FTC Musik Labz

Mastering defined:

A fine tuning technical and sometimes artistic process that is applied to a final studio mix. No matter if your audio is planned for CD replication, cassette duplication, is to be included in CDRom authoring or published to the World Wide Web, it must be mastered to take full advantage of the media in which it is to be released. Mastering is the last step before replication and distribution, therefore your last chance to correct any deficiencies or accesses in your program material. Projects that contain material from various sessions, overdubs, musicians, engineers, producers... sometimes in and of itself can lead to a lack of perceived consistency of your project. Mastering can help fused all these elements into a cohesive sounding package.

In Short: Mastering is meant to correct audio deficiencies and accesses in regards to; audio fidelity, noise reduction, tonal balance, stereo imaging, fade ins and fade outs, relative volume level from track to track, track sequencing order of final master, and overall consistency of the program material and package...

These are the main concerns of the mastering engineer that must be dealt with during the mastering process [but certainly are not limited to these issues]. Equalization (EQ), compression, de-essing, expansion, noise reduction, frequency analysis [FFT], stereo spectral enhancement, ambience enhancement [which can help fuse overdubs that where done in different studios with different ambience characteristics]. These are just some of the tools and techniques that the mastering engineer can provide to help your project achieve the necessary audio fidelity heard on national commercial recordings.

Tools and Techniques:

Truncation:
Eliminate noise prior to the start of your program material so that the listeners first thoughts are about your music not your noise. Clean up fades so that they are smooth with no "drop off" feeling on the final tail of the fade.

Noise Reduction/Removal:
Use the same noise reduction process that George Martin used to restore and release John Lennon's "Free As A Bird" on the Beatles Anthology CD/Video. If restoration is the job there is no better tool.

Equalization:
Tighten the relationship between tracks. Smooth out the low end and add punch and power. Curb the brittle highs that can occur in the digital domain and add softness to the upper end.

Frequency Dependent Compression:
Excessive low end at 100hz? Sibilance on the vocal performance at 8khz? Via frequency dependent compression many of the ill effects of these excesses can be controlled and/or eliminated.

Program Compression:
Prevent some passages of a program from being too loud while others too quiet. This may be necessary if proper compression was not used on the final mix down.

Stereo Enhancement:
Widen the stereo field of your material beyond the physical boundaries of speaker placement, all while keeping mono compatibility for broadcast and the Internet playback.

Ambience Enhancement:
Sometimes when multiple sessions, overdubs and/or studios are used, adding a common ambience to the mix can help adhere these performances together giving the perception that a common recording space was utilized. Especially helpful for Rock and Roll where bands count on a "Live Feel" , that multiple overdubs, sessions and an inadequate common tracking space tend to lack. Put the "Live Feel" back into your mixes.

Brick Wall Limiting w/UV22, POWr or UV22:
Increase the output of your final master 4-6db over digital "0" without any change to the overall tonal quality and without adding unwanted artifacts. Sample: normalization CAN NOT increase the gain output of your program material over digital "0".

How Normalization Works: Compact disc digital audio consists of 44,100 samples per second. Lets put that in prospective, that's 2,646,000 samples per minute with a typical 3 minute song consisting of 7,938,000 samples. Now , normalization does nothing more than look for the one sample which is closest to or has reached digital "0". If just one sample out of the 7,938,000 samples in your song happens to reach "0" than there will be no gain increase, for anything over digital "0" will cause digital distortion and not be accepted at the replication plant because the Sony/Phillips protocol does not allow for "digital overs".

Normalization Is Of No Practical Use In Mastering And Therefore Should Be Avoided! But with the proper digital tools, once a peak relationship has been established to digital "0" for a given track, a smart look ahead of all the samples in the program can take place. Then by using limiting w/IDR, that one sample that has reached digital "0" [as in the example above], can be pushed back and the overall output gain of the entire program content can be increased 4-6db over digital "0". UV22, POWr & IDR : Are patented process' where by the perceived bit rate of a 16 bit audio file is increase to 18-20 bits. e.g. An 8 bit word is = 256 steps, 16 bit word is 256 x 256 = 65,536 steps [obviously a much greater resolution], a 20 bit word is 65,536 x 16 = 1, 048,576 steps, a 24 bit word is 1,048,576 x 16 = 16,777,216 [now you know why everyone is anticipating the coming DVD format, which will allow for 20 and 24 bit audio, as well as digital video. graphics...

Relative Volume:
Even after the process of increasing program output gain, some tracks may still sound louder even if the peak levels are consistent. This could be due to low frequency content and/or compression during the mix down sessions, etc.. Relative volumes of each track in relationship to one another must be adjusted manually to insure all tracks have the same relative volume.

PQ Encoding:
Of the 8 channels of subcode data that are interleaved with digital audio data, only the P & Q channels are used by "Red Book" CD players. The P channel tells the CD player which track is playing and which track is not, while the Q channel describes track and disc running times, copy protection, emphasis flags, disc catalog code and song ISRC codes. You must have a PQ encoded master if you final product will be Compact Disc. We recommend PQ encoding ALL masters so that future product orders will not be limited to analog media.

Pre Mastering Requirements:

MASTERING/EDITING - Master tape should be edited and ready for mastering, if there is the need for additional editing the master tape must include an EDL, [be sure to note any information the edit engineer may need to perform your edits]. The tape box should be properly labeled including all titles in proper sequence and times of selections. Also indicate total time. Be sure to include along with the master tape any special instructions, or indicate that it is to be transferred exactly as is. If no instructions are included with the tape, our mastering engineer will do whatever he thinks necessary to make the best sounding compact disc and/or cassette possible. If complex adjustments or restoration is necessary, there will be an additional mastering charge of $60.00 per hour and are billed in quarter-hour segments.

Suggestions:

When the mastering engineer receives your master tape or disc, the only knowledge he will have of your project is the information provided. Any information you supply is useful in obtaining the best possible product, no amount of information is too much.

Always give a all phone numbers where you can be reached. The engineer may start work on your project and need to communicate with you. If you cannot be reached, your project may be delayed until contact is made.

A master log with song sequence and times should be included with each master tape or disc. False starts, errant ID's or any abnormality should be noted, this information is necessary for the mastering engineer to complete your order correctly and efficiently.

When test tapes or CDRs are sent for your approval do not delay in your approval. Quick approval is necessary to ensure final delivery within the appropriate deadlines.

If there are discrepancies between what you delivered for mastering and what you receive as a test CDR, remember this is the purpose of a "test". Call the mastering facility with any concerns you have. They will generally correct and/or adjust for your full approval before manufacturing.