Tips for mastering an album with different sources (1 Viewer)

[Goodbye]

I'm putting together a compilation album & I have multiple sources

Some tracks are already mastered (taken from CD & don't want to touch as they are perfect but they are sitting next to unmastered recordings and recordings that are already mastered from someone else.

Is there anything I can do to make everything sit equally in the mix as part of one hole as the tunes flow into each other?

I don't want to select the whole lot and hit normalize as I don't want to effect the already mastered stuff.

Links/advice/suggestions most welcome

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

No budget for a mastering guy, or doing it yourself by choice?

 

[Anthony]

I'd say no budget is an understatement.

 

[Goodbye]

What anto said...

 

[lemonbravo]

'hit normalize'

If all you're worried about are relative levels, then just turn down all the mastered tracks until they're all at the same volume, relative to the un-mastered tracks. Then peak normalise to 0dBFS.

Then you won't really effect the sound mastered tracks. They will of course be queiter than they originally were, but they won't 'sound' any different and everything will be at the same level.

You're other alternative is to master the unmastered ones and then try and put them in an order that works best.

 

[Goodbye]

That makes sense. SO if I take down the mastered tracks considerably they wont be toooo effected by a tiny bit of limiter on the master fader?

 

[lemonbravo]

No they will be effected by a limiter. They won't be effected by lowering the gain.

If you want to use a limiter on the unmastered ones then put them on one channel with the limiter on an insert and then leave the mastered ones alone. Don't have anything on the master bus.

 

[GO]

Just whack the limiter on the ummastered stuff

 

[lemonbravo]

Generally I just use this to master:

 

[Goodbye]

No they will be effected by a limiter. They won't be effected by lowering the gain.

If you want to use a limiter on the unmastered ones then put them on one channel with the limiter on an insert and then leave the mastered ones alone. Don't have anything on the master bus.

Aye, I thought I'd just bus all the unmastered ones to a limiter after I posted that, & see if I can take their gain up to the already mastered stuffs level.

And THEN hit the big red normalize button!

 

[GO]

Bingo!Yer on a winner

 

[lemonbravo]

Aye, I thought I'd just bus all the unmastered ones to a limiter after I posted that, & see if I can take their gain up to the already mastered stuffs level.

And THEN hit the big red normalize button!

Cool. If they're crapping out, just bring down the level of the unmastered versions.
And then leave it as is, give the big red button a miss.

 

[Goodbye]

Okey dokey. I think its getting there. Beginning to make sense

Ain't easy considering that the mastered stuff has been mastered by different people. Trying to get everything to sound like its on the same record is a challenge to say the least

 

[Anthony]

Just think back to how you made compilation tapes. Play a bit of the original source, set the record level and go for it.

 

[RED(tape)MENACE]

I'd probably approach this by having each song on seperate tracks, roughly bringing the songs all down to the level of the quietest one and then fine tuning the balance / crossfades between them.
You could do your limiting and shit on individual tracks that way where necessary and normalize the stereo output or something.

 

[lemonbravo]

I'd probably approach this by having each song on seperate tracks, roughly bringing the songs all down to the level of the quietest one and then fine tuning the balance / crossfades between them.
You could do your limiting and shit on individual tracks that way where necessary and normalize the stereo output or something.

Indeed. The normal procedure in these situations would be to master each track separately, eq/dynamics etc.
And then adjust the relative volume levels, fades, track order etc. as a separate task.

 

[Goodbye]

Aye, everything is on individual tracks. Only way to do it really.

 

[lemonbravo]

Indeed. The normal procedure in these situations would be to master each track separately, eq/dynamics etc.
And then adjust the relative volume levels, fades, track order etc. as a separate task.

Looking back on this now you can see my post is totally different to redtape's.....
I admit I may have only scanned that post.

 

[Goodbye]

Think I got the hang of it.

My mantra has been less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more less is more


Thanks for the advice chaps

 

[GO]

its a good mantra