KVR Audio

Caine123 · Post by **Caine123** » Thu May 25, 2023 6:11 pm

as always this is subjective and i always vary from genre to genre and try out new toys!

what do you think about this (of course adjusted and nit 100% wet used)

EQ
Multiband Comp
elysia Museq Master
Gulfoss
SmartComp2
SSL Comp
TEOTE
Inflator
Monofilter
Limiter

normally i wanted to use Adaptiverb, Satin in somethine to exchange but i dunno which slot and if it works well.

kritikon · Post by **kritikon** » Thu May 25, 2023 9:03 pm

First impression is...why do you think you need several of each type of FX in your mastering? 4 compressors in there and nobody needs 4 compressors on any track. And then several Eq gadgets...if your Eq balance is so wrong, you need to go back and sort out a lot more in your mixing. Just saying...

Igro · Post by **Igro** » Thu May 25, 2023 9:11 pm

So we need another topic, right?

Funkybot's Evil Twin · Thu May 25, 2023 9:22 pm

Is your room treated? And/or are you using room correction for your monitors? The first thing is: are you hearing what's really there and will it translate? Once I got the room treated and monitors calibrated, I'd still even consider something like the Slate headphones with the virtual rooms for mix checking.

Next set of questions: why so many plugins? Is that a "static" mastering chain where every song goes through all of that? Why? What if it doesn't need all of that?

Also, are you mastering as you mix? That SSL bus compressor stuck out. I'm not opposed to throwing a buss compressor on the 2-bus during mixing, or even a touch of EQ. But I'm not sure any "mastering engineers" are using one in that particular setting. So I'd suggest: split up the processes if you're not already. Finish the mix, render two a 2 track stereo file, then master that song, or songs (EP, album, etc) from the 2-track file.

aberration123 · Post by **aberration123** » Thu May 25, 2023 10:10 pm

Retracted your honour.

aberration123 · Post by **aberration123** » Thu May 25, 2023 10:17 pm

Retracted your honour.

aberration123 · Post by **aberration123** » Thu May 25, 2023 10:21 pm

Retracted your honour.

aberration123 · Post by **aberration123** » Thu May 25, 2023 10:23 pm

Retracted your honour.

Caine123 · Post by **Caine123** » Thu May 25, 2023 11:03 pm

thx a lot guys, i will upload video very soon. somehow i find e.g. Gullfoss is different than TEOTE, and both combined somehow work pretty nice, so just as an example but maybe i can get rid of one

MogwaiBoy · Post by **MogwaiBoy** » Fri May 26, 2023 6:07 am

You know what could kill 75% of that mastering chain?.... Maximus. Go onnnnnnn.

Ronny Pries · Post by **Ronny Pries** » Fri May 26, 2023 10:04 am

Caine123 wrote: ↑Thu May 25, 2023 6:11 pm as always this is subjective and i always vary from genre to genre and try out new toys!

what do you think about this (of course adjusted and nit 100% wet used)

EQ
Multiband Comp
elysia Museq Master
Gulfoss
SmartComp2
SSL Comp
TEOTE
Inflator
Monofilter
Limiter

Without knowing more about your context, I've just got questions:

- What's your goal?
- Which formats and platforms are you mastering for?
- What purpose does each plugin serve you?
- How does it do that?

I don't know how to have a specific, valuable and actionable conversation without specific answers to anything above. Otherwise, my thought is:

"Wow, that's a lot of plugins. I wonder how much should rather be addressed in the mix.

And: can people who reply without knowing more read your mind? In my experience, working with assumptions produces vague results."

aberration123 · Post by **aberration123** » Fri May 26, 2023 11:01 am

Please feel free to watch these and take from them what you will.

https://youtu.be/5UT42-ur080

MJACau · Post by **MJACau** » Sat Jun 03, 2023 11:55 pm

I think waterfall plugin is snake oil, but that's just me.

MichaelWhiteMusic · Post by **MichaelWhiteMusic** » Sun Jun 04, 2023 3:17 am

For me, personally I always had a lot of stuff in the master, sometimes subtle others more aggresive, but one day I decided to compare that big mastering chain vs an EQ + clipper + prol2 and it sounded 100 times better than with all the other stuff

sircuit · Post by **sircuit** » Mon Jun 05, 2023 11:34 pm

TL;DR Learn how to mix first, then the master bus chain will reveal itself

Nothing to improve, that's objectively just a random collection of plugins with a limiter last in the chain. I suggest you start with just a limiter on the master chain then mix like there's no tomorrow. It takes hundreds of finished mixes to really understand your needs for the master bus chain.

The master bus chain should only enhance the mix, not fight to fix your mixing mistakes. Slapping gullfoss is already a big red flag. Slapping teote is a second big red flag -- these things will badly punish the tonal balance of the mix with no concern for how you actually want it to sound. Just get a perfeclty mastered song, pass it through these and be amazed by how "wrong" these plugs will consider the mix to be and how much they want to change.

Slapping 3 fullband compressors makes no sense either. The multiband is useful but I'm absolutely convinced is not set up properly, so better without it at your current competence.

The monofilter i suppose is a low end mono maker aka a Side HPF? If yes, it may be needed if you master a song (and you only have access to the stereo file). If you produce your music, take care of that on the tracks. Makes no sense to punish the phase of the entire Side for just a too wide bass.

Inflator? That's the only subjective plugin in your chain. I'd take it out and learn to properly saturate the individual tracks. And then, decide if the master bus chain still needs saturation.

The position of the EQ in the chain is also debatable. Find out what you actually tend to eq more, and decide the positionof the eq in the chain also in the context of what other plugins there are in the chain

Improve my Mastering Chain