Mastering/Mixing...

[KFandC]

I'm trying to work on my mastering and mixing on an overall level, so i thought i could try improve by mastering someone elses style... so if anyone has a WIP on ableton could I get a file, just for mixing/mastering purposes... or may remix it

[Kreepr]

I suggest working on your mixing and then going to mastering, because mastering shouldn't be taken lightly, it should be done by a professional.

[Gastly]

it should be done by a professional.

How do you become a professional?

Practice, just keep trying 'til it sounds right

[Kreepr]

it should be done by a professional.

How do you become a professional?

Practice, just keep trying 'til it sounds right

No, there are rules to follow when you're mastering. You become a professional by going to school and getting your degree. It's not always what sounds right, but what should sound right on HUGE systems. Mastering is a process in which you use compression and limiting in order to get the full loudness of the track + getting rid of the high pop of the snare so it doesn't break horns on huge systems.

[Gastly]

You become a professional by going to school and getting your degree.

How did the first person become Professional?
And say I keep at music production for 10 more years, and become insanely good at Mastering would I still not be professional because I studied game design
And maximum loudness doesn't mean good mastering, listen to squarepusher alot of his stuff has not been made to be overpoweringly mad but the M&M is still great

[Rmonik]

It's true though, mastering is an extremely subtle art. You need to train your ears for years (if they still hear like they should, if they don't, you cannot master properly). If you can't mix down, you can't master. Which isn't really a problem because there's no point in mastering a bad mixdown anyway.

As for mixing, i found a site once that provided stems that you could use for educational purposes, you had to mix it down. I forgot what it was called though.

[Gastly]

I forgot what it was called though.

How...convinient

[nezvers]

Well mastering is an art, but I know few professionals that got there with practice and not school, but they are very good.
If you are mastering your own mixes that is considered as mixing, because you are related to your job and not judging mix right. Mastering is art because in it you gain best quality on ALL sound systems it could be played, yet being punchy, dynamic and loud. Also loudness is not thing you should be worried. There is lot of PROs that not trying to participate into loudness war and give track dynamic for it.
If you can get -11 average RMS you are in ballpark, but never go more than -8 (that never sound good). Always listen if track doesn't sound too squished on all sound systems you can try.
But mastering cover EQ, stereo imaging and reverb too.
Best if you can leave your mix couple days off so you can hear stuff with mint ears and forgotten how it sound, so you can hear where is some flaws to fix. If that is your mix you can go into mix and fix there better than in mastering stage. If you are MASTERING you need to do everything you got to change "mix" in way you think it should sound. Best tool is m/s processing (get vocal louder/ sound wider/ tighter low end/ etc).
I'm not pro but slowly getting into right direction into it. There is more stuff I haven't told there but it would need book for that

EDIT: I'm proud of record I done for buddy (co-produced/recorded/mixed/mastered + guest solo)
http://www.soundcloud.com/nezversstudio/henrijs-leja-k-b-lta-nezvers-1

[izotonik]

my mastering skills are very basic.
to make things louder I just put an ableton audio effect rack on the master with 2 parallel chains or at max 3. each chain at 0dbs adds +3 or 4dbs. it thickens the sound, better than mixing loud imo. instant clean loudness, no plugins!

[Rmonik]

Wut