[linux-audio-user] Mastering; Rezound, fir filter, digital clipping

[R Parker]

--- Daniel James <daniel at mondodesigno.com> wrote:
> > JAMin cant currently run without jack, the i/o +
> processing code is
> > very complicated and making it work for i/o
> systems in addition to
> > JACK would make it even worse.
> 
> Fair enough.

Besides the JAM of JAMin is an acronym JACK Audio
Master. :)

> > you can link jamin to your ardour (or insert name
> > of favourite multitrack editor) session and make
> individual level
> > changes to source tracks, rather than messing with
> EQ in the
> > mastering stage. Several of us think this is the
> Right ThingTM and
> > should be encoruaged.
> 
> I understood (eg, from the interview with Chris
> Gehringer of Sterling 
> Sound in June 2003 SoS) that mastering engineers
> didn't actually like 
> working on projects which aren't mixed down. It
> seems to me that what 
> you're describing is remixing rather than mastering.

Put into other words, Steve is saying that JAMin
creates a greater distinction between the
responsibilities of mixing and mastering engineers
when using the multitrack as the source to the
mastering application.

Mastering engineers often discover mix problems
because mastering is being performed on different
monitors and in differnt rooms. The primary objective
of mastering is to make sure the mix sounds great
everywhere that it's played. The odds for achieving
that objective are greatly improved everytime a new
monitor and room tell you a new story about a mix.

Consider a mix in the mastering studio where the new
accoustical environment reveals that the kick drum
boom is 5db to hot.

The traditional solution when mastering stereo files
is to cut 5db of 250Hz. The problem with that is many
instruments rely on 250Hz to give them the correct
presence. So cutting 5db on the stereo file has a
negative affect on those other instruments. Thus a
situation for compromise is created.

Of course when using the multitrack as the mastering
source, the solution is to cut the kick drum by 5db.
No compromise is created and the amount of time for
achieving the maximum sonic potential for that mix is
significanlty reduced. 

It's important to maintain the distinct roles of
mixing and mastering but that's a no brainer, simply
do not use JAMin until you've exausted the
opportunities for improving the mix.

The only problem we can't solve with multitrack
sources for mastering is how to put ten of them on an
timeline. That's not a particularly pretty session.
This problem will probably cause many people to forgo
the multitrack mastering source strategy and use JAMin
in conjuction with a JACK wav editor player like
Rezound.

> Surely if you're going to EQ or otherwise filter
> individual tracks, 
> this should be well out of the way before mastering
> commences?

Absolutely not, see above.

 LADSPA 
> already makes this possible, with a fine collection
> of plugins. But 
> maybe JAMin is one of those new paradigm things...

JAMin makes the absolute otpimal mastering environment
achievable. Thus a new paradigm. :) Unfortunately
there's the problem with managing many multitrack
songs within one session. Until that problem is
solved, multitracks as sources for mastering will
never replace stereo track mastering which is
unfortunate.

I better get some coffee and shutup, 

ron

> > jamin may grow the ability to write files out
> OTOH, for when you
> > dont want to suck it back into your multitrack,
> and I think the
> > eventual idea is to make loading a simple wav file
> via a jack file
> > player pretty transparent.
> 
> Presumably if the mastering plugins are all LADSPA
> based they might be 
> available to all LADSPA clients eventually? Looking
> at Glame 1.0, 
> this could be a particularly suitable platform
> because it allows you 
> to build LADSPA filter networks in a drag and drop
> gui, and also 
> offers file analysis on import and various options
> for normalisation. 
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Daniel


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