[peterhuang913]

I have notice this over the years. Maybe you have too. CDs in the past were actually better than the CDs today. Even sound files from before are better than today. I'm talking about the Loudness War, a useless attempt by record companies to make music sound louder. I was brought to this point by this demonstration.

[Crysalis]

its all about who has the "loudest" album. Mastering engineers are pressured to compress (or in this case, I like to call it SMASH) a signal until it is just under the point of clipping.

If you were to take a CD recorded and mastered with today's standards and sent it direct at line level to a vinyl "cutter", the machine would actually cut a hole through the vinyl leaving nothing left of it. Its all about dynamic range. All of the dynamics and environmental feel to an album is LOST after this. I posted some time ago somewhere of an example of what a clip sounds like raw and then what it sounds like after it is mastered by today's standards.

It is ridiculous, but can't avoid it. Its a trend that will hopefully end at some point in time.

[poorman]

I agree with everything above. Mastering used to be a different thing than what it has turned into today.

I've had the task of actually mastering a couple metal albums after they were mixed in a studio. I would do two versions. One with some light hard limiting on parts to make a more punchy sound but keep a full dynamic range. Making each track on the album sound even to each other.
Then I did another version where I smashed everything into a hard limiter. The mix had an RMS of about -.1.
Guess which one they picked?

I could talk hours about this. The whole deal with engineers thinking if they smashed the dynamics it would make radio station processors leave the sound alone. Or about tape saturation in analog recordings. etc etc

[EricB]

Originally Posted by poorman

I agree with everything above. Mastering used to be a different thing than what it has turned into today.

I've had the task of actually mastering a couple metal albums after they were mixed in a studio. I would do two versions. One with some light hard limiting on parts to make a more punchy sound but keep a full dynamic range. Making each track on the album sound even to each other.
Then I did another version where I smashed everything into a hard limiter. The mix had an RMS of about -.1.
Guess which one they picked?

I could talk hours about this. The whole deal with engineers thinking if they smashed the dynamics it would make radio station processors leave the sound alone. Or about tape saturation in analog recordings. etc etc

that's my take. a master now is almost like a cassette recording at 20% distortion, even though you were never suppose to exceed 10% and 3% was the audiophile level. to the average listen it might sound terrific, but the real listeners couldn't stand the saturation or shrillness in it

[ricanflow]

Ive noticed this as well, i have to raise all my tracks up 6db with a multiband compressor to even get close to a pro recording. Some bass heavier tracks dont like to cooperate so i have to go in and fix each one of those apart from the rest.

[Crysalis]

Originally Posted by ricanflow

Ive noticed this as well, i have to raise all my tracks up 6db with a multiband compressor to even get close to a pro recording. Some bass heavier tracks dont like to cooperate so i have to go in and fix each one of those apart from the rest.

Are you mastering after mixdown? Mastering is done with a FINALIZED 2 Track stereo master, not on each individual track or as inserts on a stereo mix. In other words, you should have a finalized mixdown in stereo format, and then taken into a mastering house for mastering. Mastering should never be done by the mixing engineer (mastering and mixing are NOTHING alike)

[ricanflow]

Originally Posted by Crysalis

Are you mastering after mixdown? Mastering is done with a FINALIZED 2 Track stereo master, not on each individual track or as inserts on a stereo mix. In other words, you should have a finalized mixdown in stereo format, and then taken into a mastering house for mastering. Mastering should never be done by the mixing engineer (mastering and mixing are NOTHING alike)

Well right now im just trying to get more skilled, and yes i know i shouldint master my own mixes but $$$ is critical right now.

[molsen]

Originally Posted by Crysalis

Mastering should never be done by the mixing engineer (mastering and mixing are NOTHING alike)

that's a silly thing to say, and you know it.

[wolfeyes89]

this is all a shame really it kinda makes speakers like the logitech 5500 useless because when you crank them up to their real potentiall all you can hear is crap.

[TheMajor]

Originally Posted by wolfeyes89

this is all a shame really it kinda makes speakers like the logitech 5500 useless because when you crank them up to their real potentiall all you can hear is crap.

They would probably sound like crap either way.