Mastering Tutorial Question

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EbonyFunk
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Mastering Tutorial Question

Post by EbonyFunk »

I've been studying the Mastering Tutorial and can't seem to figure out the Wave Linear Phase Mulitiband part of the Tutorial. I understand how to follow the steps, but not the "whys". In particular, Figures 11, 12, and 13.

- In figure 11, we pull the master threshold down until the squiggly orange dynamics line is in the middle of the blue range. What are we trying to accomplish? Why pull it down to themiddle of the blue range?

- In figure 12, we move the master attack upwards until there is some stability in the first
two bands of the orange dynamics line. What does this accomplish? Why are we
concerned with just the first two bands only?

- In figure 13, we move the master release upwards until the first two bands are almost
horizontal in movement. Again, what is our goal here?

Hope these aren't silly questions. I pretty much understand the rest of the tutorial. I'd just like to understand what we are doing (and why) so that I can accomplish the same thing with other multiband compressors if I need to.

Thanks in advance!
har-bal
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Re: Mastering Tutorial Question

Post by har-bal »

EbonyFunk wrote:I've been studying the Mastering Tutorial and can't seem to figure out the Wave Linear Phase Mulitiband part of the Tutorial. I understand how to follow the steps, but not the "whys". In particular, Figures 11, 12, and 13.

- In figure 11, we pull the master threshold down until the squiggly orange dynamics line is in the middle of the blue range. What are we trying to accomplish? Why pull it down to themiddle of the blue range?

- In figure 12, we move the master attack upwards until there is some stability in the first
two bands of the orange dynamics line. What does this accomplish? Why are we
concerned with just the first two bands only?

- In figure 13, we move the master release upwards until the first two bands are almost
horizontal in movement. Again, what is our goal here?

Hope these aren't silly questions. I pretty much understand the rest of the tutorial. I'd just like to understand what we are doing (and why) so that I can accomplish the same thing with other multiband compressors if I need to.

Thanks in advance!


Ahh, the world of compression :) These are good questions.

What we are attempting to create here is some stability in the bass region. It is imperative that the bass region sits correctly in a track, otherwise all other processing is a waste of time.

If you look at the bass region when lowering the threshold you will notice one of two occurences.
a) The bass appears to be uncontrollable and all over the place
b) It starts to pump and you can actually hear it going in and out.

All we are doing here is defining the space in which we allow the bass sounds to move between the top and bottom. In other words we are controlling the dynamics.

We want to make sure the bass area is not overpowering the entire track. We are shooting for balance.
My instructions merely provide a starting point. Your understanding of the concept allows you to perfect my starting point. I find that attempting to keep the bass confined to the middle area with a minimum amount of movement causes the track to sound more cohesive or should I say "glued together".

Practice loading songs and lowering the threshold until you see movement in the bass area. Now start adjusting the Master Attack button until the movement is almost in time to the music. Now start adjusting the Master Release button until the movement of the line is almost in time to the music with the up and down movement of the line moving in a smaller area and not all over the place.

You can also adjust the individual attack and release buttons in the 1st two bass region.

Try it and let me know if it makes sense to you.

Cheers

Earle Holder
EbonyFunk
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Location: Los Angeles, CA

Post by EbonyFunk »

Mr. Holder,

Once again you've come to the rescue! Thank you very much!!!!
Hitmaker
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Post by Hitmaker »

Hi ,

It is possible to use Har-Bal as a guide in setting up any MBC ...
By estimating the distance between the peak , and average curve ( at 1, or 1/3 octave resolution ) , you can tell if some regions of the spectrum have varying compression applied . It's common to see , especially if live drums have had some parallel compression , more compression in the bass , more dynamic mids , and lesserly compressed tops ... To even this out , work out how much extra dynamics the mids , and tops have ( in dB ) , relative to the most squashed ...
Shoot to have the gain reduction in the mids , and tops , equal to those figures ... and leave the bass alone !!!!!
The rationale is to be presenting the following limiter(s) with a signal whose dynamics are roughly even over the spectrum , thus minimising the chance of a more dynamic tonal range causing pumping elsewhere in the spectrum .

Cheers ,

Evan .
" I hate compression with a vengeance . I avoid it . I'm a great believer in the dynamic range being preserved " Alan Parsons
har-bal
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Post by har-bal »

Hitmaker wrote:Hi ,

It is possible to use Har-Bal as a guide in setting up any MBC ...
By estimating the distance between the peak , and average curve ( at 1, or 1/3 octave resolution ) , you can tell if some regions of the spectrum have varying compression applied . It's common to see , especially if live drums have had some parallel compression , more compression in the bass , more dynamic mids , and lesserly compressed tops ... To even this out , work out how much extra dynamics the mids , and tops have ( in dB ) , relative to the most squashed ...
Shoot to have the gain reduction in the mids , and tops , equal to those figures ... and leave the bass alone !!!!!
The rationale is to be presenting the following limiter(s) with a signal whose dynamics are roughly even over the spectrum , thus minimising the chance of a more dynamic tonal range causing pumping elsewhere in the spectrum .

Cheers ,

Evan .


Evan

You are a genius :) Great idea!!

Cheers

Earle
Jrel
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Re: Mastering Tutorial Question

Post by Jrel »

I have a question on the tutorial. On page 14 of 18, it states "Usually, I leave the last three bands alone unless the highs are so uncontrollable my eyes start bleeding." What does this mean in terms of the orange dynamics line? Does this mean the line shouldn't bounce around all over the place?
Jrel
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Re: Mastering Tutorial Question

Post by Jrel »

*bump* Help, please =)
har-bal
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Re: Mastering Tutorial Question

Post by har-bal »

Jrel wrote:*bump* Help, please =)


Jrel

Can you do me a favour and download this Waves LMB document. I beleive it wiLl provide you with a better understanding of Waves LMB. You have to experiment using a multiband compressor. Usually in the lower band you have a faster attack and slower release time and as you progress up the spectrum the attack becomes slower and the release becomes faster.

In any case take a look at this short manual

https://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php? ... hdqtrz.com

Cheers

Earle
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Re: Mastering Tutorial Question

Post by har-bal »

Jrel wrote:*bump* Help, please =)


Jrel

Can you send me your tel# via email on my contact page and if possible I would like to actually speak with you concerning multiband compression this weekend. It would be much easier if I explained it as opposed to writing a book :)

Cheers

Earle
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