Quentin Harley wrote: > Ralf Mardorf wrote: >> Quentin Harley wrote at >>> http://www.64studio.com/howto-mastering >> >> Two notes >> >> "Place the dB SPL meter to measure exactly in the spot where your >> head would be while seated at the mastering rig." >> >> One of the problems ;). To be honest there are low-coast dB SPL >> meters, e.g. "DIGITAL SOUND 8928" for 39.00 EUR at Thomann. >> http://www.thomann.de/de/digital_sound_8928.htm >> I would recommend to lend a more expensive one, if someone has the >> right room, where measuring in the first place can be useful. But I >> might be wrong, maybe db SPL meters like this one are fine too. If >> you do the mastering in your flat or in a "studio" that is lined with >> molded pulp egg carton or other nonsense you don't need to do any >> measuring, because it's useless. >> For near field monitors you need to keep your head at one place, but >> most of the mixing is done with other monitors, because you can't do >> a good job, when you aren't able to move around. >> You need to check that the sound is fine on cheap equipment and able >> to fit to the broadcasting laws of your country, so you need another >> expensive pair of monitors, e.g. Auratone or a special device called >> Optimod and a phase correlation for the analogue signal, if you won't >> use home-recording tricks, but the professional way. > > For this application it is not critical. You only need to make sure > that you adjust all your monitors the same, and that you reach a SPL > level of around 83dB
Okay :), sounds plausible, the home-recording tricks I prefer might be more vague. >> "Do not use the limiter too much, because the limiter has a >> distortion like effect on the audio, best left alone it possible." >> >> It should be possible to bypass the limiter, while recording with >> headroom that isn't optimized to the "loudness war", but referring to >> Katz's method. Speakers are more important for the mastering, but >> especially an unpleasant limiting for e.g one hit of a cymbal can be >> better perceived by using good headphones. I'm using AKG K240DF, when >> I bought it, it was the best studio headphone, today's studio >> headphones are much better, but modern headphones are very expensive >> and a soft slap can damage modern headphones very easily. > > Here I agree. I don't use the limiter at all, but some might want to > employ it as a failsafe. Used in this manner it does not create problems. As you said, a limiter can cause distortion similar to an overdrive. There are two technical reasons for this. 1. E.g. a guitar overdrive made by transistors is cutting sine waves, so that they become similar to a square wave at the top of the waves. If a limiter detains the wave to reach it's top level, it will have a similar effect. 2. The input of a limiter can become "really" overdriven itself, then we will get real overdrive or clipping, before the limiter can detain the signal. It's not that I guess Katz is wrong, I'm only sceptic that if somebody ask how to do a mastering, while he might has "just" a studio in the box, that he can use tips that sometimes need professional equipment. Cheers, Ralf _______________________________________________ 64studio-users mailing list [email protected] http://lists.64studio.com/mailman/listinfo/64studio-users
