should I master a track BEFORE I mix it??

oscillate · 04-13-2016, 05:01 PM

The only thing you are going to get from a horrible service like Landr is a louder and more compressed version of your mix. The best thing you can do is try to learn as much as you can about the recording and mixing processes. This takes time, and if you need a recording out ASAP, you're going to have to involve people who have experience and the technical capabilities to record or mix your music. It's not something you can take a short cut to and get professional results.

You haven't given much information as to the type of music you are recording. If it's rock or some variation that relies on recording instruments with a microphone (guitar cabs, drums, etc.) then you will most definitely need a mix engineer who knows what he or she is doing. If you're going for a lo-fi, raw type of sound then you may be able to pull it off yourself, but since you're to the point where you're trying to master an individual instrument track to make it sound better, my guess is that you are not.

Software instruments are much easier to deal with because they do not have as many of the unpredictabilities that trained engineers know how to deal with. Everything from knowing when to EQ, compress, automate, layer, buss, and the many, many, many other things seasoned mix engineers have taken years to learn is vital to creating a vibrant and professionally sounding mix. Even with software instruments, you can't just wing it.

If you have the time, then spend it learning as much as you can and recording as much as you can. If you don't, you're better off finding the money and paying someone to do it right. We can do a lot on our own, but even those who make an album in their basement have been working on the skills needed to do so for years, and a lot of them have someone with more experience mix and master their music, even then.

Hope this helps.

04-13-2016, 05:01 PM	#5 (permalink)
oscillate Groupie Join Date: Jan 2016 Posts: 27	The only thing you are going to get from a horrible service like Landr is a louder and more compressed version of your mix. The best thing you can do is try to learn as much as you can about the recording and mixing processes. This takes time, and if you need a recording out ASAP, you're going to have to involve people who have experience and the technical capabilities to record or mix your music. It's not something you can take a short cut to and get professional results. You haven't given much information as to the type of music you are recording. If it's rock or some variation that relies on recording instruments with a microphone (guitar cabs, drums, etc.) then you will most definitely need a mix engineer who knows what he or she is doing. If you're going for a lo-fi, raw type of sound then you may be able to pull it off yourself, but since you're to the point where you're trying to master an individual instrument track to make it sound better, my guess is that you are not. Software instruments are much easier to deal with because they do not have as many of the unpredictabilities that trained engineers know how to deal with. Everything from knowing when to EQ, compress, automate, layer, buss, and the many, many, many other things seasoned mix engineers have taken years to learn is vital to creating a vibrant and professionally sounding mix. Even with software instruments, you can't just wing it. If you have the time, then spend it learning as much as you can and recording as much as you can. If you don't, you're better off finding the money and paying someone to do it right. We can do a lot on our own, but even those who make an album in their basement have been working on the skills needed to do so for years, and a lot of them have someone with more experience mix and master their music, even then. Hope this helps.