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FAQ

Mastering FAQ






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Why use a shorter release time for all compression on your master?

The shorter the release time for compression, the louder a signal will be. The reason is that it takes less time for amplitude to return to normal after being compressed. Short release times cause distortion but the effect can have a beneficial result.

The distortion will amplify the signal, causing it to sound even louder, but this may not be ideal. A good mid-ground for your release time is 50ms if you do not want any distortion.

The general consensus is to use a short release time for all compression, but each compressor has its own quirks and you should experiment with the right settings.

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Should I mix and master my own music?

Is it a good idea to mix and master your own music? When musicians mix their own records, it’s often all done within the same DAW session. Therefore it might be a good idea to wonder if you should do something that someone else can do better. A better recording makes a better rough mix, which makes a better final mix, which makes a better master. The perfect mastering is something Audiobyray Mastering can help you with.

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What does mastering do to a mix?

Mastering is the term most commonly used to refer to the process of taking an audio mix and preparing it for distribution. One goal of mastering is balancing and optimizing playback for all systems. Another thing mastering does for a mix, is to enhance specific characteristics. There are several considerations in this process: unifying the sound of a record, maintaining consistency across an album, and preparing for distribution. Mastering puts the final touches on a mix.

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Can mastering fix a bad mix?

Mastering can do a lot for your song but it really can’t fix it. This has to do with several factors. For starters, a mastering engineer deals with a track on macro levels. It can not effectively fix issues on a micro level. As you can probably imagine, mastering can’t add delays to just your vocal track. Despite the skills and experience of a mastering engineer, getting a good result naturally also depends on the material they have to work with.

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What can mastering fix?

Why is mastering important?
Audio mastering is the final step in a music production process. The mastering involves several audio processes. For example: with mastering you can emphasize or reduce frequencies to improve the overall mix. Also, with mastering you can fix problematic frequencies and improve imbalances missed in the mixing process. Aside from this, you can create tonal balance, so there is an even distribution of frequencies. Last but not least, you can manage dynamics with mastering, control transient spikes, and glue tracks. Audiobyray.com can be of help with all of the above.

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How loud should mix be before mastering?

To get great mastering results, it’s important to correctly set your mixing levels. As long as your mixes give the mastering engineer room to work and cover your noise floor, then you’re in a good range. I recommend mixing at -23 dB LUFS, or having your peaks be between -18dB and -3dB. These are however general guidelines. In the end, all mastering engineers adapt the level to their chain anyway.

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How much headroom do you leave for mastering?

Providing a mix that is ideal for mastering takes in the amount of headroom in consideration. The general idea is: allow 6dB of headroom. Audiobyray Mastering recommends that the loudest part of the mix should be around -3db tot -5 db (below 0level). This encourages generally sane levels throughout the mix, it prevents any risk of inter-sample clipping and you still have masses of signal-to-noise ratio at 24-bit – and, plenty at 16 bits too, assuming you dither correctly. 

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Does mastering make a difference?

Mastering most definitely makes a difference! A good mastering engineer will enhance your music. A mastering engineer like audiobyray.com understands the sound you’re going for will help get you there. Professional mastering is an art by itself.

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Is eMastered better then Landr?

In fact, both eMastered and Landr operate in a similar way. In terms of speed, eMastered is faster with songs processed and available for download in under a minute. It takes about two minutes at Landr’s for a download to be sent by email. Currently eMastered is free to use, unlike Landr which can go up to $25 per month depending on how you want to use it. To get your track mastered, your can also choose for audiobyray.com.

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Does Landr mastering work?

For those who have never heard of LANDR before, we’ll explain. It’s basically an online, automated mastering service. So, it doesn’t use human beings on the back end and it’s driven by an algorithm. You simply upload your tracks to this service and it automatically masters them. Then it allows you to download them instantly. Although it works okay, the system can never replace a real professional mastering engineer like audiobyray.com.

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What is the best online mastering service?

In 2020 the Best Online Mastering Services were reviewed.

The first spot is taken bij Abbey Road Studios, which is of course one of the world’s most iconic (mastering) studios. Runner-up is BandLab, which has become popular among indie musicians and artist. The third place goes out to Landr, a completely online and on algorithm based mastering platform. Fourth is Cloudbound, a mastering tool that is available 24/7. On the fifth spot we find Metropolis Studios and last but not least is eMastered. But of course, you can always choose for personal contact with a professional mastering engineer like audiobyray.com.

 

 

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Is mastering a song necessary?

Not everyone thinks the same on the matter of whether or not sending music into a professional mastering studio is a necessity. If the mix doesn’t need any modifying, this means that it is at a perfect volume level, the fades are well done, the EQ is consistent throughout, the compression is right on, and so on. In that case there’s no need for mastering. If these basics are not covered, audiobyray mastering can help you out.

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What is mastering?

Mastering is the final step of audio post-production. The purpose of audio mastering is to balance sonic elements of a stereo mix. Mastering helps to optimize playback across all systems and media formats. Traditionally, mastering uses several tools like equalization, limiting, compression and stereo enhancement. Audiobyray.com is a specialist in all of the above.

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Here at AudiobyRay we have both Mixing & Mastering experience for over 9 years.We mastered over a 1000 EDM tracks, Stem Mastering sessions, and countless DJ Mixtapes so far

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