Making an Analog Album in a Home Studio - Episode Three 'Mastering'
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- Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
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This is episode three in a series of videos about the creation of a fully analog album in a home studio, and we're looking at mastering techniques. Please subscribe if you'd like to catch the next instalment, where we'll be looking at the duplication process onto cassette!
#Tascamportastudio
#TapeRecording
#Retrorecordingtechniques
#HifiVHSaudio
#yamahamx8x
#musicproduction
#analog
#mixtutorial
#analogmastering
#masteringtutorial
#KlarkEQP-KT
M.A.G.A.
make analog great again
Too right man! 🙌
You hit my Achilles heel when you said, "don't let perfection get in the way." I've wrestled with that for years.
It seems to be quite a common issue for us creative types. I’ve sometimes been so focused with getting every detail right, that I’ve become paralysed with perfectionism’s, and lose sight of the bigger picture. I now try to fight against it and aim to get things to be as good as I can do on the day, then move on.
@@wehappyfewmusic Same here. I've started shooting for 80% overall and giving myself a reasonable time limit.
@@david_matheny Good strategy!
@@wehappyfewmusic Thanks
@@david_matheny, great idea! Will try and implement.
Recently, realized some things are more important then other things (building off most regular folks wouldn't see or hear a difference).
Sounds Good.
Thanks, glad you like the sound!
Finally getting around to watching this video. I must say I've never seen anyone do mastering like this with two VCRs. Brilliant! I'm going to definitely want a copy of this cassette once it's out. ✌️❤️
Hey David, thanks very much for taking the time to watch the video and the kind words! I borrowed the two VCR mastering technique from Nathan at Dead Media Tapes, it’s a bit fiddly but a great way of doing analog mastering on a budget! 🙌❤️
Interesting workflow! Never seen this Focusrite compressor!:)
Thanks, yeah it’s one of their older models from the early 2000s. Useful bit of kit and was quite cheap 2nd hand.
Got nothing done on Ableton and clicking a mouse. Been thinking about going this route, because of the limited and rather simple workflow. The last piece of the puzzle I had in my head on how to mix down the Tascam 4-track, was the mastering. This solved it nicely. Gotta score some unused Maxel-tapes from the local fleamarket, and get the coffee boiling. Thanks!
Thanks for watching. Good luck with your project and I hope you can get your hands on some good tapes at the flea market!
Your approach to the sound is just amazing, pretty damn good. I know this is just an experiment. Based on what the sound processed by all analogue sounds like, we need to decide how we're gonna approach things from now on. Through the 3 episodes, all analogue thing is of course good, but maybe too much to just get great sound. Not only about cassette or mixer you were using, but all the expensive gears in the industry is being considered as a magic or what you need to buy to get the desired sound even if you could't afford them. All those myths is just because the engineers, the person who dedicated to the work was amazing. So transitioning in the industry to a hybrid system, where you primarily have a digital setup with a few hardware components, was the right choice, and it doesn't mean they're compromising on sound quality.That fact hit me and after i watched your videos, I realized I was into analogue realm too much recently. I made up my mind to sell my unused gears for more of creative moments. Thx so much for uploading this! I'm looking forward to the 4th！
Thanks very much for your comment and I know what you mean! It’s very easy to get obsessed with buying more gear, and it’s not necessarily going to make our recordings any better. It’s a great plan to sell your unused kit and have a more focused setup which allows you to get on with the main task of making good music. 👍
Great video Adie, I've learned a lot.
Hi, thanks very much for watching!
Fun to catch the premier! You’ve fleshed out your setup almost exactly as I plan to do - nicely done 👏🏻
Hey thanks for dropping by for the premiere, it was much appreciated! I ran out of time replying to your last question though and can’t remember what I was typing now😅. The two VCR’s and mixer are certainly a useful addition to my setup though, and open up some fun extra possibilities. 👍
@@wehappyfewmusic Yeah I think I was asking about using the A&H to assist w the EQ, but I think you said you did try to minimal effect. I can’t imagine what the bill would come to to fill even one full rack unit of mastering gear - it’s fun to watch someone with similar sensibilities do it all analog 🤘🏻
@@ericvannielsen oh, that was it! Yeah the mid controls on the mixer didn’t really do much to help. PS I bet a proper rack of mastering gear would be so expensive! I asked around various forums for advice about reasonable priced analog gear, and the cheap stuff seems to start from around 2k per unit. Out of my budget unfortunately 😬😊
The mastered tape sounds
to me like more beeing present on stage. Thank you
Oh cool, glad it comes across that way on the mastered tape. Thanks
Tricky subject, negated perfectly!
Thanks, yeah it’s probably the toughest stage so far TBH. Cheers for watching! 🙌
UA-cam actually recommended your Episode 1 to me while watching on my normal TV. And by Ep. #3 I thought you deserved a comment so I've got you on the TV, but I'm leaving a comment from my phone. haha (I thought you might like to know you're getting some algorithm-fed engagement.) That said, I'm really intrigued by a lot of what you have going on here. And I have to say, its difficult to exaggerate how pleasantly shocked I am by the drum mix you're getting ..especially considering your kick drum is *just a suitcase*. It's also interesting to see someone using the hi-fi VCR trick for a serious project. Really cool cool series, fella. Can't wait to see where it ends up. Cheers, from Columbia SC USA.
Hey man that’s awesome to hear I’m getting a bit of attention from UA-cam’s algorithm and thanks so much for watching the series so far! Episode 4’s taking a bit longer than I hoped (ordering supplies, artwork and general faffing 😅) but should be on its way soonish though. 👍
Epic i never thought abot 2 vcrs! i just thought about one dang very smart ty wow
Thanks buddy, it’s opens up your options with two ( and handy that VCR’s are so cheap to buy 😅).
@@wehappyfewmusic lol I have the tascam dp 008ex no not cassette butt 8 tracks, and all ready has a hifi sound about it. I test it side by side with my Yamaha 4-track cassette and the sound the same lol.butt I'm give it a go 2 vcrs with the tascam lol.
@@ephraimwarrior6766 Cool, It’s nice to have the choice of using a 4 & 8 track.
Smooth....
Thanks 🙏
Hey this video was awesome. Wish I could've heard the stuff from your daw when you were bypassing the klark teknik eqs to hear the difference. Looking forward to the album! I've been mixing all my stuff down to another type ii cassette on my Tascam 302 and just slamming it on there for compression that way. I do have a FMR Really Nice Compressor that I've considered using for mastering but it would likely suck most of the low end out of the mix.
Hey man glad you like the video! That’s a cool idea to use the Tascam 302 as a tape compressor rather than using an external unit. I might find I need to make some more adjustments at that stage with my material. Which tapes do you use for your final release cassettes?
@@wehappyfewmusic I am using a maxell type ii 60 minute cassette for the final mixdown for the newest music. As you know, it's another generation of loss but I kind of like the sound. Some of the stuff I've recorded in the past (notably one album I made entitled 'Trexillium and the Colonization of Zeer) was so heavily compressed during the tracking process that I didn't even need to use a limiter or anything after I mixed the song down to Logic from the cassette portastudio. I just bumped the master volume up to peak at -.1 db. I have used the adaptive limiter in Logic before with decent results as well on other projects.
@@Govier Oh yeah, I’ve listened to ‘Trexillium and the
Colonization of Zeer Vol.I’ on Spotify. I’d never of guessed you did all the compression on the tracking stage.
@@wehappyfewmusic I always compress during tracking that album just had some extreme compression on many of the things I recorded. Most of the compression came from a Klark Teknik LA-2A clone.
@@Govier I’m hoping to get the Klark LA-2A at some point, got it on a saved eBay search in case I get get a bargain 🤞🏻
Out of curiosity, could you also have used the Yamaha as a mastering mixer?
Yes I could have I guess. I like to keep the wear and tear down a bit on the Yamaha though. 🙂👍
Would a Hi-fi VCR not add its own layer of compression on top of the master? In my experience most of these VCR's use auto level correction as well as compression, so you're actually sucking out the dynamic range by the end.
That is a bit of a risk with HI-Fi VCR’s although in practice it doesn’t seem overly noticeable. This is where a fast speed reel to reel would be better as you have more control.
I think that those VCRs have line level standard at -10DBv (consumer audio level) and maybe you are losing some dynamic range there.
Good point. 👍
First
Thanks for watching, although I think you were 2nd this time. 😅🙌