yes! i am always looking at this, i have found some funny things.plaster wrote:did any of you guys followed what those ppl cut on the end of the vinyl?
my friend and me had this phase of checking their messages...twas fun.
mastering thing
this is excellent advice !!MarcAshken wrote:I semi master my tracks (light compression/limiting) before i send it to any label to be mastered for vinyl, need to leave some headroom for the mastering engineer though so be carefull not to overdo it as your final mix may sound over compressed. As far as i'm aware all labels send the mix to a mastering engineer before its cut on vinyl as the acetate is often cut by the engineer and is an art in itself.
this is exactly what we do at mindtours, but i should add that if you get as far as a label accepting your tunes, if it is at all possible ask the label if you can attend the cut !!! because as plaster says engineers may not know what youre looking for.
the cutting engineer will always apply a slight amount of compression and EQ.
by attending just one cut, you will learn alot about mastering and, your next effort will be better prepared.
i attend every cut of mindtours records, and if it's a new producer, i always offer to take them with me, but i suppose it varies from label to label.
one more thing, remember that the very expensive analogue EQ's and compressors in cutting rooms are far superior to the plugins in your computer, so as MarkAshken says just tidy up the wayward peaks in your music with gentle limiting. if you are inexperienced and dont totally understand compression ( it's a very complex subject ) leave that to the experts.
at the end of the day if it sounds right to you and your mates on a few different sets of speakers, then its good enough to send off to labels.
i really do go by the "if it sounds right, it is right" ethic, i mean its genuinely not THAT difficult to create a good, balanced mix, as long as you've got some half decent nearfields and a good ear on you, then you shouldnt go toooo far wrong. It's not unusual on your first few releases' to have the label get back to you and ask you to touch a track up or undo any mastering you may have done and send them a "dry" version as alot do use cutting houses where they will get fully mastered first
You should send your music how YOU want it to sound, alot of artists only get the proper sound they want on a track after they've done some post-production mastering, some prefer to lightly master as they go (which i do usually), but it all depends on who your working with really, if your lucky enough to be doing tracks specifically for one label and not just to send out to everyone of course.
for my Klickhaus i sent Tim the dry, finished track and he mastered it for me to give it the overall polish and added power, and i must say its worked a treat, spot on
You should send your music how YOU want it to sound, alot of artists only get the proper sound they want on a track after they've done some post-production mastering, some prefer to lightly master as they go (which i do usually), but it all depends on who your working with really, if your lucky enough to be doing tracks specifically for one label and not just to send out to everyone of course.
for my Klickhaus i sent Tim the dry, finished track and he mastered it for me to give it the overall polish and added power, and i must say its worked a treat, spot on
Klickhaus record 01 - Texture "Registry Check ep" - Original, remixes from Tim Xavier and Camea - Out now at http://www.juno.co.uk/ppps/products/212 ... ht=texture
also at Beatport and other good record stores
also at Beatport and other good record stores
sorry, maybe i was jumping ahead a bit if you are still at the sending demo stage, but basically ; it is possible to go to the vinyl cutting studio while they are actually making the vinyl master, (from which all your records will eventually be pressed after several processes).sohrab wrote:what that exactly means?steevio wrote:by attending just one cut, you will learn alot about mastering
it is at this point the final sound of your tunes will be pinned down.
the cutting engineer alters the sound of your music because he has to adjust various things like EQ and compression.
he will remove very low generally frequencies, as vinyl doesnt handle these very well, and will compress large peaks in the music, as these create distortion on the vinyl.
he will probably slightly boost frequencies in the mid range, usually around 1300 HZ to 1400 HZ. the total effect of this mastering is to increase the loudness of the record, but it also subtly changes the sound of your tunes.
for instance an important sound which was prominent in your tune, may well become obscured by other frequencies which have been boosted, or too much compression may alter the groove.
if you are there at the cut, you can guide the engineer to get the sound you want.
but just by being there, you will learn about the whole process of mastering, and it definitely helps with your production in future.
i hope thats more clear.