Mastering software

rambones · Post by **rambones** » 12/08/2004 - 12:16

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 ?

DHS · Post by **DHS** » 12/08/2004 - 13:17

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.

rambones · Post by **rambones** » 13/08/2004 - 12:26

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!)

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 13/08/2004 - 13:48

> 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

rambones · Post by **rambones** » 13/08/2004 - 14:17

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..

Chris Abbott · Post by **Chris Abbott** » 13/08/2004 - 14:28

> 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

DHS · Post by **DHS** » 13/08/2004 - 17:45

Instead of TC Finalizer get a TC Powercore with MasterX5 plugin.
Same algorythm but much more flexible hardware.

oj oscillation · Post by **oj oscillation** » 14/08/2004 - 11:24

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.

GeckoYamori · Post by **GeckoYamori** » 14/08/2004 - 11:39

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.

putzi · Post by **putzi** » 10/09/2004 - 12:55

I second DHSÃ‚Â´ opinion. The Master X3/X5-plugin is something you cannot live
without if you give it a try

DHS · Post by **DHS** » 10/09/2004 - 14:53

Got a Powercore you too ?

putzi · Post by **putzi** » 10/09/2004 - 18:04

Honestly: when I heard you got one, I thought it cannot be wrong to get one myself. And that was absolutely right!

putzi · Post by **putzi** » 25/09/2004 - 9:10

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 youÃ‚Â´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.

DHS · Post by **DHS** » 26/09/2004 - 0:03

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.

Mastering software

Mastering software

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