Each song's eq may appear best by itself, but if you sequence them together, suddenly one tune sounds too brilliant (or too dull ...). Adjusting the eq can even everything out. Pointer # 1: bear in mind that any eq modifications to your stereo mix affect the entire mix - if you wish to cut 3 db at 80Hz since your mix sounds muddy, remember to examine how that affects all the instruments (e.g. the vocal), not just the bass guitar and kick drum. Pointer # 2: if you're uncertain about an eq decision throughout mixdown, understand that it's simpler to cut lower frequencies in mastering than to increase them, and easier to enhance greater frequencies than to cut them. Compression: In mastering, this is used not simply to control a mix or to add character, however also to "print" or send as much level to the master as possible without clipping the signal. This can nearly feel like a competition for who has the loudest cd (" my record sounded terrific up until I listened on my CD carousel and Green Day was 5 db louder!"). Mastering engineers should balance level with sonic stability. Levels: Ideally, a listener can play your record and not need to get up to change the volume. This is dealt with in mastering, after the record has actually been sequenced. Only then can you really understand how levels relate to each other as one tune ends and the next begins.
Spacing & Crossfading.
Spacing: there are various philosophies regarding how one ought to approach the areas put in between songs on a record. Some feel the downbeat of one tune ought to fall at the start of a brand-new bar, in the tempo of the previous tune (to continue the flow.) Others believe you should prevent this like the plague, since it diminishes the effect. In the end, do whatever feels right. There is no requirement. Cross-fade your tunes if you like, or place 6 seconds between them. (2-4 seconds prevails in most popular, non-classical records, however it depends on you.) Final pointer: you may be inclined to master the very same recordings that you mixed, whether it is for financial factors, creative factors, or merely since you can. We highly recommend that you get somebody else to master your project. The objectivity and fresh ears they give the table invariably lead to a more powerful, more cohesive album.
Normal areas of concern for a mastering engineer are: equalization (eq), compression, levels (volume) relative from one tune to the next, and spacing in between tunes. Or you might have ten songs blended by three different engineers in five various studios.
Each tune's eq may seem best by itself, however if you sequence them together, all of a sudden one tune sounds too intense (or too dull ...). Suggestion # 1: remember that any eq modifications to your stereo mix impact the whole mix - if you want to cut 3 db at 80Hz since your mix sounds muddy, keep in mind to check how that affects all the instruments (e.g. the vocal), not just the bass guitar and kick Hip Hop Beats drum. Compression: In mastering, this is utilized not simply to control a mix or to add character, but likewise to "print" or send out as much level to the master as possible without clipping the signal.
