Playing tracks from netlabels

Dave Martin · Post by **Dave Martin** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:30 pm

Hi guys,

Just a quick question for those of you who play CDs out live.

I haven't yet moved over to FS or Serato for playing out live but hopefully will soon. Therefore at the moment I am playing out with CDs a lot as most of the exciting stuff I'm finding is from netlabels.

I'm finding that some of the tracks I'm playing off CD from netlabels sound really badly mastered. It's so bad on some releases that i can't even play them. Generally the releases are 192 k MP3s as you all know and I was wondering how you all are burning the tracks to CD, what software are you using? I don't think it is the way that I'm burning them but I don't know.

I don't want to have to EQ/master all tracks before burning them.

Is anybody else having this problem? Any solutions?

Cheers

Dave

patrick bateman · Post by **patrick bateman** » Fri May 27, 2005 12:42 pm

I have been thinking about this actually, because some tracks on netlabels are really bad mastered, and that's maybe the reason that I'm not playing that much stuff from netlabels at the moment.

pheek · Post by **pheek** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:29 pm

I'm curious about which tracks you talk of, guys. I'm always very a perfectionnist when it comes to sound quality and I'd more than interested in hearing the tracks you speak of to see what can be improved.

Dave Martin · Post by **Dave Martin** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:39 pm

pheek wrote:I'm curious about which tracks you talk of, guys. I'm always very a perfectionnist when it comes to sound quality and I'd more than interested in hearing the tracks you speak of to see what can be improved.

Like I say it may have nothing to do with mastering and may be to do with the way I'm burning CDs (in fact this is probably more likely). The thing is It's not as noticable at home but very noticable in the club.

brianc · Post by **brianc** » Fri May 27, 2005 3:43 pm

I use Final Scratch (vinyl) just about always, and I don't have problems with sound quality from netlabels.

I am very picky about what I play, though. Tracks aren't well mastered just don't get played.

cyhl · Post by **cyhl** » Fri May 27, 2005 5:13 pm

pheek wrote:I'm curious about which tracks you talk of, guys. I'm always very a perfectionnist when it comes to sound quality and I'd more than interested in hearing the tracks you speak of to see what can be improved.

same here... if anybody has anything to mention about the quality of the unfoundsound release, we'd love to know about it... we always want constructive feedback that will make things better!

I'd be surprised if it was the way you actually burn them to CD, dave... burning is just burning, it should be standard!

butane · Post by **butane** » Fri May 27, 2005 10:48 pm

I think sometimes it's less about the quality of the mastering, and more about the quality of the producer's work. I find a lot of variation even amongst one netlabel's catalog, depending on the artist who made the tracks. I can only assume that the person mastering is doing the same things, and the difference in quality is coming from producer to producer.

I'm with everyone else - if it sounds bad, I don't play it out.

hotpace · Post by **hotpace** » Sat May 28, 2005 3:54 am

By the way Dave, get Serato as it pisses all over Final Scratch from a great height! I'm using it now and its awesome!

Saw Hawtin & Villalobos in Berlin 2 weeks ago and their Final Scratch was playing up big time! Popping, clicking and jumping all over! Hawtin kept flicking the v's at his decks and looking pissed off. I was just thinking, "bite the bullet Rich and change sides. Join the dark side and get Serato!"