[…] the tutorial on album mastering setup I mention that I don’t burn CDs or create DDPs within REAPER, in favor of a better tool. In […]
Thomas
I would like to ask a silly question: you said, you use EQ, compression, multiband compression on individual tracks. Do you use any plugins on the master tracks when mixing those tracks? Or you have no plugins then, just here in mastering?
And can you tell me what is a separation plugin? I’ve never heard of it before.
Thanx
Admin
Hi Thomas
The master track may have meter plugins, but lately I’ve been using the Monitoring FX chain instead. The brickwall limiter and any effect I want the same for all songs goes on the “Submaster” folder track.
I may also send from individual tracks to a parallel compression track blended in fairly low.
I think I said Saturation plugin but may have misspoke. That would be analog tape and console emulations or other kind of enhancer that adds distortion.
Thomas
Saturation plugins – yes, I understand now 🙂
You said it right, I just haven’t heard this word too much, so I didn’t understand it (I am Hungarian).
Where can I find that Monitoring FX chain?
So: when mixing those individual tracks, you use only Monitoring effects, and no compression, no limiting, and nothing else.
Then, you import it into this mastering project, you create the submaster folder track, and there you add these plugins. And the master track in this project still doesn’t have any plugins?
Why is it better to add effects to a subfolder track, than to the master track?
Thank you very much for the help!!! I’m mixing and maybe mastering my bands second EP, Dressed In Black – Land Of The Dead.
Admin
Monitoring FX Chain can be found in the View menu. I think I’ll put out a tutorial soon. Basically it’s an FX chain that is applied after the master fader, but is not applied to your mixdowns, only playback. This chain is also saved with the REAPER GUI, rather than the project so once you set it up it’s in ALL your projects.
For that reason, you’ll probably want to limit your VSTs to meters and analysis tools.
I can skip the submaster in some mastering projects and use the master track for Ozone. It depends on the routing I might need to do.
This is fantastic, I’ve been shopping around what DAW to upgrade to from Garageband.. wasn’t sure if Reaper had everything I needed. But, Reaper plus EZkeys/drums seems to be the way to go.
pim v dorst
hallo john see you drop in every trk one by one…why not select all end go for the option import file s on seperate tracks…end move them…
Comments
14 responses to “Video: Mastering Project Setup”
RT @reaperblog: New Post – Video: Mastering Project Setup: http://t.co/sBjjAFU5Nv
RT @reaperblog: New Post – Video: Mastering Project Setup: http://t.co/sBjjAFU5Nv
Screw that Ryan guy, just do Reaper podcasts! just kidding.
Can’t wait to start mastering the G1 transformers soundtrack. I’ll use this video as a template!
Thanks for this post!
RT @reaperblog: New Post – Video: Mastering Project Setup: http://t.co/sBjjAFU5Nv
[…] the tutorial on album mastering setup I mention that I don’t burn CDs or create DDPs within REAPER, in favor of a better tool. In […]
I would like to ask a silly question: you said, you use EQ, compression, multiband compression on individual tracks. Do you use any plugins on the master tracks when mixing those tracks? Or you have no plugins then, just here in mastering?
And can you tell me what is a separation plugin? I’ve never heard of it before.
Thanx
Hi Thomas
The master track may have meter plugins, but lately I’ve been using the Monitoring FX chain instead. The brickwall limiter and any effect I want the same for all songs goes on the “Submaster” folder track.
I may also send from individual tracks to a parallel compression track blended in fairly low.
I think I said Saturation plugin but may have misspoke. That would be analog tape and console emulations or other kind of enhancer that adds distortion.
Saturation plugins – yes, I understand now 🙂
You said it right, I just haven’t heard this word too much, so I didn’t understand it (I am Hungarian).
Where can I find that Monitoring FX chain?
So: when mixing those individual tracks, you use only Monitoring effects, and no compression, no limiting, and nothing else.
Then, you import it into this mastering project, you create the submaster folder track, and there you add these plugins. And the master track in this project still doesn’t have any plugins?
Why is it better to add effects to a subfolder track, than to the master track?
Thank you very much for the help!!! I’m mixing and maybe mastering my bands second EP, Dressed In Black – Land Of The Dead.
Monitoring FX Chain can be found in the View menu. I think I’ll put out a tutorial soon. Basically it’s an FX chain that is applied after the master fader, but is not applied to your mixdowns, only playback. This chain is also saved with the REAPER GUI, rather than the project so once you set it up it’s in ALL your projects.
For that reason, you’ll probably want to limit your VSTs to meters and analysis tools.
I can skip the submaster in some mastering projects and use the master track for Ozone. It depends on the routing I might need to do.
[…] Video: Mastering Project Setup […]
This is fantastic, I’ve been shopping around what DAW to upgrade to from Garageband.. wasn’t sure if Reaper had everything I needed. But, Reaper plus EZkeys/drums seems to be the way to go.
hallo john see you drop in every trk one by one…why not select all end go for the option import file s on seperate tracks…end move them…
Could do that too. I’ve recently found a script that will do most of the setup automatically. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6AwfkIGJeK8