Har-Bal spectrum as a frequncy selector
Posted: Thu Feb 28, 2008 4:23 pm
Hi folks,
I have been using the mastering process outlined in the tutorial and the results have been very good, but I'm trying to get beyond simply following a procedure and understand the reasoning behind it. I do, of course, listen to the effect that changing the attack and release times (usually to the extreme) have on the sound, not because I want the song to sound that way, but because I want to learn to recognize the sonic results that come from the changing of these parameters. I'm getting it, although slowly, but this ability takes time, I guess. My question for this post, however, is about crossover points on a multi-band limiter. What information can the Har-Bal spectrum tell me about choosing them? After smoothing out the peaks and valleys in my raw mixes, I will still notice a gentle rising and falling in the spectrum which I don't try to flatten, since it usually sounds worse when I do. I've attempted to place my crossover frequencies at the bottom of these valleys, but the results, at least to my inexperienced ears, don't seem to be clearly better or worse, just different. Is there any conventional wisdom on this, or is there no real connection? I would appreciate input from the more experienced engineers out there on this or any other mastering process that can tell a novice without a practiced ear what to look or listen for, or what to avoid. Hopefully, the knowledge of others will allow me to obtain good results until the time my own skills can take over.
Thanks,
Mark
I have been using the mastering process outlined in the tutorial and the results have been very good, but I'm trying to get beyond simply following a procedure and understand the reasoning behind it. I do, of course, listen to the effect that changing the attack and release times (usually to the extreme) have on the sound, not because I want the song to sound that way, but because I want to learn to recognize the sonic results that come from the changing of these parameters. I'm getting it, although slowly, but this ability takes time, I guess. My question for this post, however, is about crossover points on a multi-band limiter. What information can the Har-Bal spectrum tell me about choosing them? After smoothing out the peaks and valleys in my raw mixes, I will still notice a gentle rising and falling in the spectrum which I don't try to flatten, since it usually sounds worse when I do. I've attempted to place my crossover frequencies at the bottom of these valleys, but the results, at least to my inexperienced ears, don't seem to be clearly better or worse, just different. Is there any conventional wisdom on this, or is there no real connection? I would appreciate input from the more experienced engineers out there on this or any other mastering process that can tell a novice without a practiced ear what to look or listen for, or what to avoid. Hopefully, the knowledge of others will allow me to obtain good results until the time my own skills can take over.
Thanks,
Mark