Home Studio Mastering

Cover......Page 1
Title......Page 4
Copyright......Page 5
Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 10
Acknowledgments......Page 12
Part I Setting Up Your Home Studio......Page 14
1.1 Can you Master Your Music in a Home Studio?......Page 16
1.2 What is Mastering?......Page 18
1.3 A Bit of History......Page 21
1.4 Managing Expectations......Page 24
2.1 Make Smart Choices......Page 28
2.2 Room Characteristics......Page 29
2.3 Arrangement......Page 32
2.4 Don’t Panic Please......Page 34
3.1 Common Acoustic Problems......Page 36
3.2 Acoustic Treatment......Page 37
3.3 Standing Waves......Page 40
3.4 Comb Filtering......Page 43
3.5 Flutter Echo......Page 45
3.6 Reverberance......Page 47
4.1 A Basic Digital Setup......Page 50
4.2 Computers......Page 51
4.3 Audio Interfaces......Page 53
4.4 Monitor Sets......Page 55
4.5 Headphones......Page 57
5.1 Audio Editor or Sequencer?......Page 60
5.3 Restoration......Page 62
5.4 Tonal Balance......Page 64
5.5 Width and Depth......Page 67
5.6 Dynamics......Page 69
5.7 Loudness......Page 71
6.1 Evaluating Your Setup......Page 74
6.2 Choosing Reference Tracks......Page 77
6.3 The Art of Listening......Page 78
6.4 General Workflow......Page 80
Part II Home Studio Mastering Techniques......Page 84
7.1 Finalizing Your Mix......Page 86
7.2 Choosing Samplerate and Bitdepth......Page 88
7.3 Setting Output Volume and Headroom......Page 91
7.4 Checking Mono Compatibility......Page 93
7.5 Checking Render Section and Fades......Page 94
7.6 Setting up Your Mastering Project......Page 95
8.1 Removing DC Offset and Unwanted Noises......Page 98
8.2 DC Offset......Page 99
8.4 Noise and Hiss......Page 101
8.5 Clicks and Crackles......Page 103
8.6 Sibilance and Plosives......Page 105
9.1 Frequency Distribution......Page 110
9.2 Frequency Analysis......Page 113
9.3 Mastering Equalization Basics......Page 115
9.4 Optimizing Tonal Balance......Page 118
9.5 Low End Control......Page 119
9.6 Corrections and Improvements......Page 121
9.7 Match Your Tracks......Page 122
9.8 Enhance Overall Timbre......Page 124
10.1 Stereo Image and Reverberation......Page 128
10.2 Stereo Imaging Techniques......Page 130
10.3 Narrowing the Low End......Page 131
10.4 Overall Mid-Side Stereo Enhancement......Page 133
10.5 Reverberation Techniques......Page 134
10.6 Algorithmic Reverb......Page 136
10.7 Convolution Reverb......Page 139
11.1 Dynamic Range and Crest Factor......Page 142
11.2 Mastering Compression Basics......Page 144
11.3 Optimizing Dynamics......Page 148
11.4 Compression for Punch and Impact......Page 149
11.5 Compression for Balance and Glue......Page 151
11.6 Multi-Band Compression and Dynamic Equalization......Page 154
12.1 Track Order and Individual Volume......Page 156
12.2 Maximizing Loudness......Page 159
12.3 Loudness by Equalization......Page 161
12.4 Loudness by Compression......Page 163
12.5 Loudness by Brickwall Limiting......Page 165
13.1 Housekeeping......Page 170
13.2 Rendering Your Tracks......Page 171
13.3 Creating a CD-Montage......Page 173
13.4 Creating a Master-CD or DDP-File......Page 176
Part III One Hour Mastering Workshop......Page 178
Download the Mastering Bundle......Page 180
The Plug-Ins and 5-Step Workflow......Page 181
Prepare Your Mastering Session......Page 183
Step 1: Monomizer......Page 184
Step 2: Equalizer......Page 188
Step 3: Compressor......Page 193
Step 4: Convolver......Page 197
Step 5: Limiter......Page 200
In Conclusion......Page 203
Appendix A—Mastering Dictionary......Page 206
Index......Page 222