Mixing and Mastering
Posted by: JRHardee on 09 October 2002
Every time I upgrade a box, especially electronics, I can count on a couple of things happening. First, I get more bass, deeper and better. Second, backup instrumentation gets louder relative to vocals or the lead instrumentation. Overall it's a big improvement--no complaints--but I begin to wonder if CDs are mastered to compensate for the crappy bass reproduction of the average CD player, or if the background is mixed at high volumes to compensate for electronics which push the loudest part of the track at the expense of the rest. This sort of mastering would leave the owner of a better system (that being us) with a warmer, more background-heavy sound than might be the case if the studio people weren't aiming to please the masses, or perhaps than they would get if they were listening to their own mixes through better equipment. Any thoughts
Mixes are done for the expected audience. If it's a "pop" song to be played on car radios, then the mix is verified on similarly crappy playback equipment before it's "done".
Also, a friend of mine used to own and run a studio. He would shelf all frequencies below 50Hz, because they screwed with playback systems so badly. (It's a good thing he never recorded any pipe organs.
)
There's also the issue of "mixing" versus "mastering". The band and producer do the mix, while a separate individual with a fresh set of ears will do the mastering (i.e. tweaking all of the tracks on the album so that they sound good together). This can often have an significant impact on the sound. (Note that I didn't say "better" or "worse").
Ultimately, you're never going to hear it exactly as it was mixed by the band and/or producer. Your equipment will always be significantly different. (Again note that I didn't say "better" or "worse".)
All you can hope for is a system that pleases your ears and gives you a sense of realism that suits your expecations. It can never sound "right".
-=> Mike Hanson <=-
Also, a friend of mine used to own and run a studio. He would shelf all frequencies below 50Hz, because they screwed with playback systems so badly. (It's a good thing he never recorded any pipe organs.
)There's also the issue of "mixing" versus "mastering". The band and producer do the mix, while a separate individual with a fresh set of ears will do the mastering (i.e. tweaking all of the tracks on the album so that they sound good together). This can often have an significant impact on the sound. (Note that I didn't say "better" or "worse").
Ultimately, you're never going to hear it exactly as it was mixed by the band and/or producer. Your equipment will always be significantly different. (Again note that I didn't say "better" or "worse".)
All you can hope for is a system that pleases your ears and gives you a sense of realism that suits your expecations. It can never sound "right".
-=> Mike Hanson <=-