I've got a question for all the experimented sound engineers who hang around here.
For those like me who cannot do the mixing and mastering in favourable conditions (no studio room with good acoustic , no high end monitors, etc.), is it possible to only rely on visual feedback of your channels, through a good spectrum analyzer plugin?
If the answer is yes, would it be possible to have some advice on how to proceed to get a good master? What is good "mastered shape"? What are the appropriate level for each frequency band?
Just to make it clear. I'm not begging here for the basics and principles of mixing and mastering. I just want to learn, if you please, how to use a spectrum analyzer at its fullest extent while asking if such a tool is enough to ensure a well balanced output.
Many thanks in advance.
Visual mastering? Or how to use a spectral analyzer?
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- KVRAF
- 3266 posts since 22 Sep, 2003 from under the sun
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- KVRist
- 479 posts since 6 Nov, 2010
There are analyzers like SPAN which can visualize several input signals at once. This means that you are able to compare your production to reference tracks easily. The curves themselfes depend very much on the music genre. Ambient music will look different than dance music, modern RnB will look different than early 90s RnB. But there are certainly productions which can be regarded as iconic for a certain style and you can use them as reference.
However, I don't think it's possible to do it all without propper listening. Your tracks will probably end up looking like pro-stuff and still sound awful.
However, I don't think it's possible to do it all without propper listening. Your tracks will probably end up looking like pro-stuff and still sound awful.
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Obsolete269031 Obsolete269031 https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=269031
- KVRer
- 9 posts since 20 Nov, 2011
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- KVRAF
- 7579 posts since 17 Feb, 2005
A spectrum analyzer, compared to a Spectrogram, is most useful in finding where there are frequencies present. As for their amplitude, they are best for slow moving signals or also peak amplitude of a frequency. It can be difficult to visualize the "in between" from peak to noise floor. For that application, a spectrogram is much better suited. So, if you are trying to match another track because you like how it sounds, a spectrogram will get you closer, but even that won't make it the same.
For an aid to monitoring, the spectrum analyzer is very useful. It can tell you how loud frequencies are in ranges your monitors might not be capable of producing accurately. But this is only a facade. You will still need to listen and compare if chasing sound is your thing. While the bass might be monitored low and you want to hear it loud, you must resist the urge to turn it up, or else your mix will be whack and reak of amateur. Listen to your bass at the same level of a professionally mixed and mastered track, give yourself some headroom, and mix accordingly. Sometimes, in unbalanced acoustic enviornments (that is an untreated room), you cannot trust your ears.
A type of spectrum analyzer called a Waterfall will give you a display for the "in between". These are pretty useful and can be much easier to visualize mass destruction.
For an aid to monitoring, the spectrum analyzer is very useful. It can tell you how loud frequencies are in ranges your monitors might not be capable of producing accurately. But this is only a facade. You will still need to listen and compare if chasing sound is your thing. While the bass might be monitored low and you want to hear it loud, you must resist the urge to turn it up, or else your mix will be whack and reak of amateur. Listen to your bass at the same level of a professionally mixed and mastered track, give yourself some headroom, and mix accordingly. Sometimes, in unbalanced acoustic enviornments (that is an untreated room), you cannot trust your ears.
A type of spectrum analyzer called a Waterfall will give you a display for the "in between". These are pretty useful and can be much easier to visualize mass destruction.
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3266 posts since 22 Sep, 2003 from under the sun
Thanks for the feedbacks, guys. I see that "spectral analyzer" is only a part of the big picture.
Is there some tutorials teaching the in-depth use of these visual tools somewhere?
Would you recommend a mastering suite, like Ozone5 (other names welcome), to achieve good results in the poor environment I described earlier?
Toscanalyzer looks promising, too. I'll try it. However, if I understand the concept, it's more a tool to compare the output you make with pro results afterwards, than a tool used during the process of mastering. Am I right?
Is there some tutorials teaching the in-depth use of these visual tools somewhere?
Would you recommend a mastering suite, like Ozone5 (other names welcome), to achieve good results in the poor environment I described earlier?
Toscanalyzer looks promising, too. I'll try it. However, if I understand the concept, it's more a tool to compare the output you make with pro results afterwards, than a tool used during the process of mastering. Am I right?
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- KVRian
- 581 posts since 21 Feb, 2005 from Upper Left USA
My own opinion is that is is NOT possible to just rely on the visual signal to do your mastering. It's nice for maybe narrowing in on a problem frequency you hear but can't accurately pin-point, but I don't think it's something I'd rely on in terms of some overall shape.
I look at spectrum analyzers all day mastering different people's music, and there's often HUGE variance in how things look versus how they sound. What I mean by that, is that sometimes things that look way off from any sort of standard analyzer reafing sound awesome. And vice versa, sometimes things might looks like they should be fine, but something sounds way off. This happens even in the same genre and style of music.
The only visual advice I'd agree to is that in general for your standard curves and response times, you'll see a slope higher in the bass freqs than the treble freqs. How steep that slope is, and what is going on throughout it depends massively on the individual sounds used in the song, and how they are all interacting to be clearly heard in the mix.
You're much better off just listening to the mix on a many playback devices as possible to help your lack of accurate monitoring. Trying to turn music into a visual art is asking for trouble IMO.
I look at spectrum analyzers all day mastering different people's music, and there's often HUGE variance in how things look versus how they sound. What I mean by that, is that sometimes things that look way off from any sort of standard analyzer reafing sound awesome. And vice versa, sometimes things might looks like they should be fine, but something sounds way off. This happens even in the same genre and style of music.
The only visual advice I'd agree to is that in general for your standard curves and response times, you'll see a slope higher in the bass freqs than the treble freqs. How steep that slope is, and what is going on throughout it depends massively on the individual sounds used in the song, and how they are all interacting to be clearly heard in the mix.
You're much better off just listening to the mix on a many playback devices as possible to help your lack of accurate monitoring. Trying to turn music into a visual art is asking for trouble IMO.
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Obsolete269031 Obsolete269031 https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=269031
- KVRer
- 9 posts since 20 Nov, 2011
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- KVRian
- 665 posts since 29 Nov, 2002 from Bury St. Edmunds, England
I've been mastering and mixing for a little while now, my own personal opinion is an analyzer can aid you but it can't replace what you are hearing...It is another tool which is handy to have in the box!
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- KVRist
- 253 posts since 15 Nov, 2009 from Chicago
Just tried downloading for windows. Norton Antivirus blocks the download. Probably some sort of false positive with the installer.tb@toscanalyzer.org wrote:Just try Toscanalyzer. You can compare most critical parameters of your mix/master with commercial productions.
br
-tb
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Obsolete269031 Obsolete269031 https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=269031
- KVRer
- 9 posts since 20 Nov, 2011
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- KVRAF
- Topic Starter
- 3266 posts since 22 Sep, 2003 from under the sun
Thanks all, I'm sure now that my next purchase will be a decent set of monitors.