Hi there,
i haven't been around here for a while, and i hope i'm in the right subsection. So, i was wondering, do you think there's a definitve too-much on the master bus? IE a number of plugins beyond which it cannot be a good idea too add more?
I'm producing experimental electronic music, 95% in the box, mostly pop-related stuff in the broadest sense, but everything very homebrewn, and all over the place genrewise. Much, much more synth-sounds than any Kontakt-like stuff, lots of drum action going on. I'm not mixing anything for clients.
So, on my master bus i've got a mastering comp after an eq, both for very slight action, but critical. Then there's some Oeksound stuff, sometimes it sounds better without soothe, but some soothe early in the chain mostly sounds better. Then theres Gulfoss, where else would it be. Pretty early in the chain is the Softube Tubetech channel, because i mostly like its distinct character, even with minimal or no processing. If this one is too much, you can switch of its single parts of it. Then theres one or more compressors for slight compression and/or colouring, plus one or more things to add some sort of careful saturation. That adds up to twelve or so plugs, and when i'm using them all, and balancing the settings while balancing gain is quite some work.
I use this fatchain far less for any kind of problem solving and more to beef up and glue the original tracks.
The results sound mostly cool, though not everything is switched on every time of course. I get the feeling that this is a somewhat whack way of producing, though i have no reference. Is it?
Also, how much compression do you guys put on the masterbus in general?
Many Greetings,
Zong
When is there too much on the Stereo Bus?
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Winstontaneous Winstontaneous https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=98336
- KVRAF
- 2351 posts since 15 Feb, 2006 from Berkeley, CA
Does your current FX chain work for you or do you not like the way it sounds? Any artists whose work you reference, and do you feel you're getting close? Any links to stuff you're working on?
I'll generally start with a safety limiter and highpass filter on master, then add other stuff (EQ, compression, saturation) only as needed so it doesn't get overcooked...To the "how much compression on the masterbus" question, it depends on a lot:
Do you know how to compress so that it serves the material (attack and release times are key here)?
Does the style you're doing typically call for buss compression (esp. sidechained)?
Is what you're doing for final release, or will it be mastered by a pro (if so, leave them room to do their own compression)?
I'll generally start with a safety limiter and highpass filter on master, then add other stuff (EQ, compression, saturation) only as needed so it doesn't get overcooked...To the "how much compression on the masterbus" question, it depends on a lot:
Do you know how to compress so that it serves the material (attack and release times are key here)?
Does the style you're doing typically call for buss compression (esp. sidechained)?
Is what you're doing for final release, or will it be mastered by a pro (if so, leave them room to do their own compression)?
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- KVRer
- Topic Starter
- 4 posts since 20 Feb, 2021
Hey, thanks for the reply! I really don't have much to reference to sound wise... some of my stuff sounds like some copy (but worse 
) from M84, other tracks sound like really dry hip hop. I'm still playing around a lot and looking for cohesion (stylistically), hence the massive master chain probably. I like the sounds... overcooking vs. transparency is one important point in my mix stage though... and I tend to think that I dialed in some sound in Hive and then pushed five keys on a keyboard, so how would I even benefit from transparency.
) from M84, other tracks sound like really dry hip hop. I'm still playing around a lot and looking for cohesion (stylistically), hence the massive master chain probably. I like the sounds... overcooking vs. transparency is one important point in my mix stage though... and I tend to think that I dialed in some sound in Hive and then pushed five keys on a keyboard, so how would I even benefit from transparency.-
- KVRian
- 598 posts since 10 Jan, 2017
12 plugins on a master bus is quite a lot in my experience... but there are no rules. How does it sound and are you happy with it? 
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Hermetech Mastering Hermetech Mastering https://www.kvraudio.com/forum/memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=7418 - KVRAF
- 1619 posts since 30 May, 2003 from Milan, Italy
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- KVRist
- 196 posts since 12 Sep, 2007
Right ‒ especially when the approach is, as per the OP, an "experimental" one. Only the author is able to determine if the result is within the scope of his/her experiments. Nothing is forbidden.
