AA2 - Week 11 - Mastering

I miss you, please come back soon C24...

I was surprised at how much louder I could get my mix sounding when incorporating the multi-band compressors, however I think I may have overcompressed the lower end, as the kick drum seems to have lost a bit of its punch. After mixing it down, I imported it into Audacity to see if I could bring it up even further. I would usually just use the 'Amplify' option, however this time I duplicated the file onto a separate track, and used the previously mentioned 'Matrix Spatialiser' to change the stereo field so that it was at a full 180 degrees, meaning it sounds like it is directly behind you. I mixed this back into the original track, so not only did it amplify the wave but added a fuller sound to the whole thing. The effect of this can particularly be heard on the snare hit at the end of the first chorus, where it sounds as if it is hit in front of you then reverbs way out to either side. I am also pleased with the nearly-wall-of-sound level that the humorously emotional ending has, which was thanks to a fairly wide midrange compression. Overall I still did not reach the volume of the likes of Nine Inch Nails, but I guess 'mastery' comes with experience. Eh? EH!? Yeah.

~MP3 312KB Unmastered extract~
~MP3 367KB Mastered extract~

~MP3 3.69MB Mastered complete~

David Grice “Audio Arts, Week 11: Mastering” Tutorial presented at Studio 2, Electronic Music Unit, University of Adelaide, 22nd of May, 2007.