Frisk
02-10-2002, 03:46 PM
Obviously, you're going to need a wave editor. There are some dedicated mastering packages out there that don't have wave editing, but if you're serious about it, you'll need a good wave editor. Sonic Foundry's Sound Forge or Steinberg's WaveLab are the favourites here, but both Cool Edit and SoundProbe are also fine for the task.
You'll also need plug-ins. Some wave editors come with really good plug-ins, but for best results you might need to get some extra ones. Waves UltraMaximizer or Sonic Foundry's WaveHammer are great for boosting the level and limiting the peaks. Steinberg's Loudness Maximizer is good too, but some find the results a little harsh. For EQ, you can use any good parametric or Graphic, but we recommend TL Audio's EQ-1 plug-in. It's warm, subtle and easy to use.
Finally, you'll need a good noise reduction plug-in. Sonic Foundry's own Noise Reduction 2 is one of the best for the money and does the job perfectly.
It goes without saying that you'll need some good monitors (and make sure they're on good speaker stands). If you haven't got any studio monitors, use the best hi-fi speakers you can get your hands on. A little trick that's well worth trying is to get hold of an old TV speaker or a single PC speaker (you know, the really tinny ones with no decent bandwidth) and connect it up in mono so you can switch to it and listen your master in mono. If you can't hear the bass on these, it's too low; and the vocal should sit proud in the mono mix - if it doesn't, go back to the mix. Keep listening to this little speaker every time you make a change to see how it will sound on smaller systems and TV.
You'll also need plug-ins. Some wave editors come with really good plug-ins, but for best results you might need to get some extra ones. Waves UltraMaximizer or Sonic Foundry's WaveHammer are great for boosting the level and limiting the peaks. Steinberg's Loudness Maximizer is good too, but some find the results a little harsh. For EQ, you can use any good parametric or Graphic, but we recommend TL Audio's EQ-1 plug-in. It's warm, subtle and easy to use.
Finally, you'll need a good noise reduction plug-in. Sonic Foundry's own Noise Reduction 2 is one of the best for the money and does the job perfectly.
It goes without saying that you'll need some good monitors (and make sure they're on good speaker stands). If you haven't got any studio monitors, use the best hi-fi speakers you can get your hands on. A little trick that's well worth trying is to get hold of an old TV speaker or a single PC speaker (you know, the really tinny ones with no decent bandwidth) and connect it up in mono so you can switch to it and listen your master in mono. If you can't hear the bass on these, it's too low; and the vocal should sit proud in the mono mix - if it doesn't, go back to the mix. Keep listening to this little speaker every time you make a change to see how it will sound on smaller systems and TV.