Mastering brings a contemporary pair of ears to a completed combine. When Josh Hills mastered my cowl of Fleetwood Mac’s “Rhiannon”, his goal was to protect the character of the recording whereas bringing out extra readability, cohesion and affect. On this breakdown, he walks via the selections behind that course of, explaining what he hears, what he desires to enhance and the way every processor helps him get there.
Obtain the pre-mastered and mastered mixes of “Rhiannon” right here to match them for your self and listen to how Josh’s selections form the completed monitor.
What I significantly like about this demonstration is that you simply hear Josh rethink his selections. He compares compressors, tries an EQ curve and decides it isn’t proper, restores some low finish after taking an excessive amount of away and backs off the loudness when the monitor begins to really feel crushed. These selections are the place a lot of the educational occurs.
Earlier than reaching for a plugin, Josh listens to the combo. He hears a balanced place to begin with appreciable compression already current. The drum peaks seem to have been clipped or restricted someplace within the combine, though he nonetheless hears sufficient dynamic motion to work with. His first objective is so as to add a bit of extra density and cohesion with out overworking materials that already has a powerful sound.
He begins with an SSL-style VCA bus compressor. For this monitor, he desires delicate management, so he begins with an assault round 10 milliseconds and explores the discharge by ear. The assault helps him form the connection between the preliminary drum hits and the physique of the music, whereas the discharge impacts how the compressor recovers between these hits.
His first selection is the IK Multimedia TR5 Bus Compressor. Josh likes how open it sounds and the way it maintains the stereo picture, however he hears a low-mid emphasis round 200–250Hz that feels muddy on this explicit combine. Slightly than spending the complete session making an attempt to power it to work, he compares it with a Waves SSL-style compressor.
Though each plugins take inspiration from the identical sort of {hardware}, Josh hears a special outcome. To his ears, the Waves compressor provides weight increased within the low mids, round 400–500Hz, and tightens the stereo picture. He prefers that mixture right here and retains it. The selection comes from listening to the impact on the entire tune, together with its tone and width, in addition to the acquire discount.
With the compression in place, Josh turns to the tonal steadiness. He hears the combo as barely darkish, with some cloudiness within the bass and low mids. Utilizing FabFilter Professional-Q 4, he brings the central midrange ahead and tidies the low finish, together with some deep rumble that stands out on his massive displays. The goal is to present the music higher definition whereas retaining its weight.
As the combo turns into brighter, he additionally notices the higher fringe of the vocal’s “S” and “F” sounds. He makes use of Professional-Q 4’s spectral processing to start controlling these moments. That permits him to deal with the high-frequency vitality that jumps ahead whereas retaining the extra open tonal steadiness he’s working in the direction of. He hears an enchancment, however recognises that the harshness will want additional consideration later within the chain.
Subsequent, Josh makes use of the AMEK EQ 200 for broader tonal shaping. He brings out some upper-bass weight round 169Hz, listening fastidiously to the place that heat sits. Transferring the emphasis in the direction of 200Hz doesn’t give him the outcome he desires, so he retains the enhance decrease. He additionally cuts round 700Hz by roughly 1.5dB and experiments with easing the central mids.
He tries including air with the AMEK’s excessive shelf, then decides he doesn’t just like the curve on this combine. As an alternative, he returns to Professional-Q 4 for the additional prime finish. It’s a helpful reminder that completely different EQs can earn their place via the form of their curves and the way simply they produce the sound you need.
Josh then bypasses the EQs to evaluate the mixed outcome. The processed model sounds clearer and brighter to him, however he decides he has taken away a bit of an excessive amount of bass and brings some again. Each adjustment modifications the steadiness of the entire monitor, so revisiting an earlier choice is a part of the method.
The subsequent stage is stereo width. Josh likes the tighter picture created by the compressor, however desires more room across the guitars and the higher frequencies. Utilizing Ozone’s multiband stereo imaging, he can deal with completely different frequency ranges individually, retaining the bass centred whereas opening up chosen areas above it.
He pays explicit consideration to the very prime finish, round 10kHz and above, then works down via the opposite bands. One band helps unfold the guitars, whereas the upper bands carry out extra of the vocal’s air within the stereo picture. After exploring pretty robust settings, he reduces the general quantity to mix the impact into the combo. The outcome he’s listening for is a extra spacious presentation with a strong basis.
Throughout playback, a spiky edge on the guitar attracts his consideration. Josh provides soothe and focuses its processing on the higher frequencies, leaving the central mids and decrease a part of the combo largely alone. This smooths the guitar’s sharper moments and in addition helps with the vocal harshness he seen earlier. He makes use of it selectively in order that the additional brightness stays helpful and satisfying.
For the ultimate loudness phases, Josh locations Traditional Clipper earlier than a FabFilter Professional-L limiter. On this chain, the clipper handles a number of the peaks earlier than they attain the limiter, sharing the work between the 2 processors. He chooses a setting in the direction of the softer facet of the clipping curve and listens to the color it introduces, significantly on the snare. As he bypasses it, he factors out the added harmonics and the way in which the snare feels extra distinguished.
The limiter then offers the ultimate stage management. As a result of the combo already has substantial compression, Josh selects a clear method and listens fastidiously to the impact of the timing controls. He additionally demonstrates how altering the lookahead alters the obvious place and affect of the transients, then adjusts it to maintain the drums current.
Whereas setting the limiter, he allows its unity-gain monitoring possibility. This compensates for the added stage so he can hear what the limiting is doing with out being distracted by the louder playback. On the finish, he additionally notes that the clipper nonetheless creates a stage distinction within the wider chain comparability, in order that comparability will not be fully loudness matched.
Josh explores a louder grasp, reaching a studying round −8 LUFS throughout playback, however finds that pushing in the direction of −7 makes the monitor really feel too crushed. He backs off in the direction of −9 LUFS as a result of he prefers how the music breathes there. The deciding issue is the sound and really feel of the tune.
He additionally allows true-peak limiting and units the demonstrated output ceiling to −0.3dB. These are the settings used on this walkthrough, with Josh noting that supply settings ought to take the supposed vacation spot into consideration. The video focuses on the sound of the grasp somewhat than the entire export, metadata and supply course of.
All through the session, Josh retains returning to the music: the load of the bass, the presence of the vocal, the area across the guitars and the affect of the snare. Every adjustment is comparatively centered, however collectively they form a clearer, extra cohesive and extra spacious presentation of my combine. His willingness to match, rethink and again off is what makes this such a helpful take a look at mastering in observe.
Obtain the pre-mastered and mastered mixes of “Rhiannon” right here to match them for your self and listen to how Josh’s selections form the completed monitor.
