I am almost done with my last session for the Hope / Worth 12" and I feel quite lucky that Steve B. stopped by this weekend, as I got to listen to the finals in a rental truck to make notes. The last session was yesterday night, but there is a definitive 'last' this weekend into Monday as I am employing one last track-by-track volume comparison before the final render (I have this).
This was a difficult record to make. I am loving it right now, but that's the truth of it. That's the conclusion if you want to stop reading. But I do need to make a few notes for future projects like the album that's to follow, although this is an album of sorts too. I mean, there are ten tracks on it (digital).
As far as difficulty? We were dealing with mixes created in 1992 before the use of computers (in my case), and these mixes were baked (no multi-track masters). In some cases, there are instances where the mixes were only instrumentals mixed to stereo DAT. In other cases, I was dealing with ProTools-generated masters from the time that Digidesign's converters were rather 'grainy' on the top end. 1992 was not the year of great converters. There was also an issue that came up later where I knew in my heart that two masters I'd held onto for 30+ years needed to have the vocals in them. These ADAT vocals needed to be synced to SMPTE, and that was its own nightmare scenario (although now I can do it almost in my sleep).
And now add the absurd idea in my head that the era of 1992 into 1993 should represent a smooth transition so these songs fit well together... Almost as if it were an album of sorts. And you have rather complex mix days followed by even nuttier mastering sessions. And indeed, this one release almost killed me. Believe it. I have two three-day migraines to prove it. But on to my notes...
One: Wait on dithering.
From now on, I will not apply dither until I am absolutely sure there will be no further processing.
Dither should always be the very last step. Not that double-dithering is a crime against nature, but when dealing with older material, it is a good practice to avoid this. As such, after this last session, I decided against dithering because the previous session had done it. And for those that have no idea what dithering is you can ask me on the stream or something. Oh, alright.
Basically, dither is adding low-level noise to a stereo master so that the fades and soloed low-level material don't exhibit any quantization distortion. In my case, I use noise as musical fodder, so it isn't all that important. Also, dithering, in my opinion, is not as needed with the analog conversion process with today's insanely great converters (even an Amazon cheapie is better than converters from 1992). But I have special dithering, so I will leave it at that. So remember, wait for the very last render. Or, have two versions of the material to render and listen for the reverb tails and fades. I suppose there's no harm in having two files so long as they are properly named. Side note: Name everything clearly!
Two: Mix for Digital
I think the idea of mixing for digital at this point on this version of Earth is the best route. One thing I cannot understand is why people want to listen to Vinyl/iTunes/Spotify versions of 24-bit material when they can hear exactly what came out of my head into the studio. Hell, they can easily replicate my listening environment if they like listening on headphones. So I do not understand this fascination with mediums that no longer serve us. CDs are great though, as at least they maintain the exact loudness, just don't overdo the volume because you can. This brings me to a final note to self...
Three: Keep The Dynamics
I preach it, then I fall for the volume trap that every poptart falls for in the mix, master, artist, and engineer when implicating the 'competition mindset'. I have to stop falling for it. I need to commit that while yes, I want the master to cut through, what is important is REAL volume versus limited/compressed fake volume. Real volume leaves the quiet parts quiet so that when the shit hits the fan, windows can shatter and break. That's what I want. If everything is represented at 0db because of those three L2s... All you have is a loud mess that does not truly bump. This is why Classical music is sometimes louder and fuller than rock these days (see for yourself what happens when you turn either up in your stereo).
So in the future, mix into a nice glue compressor, but go in light. Think back to the 1960s stuff I love, how it bumps, and all the 1977-1989 stuff. This is why I believe people love vinyl. I think that they think the music is moving in 3D. Little do they know that this is 100x possible in digital if we'd just leave the master the fuck alone. I cannot be clearer with myself or you out there. Don't be loud just because the industry standard tells you this, or you have the imposter syndrome little man in your head telling you that IF your stuff isn't loud when the volume knob is at 3 you are not a professional. Give that shit up already. Music is supposed to be dynamic.
I guess that's it.