[James[_2_]]

I have a presonus firepod hooked up to a IMAC using Cubase software.
I am happy with Cubase as far as the multitracking, but I need to find
some mastering software. I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

Thanks
James

[Laurence Payne[_2_]]

On Tue, 30 Dec 2008 06:14:14 -0800 (PST), James
wrote:

I have a presonus firepod hooked up to a IMAC using Cubase software.
I am happy with Cubase as far as the multitracking, but I need to find
some mastering software. I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

I'm not sure what "industry standard volume level" is. But you have
tools in Cubase to increase perceived "loudness" by applying
compression and bringing the maximum level right up to the top of the
scale. The compresser in Cubase is as good as as anything you'll get
for free. Certainly you should play with that before looking for
anything more complicated.

[Mike Rivers]

James wrote:

I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

You probably won't like this answer, but "mastering" is a skill, not a
tool. You probably have enough tools in Cubase to start learning to do
the sort of tweaks that a mastering engineer does. Start experimenting.

If you want to read a good book about the process and the tools (but
without a step-by-step "try this" guide) Mastering Audio by Bob Katz and
The Mastering Engineer's Handbook by Bobby Owsinski are two good ones.


--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me he
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
)

[Nate Najar]

On Dec 30, 9:14*am, James wrote:
I have a presonus firepod hooked up to a IMAC using Cubase software.
I am happy with Cubase as far as the multitracking, but I need to find
some mastering software. *I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... * Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? * Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

Thanks
James

while i'm inclined to agree with what mike and laurence said, if you
don't want to use cubase and would rather use a dedicated program that
makes it easy to do basic things to a stereo file like compress,
normalize, trim, fade, etc.... Peak LE is a good one and is
inexpensive. and you can burn cd's right from it.

N

[Ethan Winer]

"mastering" is a skill, not a tool.

Indeed Mike. It also requires excellent monitors in a room that's as flat
and neutral as possible. Which other software or hardware one uses is mostly
irrelevant.

--Ethan

[Powell]

"James" wrote

I have a presonus firepod hooked up to a IMAC using Cubase software.
I am happy with Cubase as far as the multitracking, but I need to find
some mastering software. I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

" industry standard volumn level" there is no such thing.
Are you referring to the Red Book standards for audio
CDs? Setting final loudness for your CD is a function of
the target audience your media is intended for... such as
loudness levels for classical music as opposed to super
compressed heavy metal, for example.

[[email protected]]

On 2008-12-30 ethanwatethanwinerdotcom said:
"mastering" is a skill, not a tool.
Indeed Mike. It also requires excellent monitors in a room that's
as flat and neutral as possible. Which other software or hardware
one uses is mostly irrelevant.
BOth gentlemen are right, and I probably shouldn't even wade
into this thread, because I"m going to be accused of
urinating in somebody's cornflakes.

IF you have to ask the questions the op asks you probably
don't have the room or the skill to do mastering anyway.
tHe basic toys erm tools you have should allow you to play.
IF you really intend it for release do as you've been doing
and hire somebody with the tools/skills to do real
mastering, and play, have fun and learn something with the
tools ya got.





Richard webb,
replace anything before at with elspider

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
--- Benjamin Franklin, NOvember 1755 from the
Historical review of Pennsylvania

[James[_2_]]

On Dec 30, 11:12*am, "Powell" wrote:
"James" wrote

I have a presonus firepod hooked up to a IMAC using Cubase software.
I am happy with Cubase as far as the multitracking, but I need to find
some mastering software. *I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... * Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? * Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

" industry standard volumn level" *there is no such thing.
Are you referring to the Red Book standards for audio
CDs? *Setting final loudness for your CD is a function of
the target audience your media is intended for... such as
loudness levels for classical music as opposed to super
compressed heavy metal, for example.

I went through Disk Factory through Musicians friend to burn 100
cd's. I am using their terminology for mastering to industry
standards. I guess what I am mainly trying to achieve is a
consistent volume level for each song. Say for a four song CD, one
song is not blasting me out of the car and other so low I cannot hear
it while not changing the volume on the stereo. There was that
consistency on how they did it.
As far as what I am trying to achieve is some consistency when I
release individual tunes to upload digitally.

I do appreciate all of the suggestion!!!
Thanks
james

[Mike Rivers]

Powell wrote:

" industry standard volumn level" there is no such thing.
Are you referring to the Red Book standards for audio
CDs?

No, I think he's referring to the pop music industry standard practice
(which has sadly trickled over into other genres) of making the
deliverable product play as loud as possible for the playback hardware.


--
If you e-mail me and it bounces, use your secret decoder ring and reach
me he
double-m-eleven-double-zero at yahoo -- I'm really Mike Rivers
)

[Scott Dorsey]

Laurence Payne wrote:

I'm not sure what "industry standard volume level" is.

"Industry Standard Loudness" is what used to be called "Distorted as ****"
when we were younger. Remember, if you can still understand the words,
the track isn't loud enough.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

[Richard Crowley]

"Scott Dorsey" wrote...
"Industry Standard Loudness" is what used to be called "Distorted as ****"
when we were younger. Remember, if you can still understand the words,
the track isn't loud enough.

Considering the many of the words that are put to "music" these days,
that may be a *good* thing.

[Richard Kuschel]

On Dec 30, 8:37*am, Nate Najar wrote:
On Dec 30, 9:14*am, James wrote:

I have a presonus firepod hooked up to a IMAC using Cubase software.
I am happy with Cubase as far as the multitracking, but I need to find
some mastering software. *I paid a cd replica company to master my
recordings to the industry standard volumn level etc... * Are there
any recommendations for software that could handle this for a
beginner? * Is there any decent free or shareware to do this?

Thanks
James

while i'm inclined to agree with what mike and laurence said, if you
don't want to use cubase and would rather use a dedicated program that
makes it easy to do basic things to a stereo file like compress,
normalize, trim, fade, etc.... Peak LE is a good one and is
inexpensive. *and you can burn cd's right from it.

N

Unfortunately, Peak is one of the few programs that can be considered
a "mastering" program for a mac.

I have found it to be buggy, It tends to crash when I save. Not every
time. Only when I have done a ton of work that I don't want to repeat.

I have Peak Pro.

The EQ plug-ins and compression Plug-Ins that come with Peak are
absolutely Doo Doo. (technical term) Get some decent Waves plugs.

In its defense, Sound Soap Pro has been an excellent noise reduction
program and the impulse verb that comes with Peak Pro is extremely
fine sounding, though very slow in implementation.

After I get a new Mac Pro, i will be dumping Peak for a real mastering
program like Sound Blade.