How To Master A Song To Professional Quality

  • Thread starter Thread starter TheMastererer
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i have a question about vocals. Currently i have a beat in fl studio. should i mix and master the beat then add vocals on top of the instrumental? When should i add my vocals (its a rap song with a hook)? When should i mix and master my vocals?

im kinda following this tutorial for the mix and master of the instumental youtube.com/watch?v=vLeURxZfhs8&
 
Spyruf said:
i have a question about vocals. Currently i have a beat in fl studio. should i mix and master the beat then add vocals on top of the instrumental? When should i add my vocals (its a rap song with a hook)? When should i mix and master my vocals?

im kinda following this tutorial for the mix and master of the instumental youtube.com/watch?v=vLeURxZfhs8&
Click to expand...

You definitely want a decent mix of the instrumental before you lay down the vox.

You do NOT want to lay down vox over a mastered instrumental.

Peace.
 
You forgot to mention adding the fruity reverb to the master bus, with the reverb % set to 100 and the delay set to 20.0 seconds along with autotune set to F# minor scale no matter what key the song is in. Now increase the retune speed to the fast setting by turning the knob all the way to the right. If you can recognize the person that recorded the vocals voice then you're not doing it right. After applying these techniques with those of the OP you're well on your way to a commercial hit.
 
2infamouz said:
You forgot to mention adding the fruity reverb to the master bus, with the reverb % set to 100 and the delay set to 20.0 seconds along with autotune set to F# minor scale no matter what key the song is in. Now increase the retune speed to the fast setting by turning the knob all the way to the right. If you can recognize the person that recorded the vocals voice then you're not doing it right. After applying these techniques with those of the OP you're well on your way to a commercial hit.
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hahaha dont worry i have antares autotune
 
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There is defiantly no set numbers or ready made templates for mastering. Every track is going to have different characteristics that have to be treated differently. It all starts with you mix. After you got you mix where it needs to be, then you move forward to the mastering stage, and it is always best to get a second set of ears on this mix before you attempt to do any mastering, due to your own self perception on your own music and your ears get used to the track long before its ready for master. I made a post a while back in the proper eqing thread, and I will repost it.

---------- Post added at 11:20 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:19 AM ----------
CARLEY5K said:
A great technique on a parametric eq, which I personaly use in ableton8 on eq 8. It is a mid/side technique, an when done correctly can be extremely rewarding. And keep in mind these numbers are general, an will require fine adjustments. Mastering is all about the small changes. Start by going to you mid view on your parametric eq and pull a 1db notch at 55hz and at 110hz, with the narrowest Q possible. Next go to 4k and pull .5 db With a wide Q. Depending on the type of music you may want to roll off some of the lower frequencys ard 50k. Next switch to you side view eq, Pull down a straight bar or the eq from 0hz-200hz -.05 db. This will give the lows room to breath under the mix. Next go to 8k and pull a 1db increase with a wide Q. This technique done correctly will give a very open dynamic sound, and with proper final steps (proper compresion and stereo field adjustments) you will be very pleased. And for a great tool for mastering try izotope Ozone, as it will give u a great refrence Starting point. Experiment with these settings in the general area that I provided an it will make a night and day difference.
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Here is the instrumental mixed. I should add vocals and then master right.
 
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I didnt even tread this yet but the fact that you gave us a WRITTEN tut is good enough for me thanks for the effort friend :)
 
wow - a humour thread that is being threadjacked by the serious minded folks, will wonders never cease
 
bandcoach said:
wow - a humour thread that is being threadjacked by the serious minded folks, will wonders never cease
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Sometimes forums make me feel a lot smarter than I really am, especially reading through this thread lmao.
 
Don't use those freq charts as the end-all for what you need to Know about the signals in space. They can only be used as general guidelines. So many factors involved in sound. Here's a test:

Grab that chart. Then grab the HIGHEST quality recordings of each of those individual sounds that you can. Then roll off all the freqs according to the charts. Now mix that.

How's it sound?

Use those charts as a starting reference is you're ever stuck and wonder how to maximize a particular instrument's presence.

Don't forget: If one could read off of charts for their mixes, then they'd already have grammys and steady gigs...forever.

Peace.
 
This sticky thread turns out to be a huge honey pot for idiots and post count whores!
 
moses said:
This sticky thread turns out to be a huge honey pot for idiots and post count whores!
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yeah idk if having this sticky is the best idea. People that really don't know any better might take that as it being important information lmao...
 
But the soundgoodizer, tho...if you couple it with the new auto-trap plugin, there's no stopping anyone!
 
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Your master channel needs nothing but a parametric eq and thats only for 20 hz and 1600hz cuts. Everything else is OPTIONAL, if you want a professional sound. Getting your levels right and EQ is all in need in hip hop/trap production.
 
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