Har-Bal Users Forum BBS

I was wondering if Har-Bal could give me the same fullness, loudness, and clarity of Promo-Only cds. I had recently emailed them asking how they go about mastering/remastering their cds:

Glen Ervin,

I was curious to know how you guys go about mastering the Promo Only cds (hardware-software,etc). The Promo Only Cds sound fuller, louder, and clearer than other commercially available cds on the market.

Keep up the great work and thanks for the reply

Cruz

Here is Glen's reply:

Hi, Raul,
Thanks for your kind words!
All mastering is done in-house by our staff.
How it is done is proprietary; a trade secret, if you will.

Warmest regards!

Glen Ervin

So what do you guys think? How does promo only get their cds to sound fuller, louder, and clearer than other commercially available cds? I'm really curious to find out what they are doing and what they are using...

And going back to my first question: Can Har-Bal give me the same fullness, clarity and loudness of promo-only cds? if the answer is a solid YES then I will take the plunge!

RaulCruz wrote:I was wondering if Har-Bal could give me the same fullness, loudness, and clarity of Promo-Only cds. I had recently emailed them asking how they go about mastering/remastering their cds:

Glen Ervin,

I was curious to know how you guys go about mastering the Promo Only cds (hardware-software,etc). The Promo Only Cds sound fuller, louder, and clearer than other commercially available cds on the market.

Keep up the great work and thanks for the reply

Cruz

Here is Glen's reply:

Hi, Raul,
Thanks for your kind words!
All mastering is done in-house by our staff.
How it is done is proprietary; a trade secret, if you will.

Warmest regards!

Glen Ervin

So what do you guys think? How does promo only get their cds to sound fuller, louder, and clearer than other commercially available cds? I'm really curious to find out what they are doing and what they are using...

And going back to my first question: Can Har-Bal give me the same fullness, clarity and loudness of promo-only cds? if the answer is a solid YES then I will take the plunge!

Raul

The answer is a solid Yes.

Let me explain first that mastering is made up of a few processes.

1. EQ (This is the most important part and is also where Har-Bal is King)

2. Stereo Image (Making sure the image is correct and not out of phase)

3. Either Wideband compression or Multiband compression (Normally the rule of thumb is this: If the mix sounds very good use Wideband. If it needs to be pulled together..bass possibly too loud...vocals sitting way on top...use a Multiband compressor)

4. Limiter (This is usually last in the chain and if you have used the compressor properly you usually don't need to maximize the loudness with this tool..only controll the peaks)

Hope that helps. Most of the folks in this forum are always ready and willing to help out when it comes to teaching. So by all means ask any questions you may have.

Cheers

Earle