Mastering Question.

[Futureman]

Hi all.

Background...

Me and my band mates record electronic music.
We use old synths and old drum machines, and often record our songs into PT as either 2 or 3 stereo pairs.
Basically we each bring a small setup to the jam.. So we essentially mix as we record.
We've been using this method (or similar) for quiet some time now, and it works for us well.

Due to noise complaints etc, we generally jam/record with headphones..
Due to constraints, we'll generally post mix / edit on headphones.

My question is - if a M.E is supplied tracks that were recorded and mixed on headphones is this workable for you (The M.E) ?

To clarify - I just want our tracks sonically balanced for radio / club
As we submix while we record, EQing say just a bass synth is not an option, so I'm interested in how such potential issues would be approached..

Cheers

[Chris H]

My first thought is this is where providing the mastering engineer with stems as well as the finished mix would be a good idea because there may be adjustments to one element in the mix that could compromise the mix as a whole.

[jkhuri44]

if you cant EQ something in electronic music....you're not gonna have the clearest mix....
are you able to print a synth, to PT with HPF or similar??
lots of HPF in the bass and mids is required imo. if you give the ME a track with several bass sounds with no seperation, there will be a limit to how good he can get it....

[jkhuri44]

EDIT above:
do you guys have a mixer for each of your mini rigs?

[Futureman]

I would be able to provide the ME the stereo stems.

I guess my question is this.

If it sounds good and balanced to us in headphones... Can a ME translate that to the real world?

[Futureman]

EDIT above:
do you guys have a mixer for each of your mini rigs?

Sure do!

I guess to clarify.

In the past we'd multitrack everything.. 18 tracks at once.. And even then there'd be summing. (48 channel console)
But for quality of results we found that the jams that were recorded as 2 tracks just worked for us better.

It's a combination of lots of things.. We found we'd have nicer stereo imaging, a more cohesive sound.. It really was a no brainer.

(Sure - much less ability to exit.. A few splices there and here to elemenate a bum note.. But no nitty gritty editing)

We have loads of hardware and outboard..I like to use it while recording and jamming- So the less time I spend in a DAW (PT in my case) the better.

But, I've kinda gotten off track explaining my history.

The key question is about stuff that sounds balanced in headphones and translating that to the real world.

[Chris H]

I'm actualy a big fan of recording to stereo and or sub mixing while tracking. I have done a few accoustic jams in the studio where we got a balance through the monitors and phones, then recorded direct to the master stereo recorder.
The result is a great sounding recording with good depth and imaging if you get the balance and eq right. Mixing a multi track of the same recording later does tend to detract from the clarity compared to the direct stereo recording, so I think I get where you are coming from.

What i have found though, is going from a mix on a good speaker steup to headphones the mix translates well but the phones can help with some bottom end info that your room is complicating and with detecting noise on fade in and outs etc. But going the other way, from an exclusivley headphone mix to good speaker monitoring setup, the mix often falls apart especialy in the balance of competing sounds in the mix. So what sounds ok in the mix done on phones may well need more than subtle adjustement to make it work well on a variety of stereo playback systems. Thats why i think giving the ME the stereo pairs you have recorded will give them more options to get the final stereo mix right. If you also supply your stereo mix then the ME knows where you are heading with the final mix. Maybe your stereo mix will be just fine but if some more than minor adjustement is neaded the stereo stems will make for a better product in the end.

[Drumstruck]

Could you take a track or 2 along to your friendly ME and audition them in the mastering studio?

[Chris H]

Could you take a track or 2 along to your friendly ME and audition them in the mastering studio?

......there is no such creature in existance! They just pretend to be friendly!
......they are all aproaching grumpy old bastard status.........some are at a more advanced stage along the journey than others, that's all

[Drumstruck]

Could you take a track or 2 along to your friendly ME and audition them in the mastering studio?

......there is no such creature in existance! They just pretend to be friendly!
......they are all aproaching grumpy old bastard status.........some are at a more advanced stage along the journey than others, that's all

I can relate very strongly to that. Perhaps a few $s waved under the nose would sweeten the demeanour......

[mylesgm]

I will strongly disagree with that statement though I have had a one or two disappointing interactions with specific MEs (none on this board though) most have been very supportive and have gone above and beyond and that has been appreciated.

Could you take a track or 2 along to your friendly ME and audition them in the mastering studio?

......there is no such creature in existance! They just pretend to be friendly!
......they are all aproaching grumpy old bastard status.........some are at a more advanced stage along the journey than others, that's all

I can relate very strongly to that. Perhaps a few $s waved under the nose would sweeten the demeanour......

[The Tasmanian]

If it was my project - I would check the mixes away from headphones, cars, friends stereos, beatboxes etc.
I would make notes based on all of the listening experiences.
Then go to mastering, show ME my notes, maybe take 2 reference tracks for examples, and let him respond to the music, notes, and example mixes.
Its really amazing what mastering can achieve - in all frequency bands.

[Chris H]

I will strongly disagree with that statement though I have had a one or two disappointing interactions with specific MEs (none on this board though) most have been very supportive and have gone above and beyond and that has been appreciated.

Could you take a track or 2 along to your friendly ME and audition them in the mastering studio?

......there is no such creature in existance! They just pretend to be friendly!
......they are all aproaching grumpy old bastard status.........some are at a more advanced stage along the journey than others, that's all

I can relate very strongly to that. Perhaps a few $s waved under the nose would sweeten the demeanour......

ok, .........i should say I am only joking with the above diatribe......I thought it would be self evident.
All the mastering engineers I have employed over the years have been nothing but totally professional and their work first class.

[rick]

I read the original question as
Q.We are making music we like whats going on
But its all happened in headphones
Will that be an issue in mastering ..?

A. Yes no maybe ..
If i do it
No issues

[Futureman]

Thanks for all your replies.

Rick, that was the answer I was looking for.

Cheers!