DIY Mastering

When this February's issue of Electronic Musician arrived in the mail, I was quick to notice “Do-It-Yourself Mastering” in a large font on its front cover. Immediately, I felt my blood pressure rise and I thought, “Here we go again on how to master in your basement with a set of Tannoy speakers, a Mackie board, and the latest version of Steinberg WaveLab.” It's not that I have anything against those products. It's just that I often read about cheap mastering services being made available or about users thinking that with the right software, a couple of VST plug-ins, and a decent pair of speakers, you're ready to master your finished project.

I read time after time with great frustration suggestions from end users that mastering is a simple process that takes little effort or money. For example, one user forum that I visit frequently recently suggested a plug-in for a well-known sequencing program that will “do it all.” In fact, that same plug-in has a preset labeled Mastering, as if to say “Use it, and you're good to go”!

Michael Cooper's thorough article on mastering quickly puts all those myths to rest. As an independent musician who has released two CDs to date (both of which have enjoyed considerable radio play), my 20-plus years of sound engineering in the broadcast industry has opened my eyes to many things, including mastering. It's because of this knowledge that I chose to hire the best mastering facility that I could afford when preparing for manufacturing. It's for all the same reasons that Michael Cooper explains in his article: if you want to produce a CD properly, you replicate rather than reproduce.
Tony G
via email

I am a music composer and producer and have been an avid reader of EM for the past few years. Along with EM, I have been reading and researching numerous resources on recording, mixing, mastering, and anything in reference to digital audio. I recently started mastering my own tracks to cut down on the high cost of professional mastering.

On the cover of the February 2007 issue of EM, the highlighted feature is titled “Do-It-Yourself Mastering.” At first glance I was thrilled, because I definitely need assistance with mastering. But after reading the article, I felt that it was poorly written and didn't cover important topics that one needs to know about to improve mastering techniques. The article basically informed readers on what to do before mastering a track. It's common knowledge that one would need good monitors, a tuned studio, reference speakers, and plug-ins. I was expecting techniques, tips, and tricks that would further my mastering skills. I'm positive that many readers felt the same way.

Although I was disappointed with the February issue, EM has been a big help over the years. With the extensive databases and product reviews in the print magazine and on the Web site (www.emusician.com), no one can match the knowledge that you provide.
Paul M. Sikora
Middletown, New Jersey

On VCOs

Regarding the write-up for the Cyndustries Zeroscillator in the “2007 Editors' Choice Awards” (see the January 2007 issue of EM): an article in a 1981 issue of Electronotes discusses building a through-zero VCO. So although it appears that Cynthia Webster of Cyndustries was the first person to manufacture and sell a through-zero VCO, the idea, in fact, dates back to the 1970s.

It's sad that FM synthesis wasn't very popular until the Yamaha DX7 came out. It seems to me that modular synths are ideal for FM experimentation. The Metasonix VCO is deliberately designed for high control-voltage sensitivity that allows a person to frequency modulate its input. But there is still nothing like the Cyndustries VCO. Now if only the users would try something unusual …
Eric Barbour
Metasonix
via email

Eric — FM synthesis wasn't popular before the DX7 for good reasons. FM, especially as implemented in modular synths, was unintuitive compared with subtractive analog, and few people could use it skillfully. Yamaha did a great job of developing FM into the commercial DX-series products, providing a practical user interface, a nice selection of factory-preset sounds, onboard patch storage, good industrial design, and MIDI support, which wasn't a given at that time. Even so, programming the DX7 was daunting, so most DX7 owners relied on factory sounds and commercial libraries. The bottom line is that FM became popular because Yamaha figured out how to properly package it.
— Steve O

E-text

Thank you for putting your articles online. I'm blind, and accessing printed text can therefore be a big challenge, but my computer's speech software reads your Web pages perfectly.

Many thanks, and keep up the awesome work!
Monty Anderson
Honolulu, Hawaii

Monty — Thanks for your comments. I'm glad the archives are useful. Incidentally, the May 2007 issue of EM will have a feature on studio problem solving for sight-, hearing-, and mobility-impaired musicians. I hope you find it useful as well!
— Steve O

We Welcome Your Feedback

Address correspondence to:

Letters
Electronic Musician
6400 Hollis Street, Suite 12
Emeryville, CA 94608

or email us at emeditorial@emusician.com.

Published letters may be edited for space and clarity.