Professional Sound - October 22 | Page 35

Reuben Ghose : Mastering is finishing a piece of recorded music , to best achieve the artist ’ s goal for musical expression . Of course , there ’ s a technical aspect to it as well . We need to create the final deliverables that will be used for different mediums ( streaming , CD , vinyl , sync , etc .). Each format can have different technical requirements . But from an aesthetic standpoint , the goal is to create a master that best represents the artist ’ s vision . The type and amount of processing applied is the craft of mastering .
The biggest misconception is the amount of processing used . Many of the YouTube and TikTok videos out there would make you believe it ’ s all about crazy stuff … multi-band , insane saturation , phase rotation , weird widening techniques , etc . I ’ ve spent a lot of time studying masters from the best engineers in the world and 99 % of the time , the best-sounding masters were achieved with simple EQ and limiting ; That ’ s it . Even compression isn ’ t used as often as people would believe . Simple techniques , done well . To me , that ’ s what mastering is all about .
Mariana Hutten : One big misconception is that we can fix certain imbalances in the mix . However , the greatest misconception is that all we do is just add some limiting and compression , and maybe some EQ . Sometimes the mix is compressed and limited enough that we don ’ t compress at all and all it needs is equalizing and sequencing . Most people forget that we also do quality control things such as checking for clicks , making sure things that are out of phase are fixed ( if it ’ s going to vinyl ), knowing the art of fading between songs , among other things like that related to how it will reproduce on different media .
PS : What does an ideal mix for you to receive sound like ? Is it more fun to receive a mix that requires significant work or a mix that needs very little done by you ?
Romanowski : That ’ s an interesting question , because an ideal mix to me is one that the artist is happy with . It sounds like a simple thing to say . But a lot of times I find artists go , “ Well , you know what , we got to get the record out , we ’ ve got a release deadline , and we could be tweaking for a little bit more .” And so , it ’ s more important that it ’ s out than it is that it ’ s right . That ’ s not fun to me , what ’ s fun is an artist that goes “ Hey , this is my record , and I ’ m super happy with it . This is awesome . I love this .” And then my job is to go , “ How can I make you love this more ?” My job is to make the artists sound more like themselves when they leave from my work than they do when they get there . It ’ s not to put my sound on it . It ’ s to make them more of who they are because they want to connect with their fans . There ’ s so much music out there , so the artists are fighting for space . If you don ’ t put your best foot forward , you may not get a second chance .
Ghose : An ideal mix should sound the way the artist wants it to sound . It ’ s as simple as that . My job is to take that and see if there ’ s a way to get their music across in a more engaging and provocative manner . Whether a mix needs significant or minimal work isn ’ t important . If a client hears my master and has an emotional reaction , that ’ s what makes me happy . That ’ s what gets me up in the morning .
Hutten : I find somewhere in the middle is the best . When the mix is already good but there are things that I know right away that I can do to take it further . Mixes that have too many issues are just difficult , and at times , frustrating . Mixes that need barely any work make you feel hesitant as in , “ Why am I doing nothing here ?” But that shows that you ’ re a pro . I think the moment you are confident enough to realize something doesn ’ t need much fiddling , that is when you know you have become a professional because the ego is out of the picture and it ’ s only the experience speaking .
PS : What are the most important tools , whether hardware or plug-ins , in your arsenal and why ?
Romanowski : I ’ m an analog guy . I like analog equipment , it feels good to me , I grew up and cut my teeth on that . And I ’ ve been using it . I like it . I like how it feels . I like the process . I like being able to listen to it as it ’ s processed , so I can hear any problems because I ’ m capturing it in real time . In recent years , I have been using a few more plug-ins . Plug-ins originally didn ’ t sound good to me ; they sounded like
MICHAEL ROMANOWSKI
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ass . And so , I would never use them . They were a sort of a reliance on visuals , rather than audio . I would say that a lot of times , you see an EQ , pick one like the FabFilter , where you see the graph and you see the what ’ s going on , and you pick your points and you push it up or push it down and make it wider , make it less . People are using their eyes rather than their ears . And so , one of the things I like about analog equipment is it makes me go , “ What frequency do I want ?”
Ghose : Like most , I have both analog and digital tools . I ’ m not too precious about what I use . Tools are just that : tools . If you have a vision for how something should sound , and you ’ re intentional with your decisions , any decent gear will work . I simplified my signal path a little while ago . I used to think there was some magical piece of gear that would solve all my problems . Once I stopped chasing that , and re-focused my energy on improving my craft , my work got significantly better . Having said that , mastering processing is 90 % EQ . For that , my main option is the Weiss EQ1 . It ’ s the best EQ I ’ ve used , analog or digital . It allows me to adjust timbre , without flattening the dynamic response , in a way that no other EQ I ’ ve used can do . I have some custom valve line amps and DACs that I ’ ve built myself . And a cool little transformer box using Western Electric 111C transformers from the ‘ 60s . These don ’ t get used on every project , but when they ’ re the right choice , they can work well .
Hutten : I master at the Graves studio in Lacquer Channel and it has a Neve EQ that has “ that sound ” that tells you where it was mastered at . The Sontec EQ , of course , is an essential tool . In terms of plug-ins , RootOne ,
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