Mastering software

The place for musicians to share their knowledge and ideas about music and remixing, and to post WIP snippets and feedback. Also suggest tunes for remixing, here.
Post Reply
User avatar
rambones
Forum Loony
Forum Loony
Posts: 106
Joined: 05/06/2004 - 18:56
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Mastering software

Post by rambones »

What do you use, and why ?


I can do pretty much with Renoise, but maybe there are some corners to gain with more dedicated programs.

Price around 50 pounds, possible ?
..Ride the SIDwave!!
http://www.janharries.com
User avatar
DHS
Forum God
Forum God
Posts: 1035
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 9:43
Location: Verona, Italy
Contact:

Re: Mastering software

Post by DHS »

rambones wrote:Price around 50 pounds, possible ?
Sorry, no.

The less expensive mastering (or, better, pre-mastering) software i know is produced by Voxengo Software (http://www.voxengo.com).

As said, it's not expensive, the gui is mosty uninviting. Despite this, it's very high-quality software, in form of VST plugins.

Anyway, if you need serious premastering software, be prepare sto spend something (at least) around 800 euros.

cheers.
--
DHS of The SoundWavers
http://soundwavers.com/
User avatar
rambones
Forum Loony
Forum Loony
Posts: 106
Joined: 05/06/2004 - 18:56
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by rambones »

Huh. This high figure surprises me.

hmmm...

Compressor Finalizer EXPR.* Den mest benytte master 6485,-
Finalizer 96K* Studie-standard mastering 12485,-

648 pounds
1248 pounds

There's gotta be some software that is just as good, and software is usually cheaper.

What do you use Chris ???
(hope he reads this!)
..Ride the SIDwave!!
http://www.janharries.com
Chris Abbott
Forum God
Forum God
Posts: 5307
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 12:21
Location: Dubai. No, not really.
Contact:

Post by Chris Abbott »

> What do you use Chris ???
Which Chris? Chris Huelsbeck? :)

If you mean me, for some CDs where money was tight, we used Magneto and Ultramaximiser (remember, this was pre-2000). On BIT 2 we used a TC Finaliser 96k, which was nice. BIT 3 and BIT 1 were professionally mastered.

Chris
User avatar
rambones
Forum Loony
Forum Loony
Posts: 106
Joined: 05/06/2004 - 18:56
Location: Denmark
Contact:

Post by rambones »

Yeah, I am in fact most satisfied with BIT 3 and Karma 64.

When you write professionally mastered, what do you mean ?
Outside job ?


Anyhow, I'm trying to sell my old synths now, and get a Norlead X2 and some mastering stuff.

TC Finalizer seems good..
..Ride the SIDwave!!
http://www.janharries.com
Chris Abbott
Forum God
Forum God
Posts: 5307
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 12:21
Location: Dubai. No, not really.
Contact:

Post by Chris Abbott »

> Outside job ?
Yeah. BIT 2 was in-house, but BIT 3 was mastered by a real professional who had also worked with Gary Numan at some point (amongst many others). Karma64 was Magneto and Ultramaximiser plugins, plus a bit of Freefilter (but not much).

Chris
User avatar
DHS
Forum God
Forum God
Posts: 1035
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 9:43
Location: Verona, Italy
Contact:

Post by DHS »

Instead of TC Finalizer get a TC Powercore with MasterX5 plugin.
Same algorythm but much more flexible hardware.
--
DHS of The SoundWavers
http://soundwavers.com/
User avatar
oj oscillation
Forum Regular
Forum Regular
Posts: 98
Joined: 01/12/2002 - 12:51
Location: gelsenkirchen, germany

Post by oj oscillation »

i`ve discovered a very good finalizer in cubase sx 2.2.
the multidynamic plugin from steinberg is a 4 band compressor and sounds really good. so if u have sx try this. it should be enough for mastering.
searchin for a hit-button plug in
GeckoYamori
Forum Regular
Forum Regular
Posts: 92
Joined: 26/06/2003 - 21:39
Location: Sweden, Älvsjö

Post by GeckoYamori »

I just use Fruity Loops. It's a very flexible program, if you know what you're doing it's just fine for mastering. Sometimes I use external stuff, mostly the freeware plugin Classic Limiter.
User avatar
putzi
Forum Celebrity
Forum Celebrity
Posts: 430
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 12:38
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Contact:

Post by putzi »

I second DHS´ opinion. The Master X3/X5-plugin is something you cannot live
without if you give it a try :wink:
putzi
User avatar
DHS
Forum God
Forum God
Posts: 1035
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 9:43
Location: Verona, Italy
Contact:

Post by DHS »

Got a Powercore you too ? ;)
--
DHS of The SoundWavers
http://soundwavers.com/
User avatar
putzi
Forum Celebrity
Forum Celebrity
Posts: 430
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 12:38
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Contact:

Post by putzi »

Honestly: when I heard you got one, I thought it cannot be wrong to get one myself. And that was absolutely right! :D
putzi
User avatar
putzi
Forum Celebrity
Forum Celebrity
Posts: 430
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 12:38
Location: Düsseldorf, Germany
Contact:

Post by putzi »

I may add now that the UAD-1 is also a nice thingy to improve the mixage,
but it is not a "click MasterX5 and you´re done"-device. Instead you have to adjust the single tracks of your production with all the toys from the package, which is more pro-sounding from the overall feeling.
putzi
User avatar
DHS
Forum God
Forum God
Posts: 1035
Joined: 22/11/2002 - 9:43
Location: Verona, Italy
Contact:

Post by DHS »

I don't agree at all.
The plugins coming with the UAD-1 are much better than everything else in native vst (with the excepion of the Dreamreverb, that despite being an optional [149$] plugin, it sucks big time), but not better than the Powercore ones.

The 1176SE is a shrinked version of the 1176LN. The 1176LN that sounds *identical* to the PowercoreCL.

The RealVerb Pro is a good reverb, but the ClassicVerb is much better imho (faster, better sounding).

The Teletronix 2a-la is something i miss from the UAD-1, but nothing i'd buy the card for.

The CS1 has nothing you can't do with the 24/7 and/or the Voicestrip.

The Nigel is an Amp/Distorsion plugin, it may or not may be good, only a guitarist could say that. Don't really know if better than Tubifex, what i know is that Tubifex sounds great.

The optional Pultec Pro and Cambridge EQ are a good (the first) and an awesome (the second) eqs. But kjaerhusaudio native GoldenEQ sounds better of Pultec, and for the second, well, Sony Oxford EQ has nothing to learn ;-)

The fact that the MasterX5 is considered a "fire and forget" tool may be true, in fact, it can be used that way. But there's much more under the surface if you don't stop to the presets.
Using a 5 bands compressor/expander/limiter and understanding what you're doing isn't a banal task. In fact, while a preset may be a good "all around" way to survive, for me is only a starting point. Becaus, if it sounds good with "beef it up", it will surely sound much better with some tweaks to fit the audio material you're premastering.

BTW: there isn't a single multiband compressor/expander for the "most powerful dsp card out there". On the other side, since TC left the native vsti development, about monthly a new PC Plugin come out ;)

ciao.
--
DHS of The SoundWavers
http://soundwavers.com/
Post Reply