tracks, taking into account the overall picture.
- Preparing for replication. This is done at the factory.
- Specificity of analog sound.It is difficult to say something unambiguous, but in general, analog equipment is a source of additional non-linear distortion. This makes the sound much better. For example, an analog equalizer can introduce subtle channel-by-channel phase delays. High-precision digital equalizer does not have such a "disadvantage". But this does not mean that he is more musical. In the case of dressers and compressors it is still more difficult. Although it is this specificity of analog processing that gives the music depth, brightness, bass and warmth, making the overall sound more pleasant.
- Graphic tools.Some sound engineers who consider commercial mixing and mastering as their true vocation do not need sensors. They can determine the frequency and level of compression by ear. Simple mortals, of course, need a variety of sensors and monitoring the position of the knobs, the adjustment of which allows you to visually display the changes made to the sound. However, in this activity the ears are the best working tool.
Mastering and Information Programs
На эту тему существует масса обзоров в Интернете.We will tell about two, the best, in our opinion, programs. For information fit Cool Edit Pro, which has a great interface and opportunities for working with stereo files. For mastering, we recommend T-Racks24. It emulates several lamp devices: limiter, compressor, and equalizer. Most reputable experts praise the warmth and softness of its analog sound.
Mastering effects
We list them:
- Equalizers (balance formation).
- Expanders, limiters and compressors (dynamic range of the record). In order to work with the dynamics of a specific frequency range, you will need multi-band dynamic effects.
- Effects of stereo image (expand the space of sound).
- Reverb (add extra shine for recording).
- Noise suppressors (noise filtering).
- Harmonic exciter (help in reviving the recording).
- Volume maximizer (increase the recording volume while limiting peaks).
Conclusion
Теперь вы знаете, что такое мастеринг и сведение.We hope the article was useful to you. And finally, remember: in order to reach the heights in this area, you need to master the techniques of mixing the tracks well and also cultivate and cultivate your own sensation and taste of the sound, thus creating a unique sound.
