Track mastering

meltedbuzzbox

Hello all, I was wondering if you guys have some pearls of wisdom to share when it comes to mastering your own tracks?

I've made a lot of tracks lately, I get good separation and clarity when rendering to mp3 but I was wondering what the dos and donts are before I go all rogue with the compression.

GavRichList

One to pay the professionals for in my opinion. Especially given the relatively low expense. Good mastering makes a huge difference and is a pretty skilled affair. 

ToneControl

use a multiband compression plugin
I've tried a few, they all make an amazing difference

Probably use a separate instance in advance on the drum mix

Stuckfast

If you think there is something missing from the tracks that mastering will add, you're looking in the wrong place -- better to go back and look again at the mix and try to sort it out there.

IMO if you're just putting up a collection of individual tracks they shouldn't really need 'mastering' beyond making sure they are in the right ball-park loudness-wise. The real skill of mastering lies in making a collection of tracks work together as an album.

spark240

Most pro mixes are capable of being  released as the masters, but the Mastering Pro's can add a little sparkle to your mix for sure. Check out  Pete Maher https://www.petemaher.com/, hes very good and great prices, I paid about £120 for a 3 track EP.

Also check out Ian Shepherd http://themasteringshow.com/...he knows his stuff too !   

algroves1

If you do want some pro help the engineer at my studio is excellent - www.themotormuseum.com/mastering.