Which plugins are on your stereo bus? Why?

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So whats wrong with mixing, then putting Ozone on your master and being done with it?
Deep Purple wrote: Tue Feb 19, 2019 3:02 am
legendCNCD wrote: Mon Feb 18, 2019 1:44 pm NOTHING.

Mix needs to be sounding like a master in all the other ways except volume/limit :)
Exactly the reason I have nothing on my master bus. The only thing I am interested in doing in my DAW is mixing; mastering is something I take to another tool (Ozone in my case).

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1. Mastering:
Finishing a song and producing a file export for delivery.

2. Mastering:
Sending the mix to a mastering pro for finishing touches and producing an export for delivery.

If you are not doing #2, then whether you add "mastering" to the master bus, or on a separate session, it doesn't matter. You are still just using the same mixer (person) to mix the same project to taste and then export to meet delivery specs. The song is not more "mastered" either way, any approach taken is just a matter of preference.

Personally, I think the real trick is to output all your tracks and buses to a global bus called "mastering". Then you output the "mastering" bus to the 2-bus. But you put all the processing in the "mastering" bus, not the 2-bus. This way, you can stand proud of not using any plugins in the master bus, and still master the song in the same session. When a fellow KVR mixer asks: "what's on your master bus?", you say: "nothing, the 2-bus is for amateurs". Then your friend asks: "how come your song is set to exactly -14lufs?", you say: "oh, is it? I guess I nailed the plugins before the master bus. whatever."

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I don't even bother trying to "master. If i have something worth mastering I'll send it to a professional who does this stuff day in and day out. Honestly I'd rather focus on making music, sound design and mixing.
Last edited by V0RT3X on Sat Mar 30, 2019 10:28 pm, edited 1 time in total.
:borg:

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SoundPorn wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:07 am So whats wrong with mixing, then putting Ozone on your master and being done with it?
Nothing if that works for you.

Traditionally mixing is done in the studio to get the track to sound the way that the producer and/or artist want it to sound - getting the right sound for each track, setting levels throughout the track, cross-fades, etc. Mastering has traditionally been the act of taking a finished mix and preparing it for the release format (vinyl, CD, download, etc.).

If you master at the same time as mixing down you're trying to perform two different tasks at the same time. Sometimes mastering can make small changes that affect the way the final mix sounds, but if you then go back and make changes to the mix, your mastering will get screwed up, and you enter a loop of back and forth with that. Doing them separately means you get the best mixdown possible before you master.

Mixing your track with the track levels, dynamics and headroom needed for mastering is what you should be working towards as a mixdown engineer. Thinking about mastering at the same time will probably dilute your ability to perform either task as well as you can.
Sweet child in time...

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Nugen Sigmod is the only plugin I use everytime, for the protection module if nothing else.
I use it for gain staging a lot as well.

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1. Waves Abbey Road TG Mastering Chain: using the preamp section for coloration and tone.This is good, so I won´t use so much plugins while mixing. The comp section does the "glue job" at the end.
2. UAD Oxide Tape: only if the coloration of Waves AR TG is not enough, with the needle barely moving on the VU meter.
3. ISOL8: I mix most of the time in mono + I love the bandpass function to check my low mids and mids (200-2000 Hz).
4. SPAN or Mmultianalyzer (if the mix is very busy with a lot of tracks I can see the elements fighting for the same frequency)

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On my master bus I’ll usually arbitrarily load
Bx Townhouse (bus comp)
Kush Omega 458 (colour /mojo)
Acustica purple (low and high boost)
Acustica Scarlet (subtle eq)
Pro q2 (spectral analyser, surgical eq)
and Ozone (all in one solution, final limiting)

I Might not use them all and the order might change but that’s what I usually load up ready to use.

My master bus goes into a final stereo bus with Sonarworks loaded.

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SoundPorn wrote: Fri Mar 08, 2019 2:07 am So whats wrong with mixing, then putting Ozone on your master and being done with it?
Nothing... kinda. But for my projects, the mastering chain is already taking almost 100% of CPU time, cant use it in realtime while the mix project is running.
Also I like to take time between mix and master sessions...
Soft Knees - Live 12, Diva, Omnisphere, Slate Digital VSX, TDR, Kush Audio, U-He, PA, Valhalla, Fuse, Pulsar, NI, OekSound etc. on Win11Pro R7950X & RME AiO Pro
https://www.youtube.com/@softknees/videos Music & Demoscene

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The PA Phil's Cascade plugin is beautiful on the master. Real warmth.

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Below is a mix bus example from a song I worked on last week, but the actual EQ, Compression and Saturation plugins are swapped regularly:

* EQ: Fabfilter Pro-Q3
* Compressor: Lindell Audio 254E
* Saturator: Softube Tape
* Comparator: ADPTR MetricAB
* Meter: SPL HawkEye

The EQ is primarily used for HP and LP filtering, and Compressor for 0.5 dB to 1.0 dB of gain reduction.

Overall, I prefer to take a light-handed approach to processing the mix bus, and perform the appropriate adjustments at the track level to achieve the desired mix output. The said method usually provides me with more flexibility at the mastering stage, as I am less likely to over-process the entire mix.

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Most of the times since beginning, Xfer OTT into TbT TLs Pocket Limiter or TLs Maximizer.

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Nothing while mixing the song, I just make sure it doesn't clip. Of course I have compression, EQ etc. on the buses but nothing on the master.

After mixing, I usually (of course, there are exceptions) add the Studio One Console Shaper with just a tiny amount of crosstalk and the lowest noise setting, no drive. Then either Satson Channel Strip or PreSonus VT1 Compressor + EQ, with very conservative settings. I export the song to the Project Page in Studio One and add Ozone 8 (EQ, Dynamic EQ, Imager, Limiter).

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Silaris wrote: Mon Mar 25, 2019 5:31 am Below is a mix bus example from a song I worked on last week, but the actual EQ, Compression and Saturation plugins are swapped regularly:

* EQ: Fabfilter Pro-Q3
* Compressor: Lindell Audio 254E
* Saturator: Softube Tape
* Comparator: ADPTR MetricAB
* Meter: SPL HawkEye

The EQ is primarily used for HP and LP filtering, and Compressor for 0.5 dB to 1.0 dB of gain reduction.

Overall, I prefer to take a light-handed approach to processing the mix bus, and perform the appropriate adjustments at the track level to achieve the desired mix output. The said method usually provides me with more flexibility at the mastering stage, as I am less likely to over-process the entire mix.
This sounds like my setup too--used primarily for preparing tracks for SoundCloud. The first thing I do is export the mixed song and load it into a fresh project. Then I put my "mastering rack" on the master bus.

* Leveling Compressor: TRack5 White 2A
* EQ/Multiband Compressor: Tokyo Dawn Records Nova GE
* Mastering Compressor: Tokyo Dawn Records Kotelnikov GE
* Limiter: ToneBoosters Barricade 4
* Meter/Scope: Vengeance Producer Studio Scope

I like using the leveling compressor because my mixed tracks are usually peaking around -6.5 dB, so I use it to bring my gain levels up and apply the tiniest amount of compression/glue.

I don't usually use saturation on the master bus because mix into a TRack5 Opto Compressor, so that usually covers me. The EQ is mostly for LP/HP filtering, but just in case I need to tweak a little something, the Nova is there. The fact that you can set any of the EQ points as compression points is really handy--I don't use it often when mastering, but it's nice to have it when I need it.

The overall settings are adjusted so that peaks just barely kiss Barricade at about -2.2 dB. I never adjust the limiter more than +/- 0.2 dB, but adjust everything else in the chain to accommodate instead. The mastering compressor is also set for a maximum gain reduction of 1.0 dB. Everything else in the chain is adjusted to maintain that setting too.

The final export is normalized and then loaded back into the project so I can A/B the mastered export with the original un-mastered mix (gain adjusted to match the mastered track, of course), and so I can look for an errant peaks in the master that my ears might have missed.

:phones:

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Lately I use more but small bits of each than I used to. I used to be against much on the mix bus but now I approach almost as a middle way between mix to master ... like a bridge to fill the gap. Even when it goes to a separate mastering house it has got really great results so I am a believer. Pretty much it is approach the mixbus as a mastering chain minus any full mastering corrections. My chain for mix (stereo bus) goes something like this before hitting any mastering chain (separate session and approach):
* Saturation after summing in analog domain - AC101 from McDSP is great
* Dynamic EQ (tame or round off) - Pro Q3
* Multiband (levelling 3-band split) - ProMB
* tilt EQ and/or Comp - LIFT2 from Acustica is a winner here
* Lately I have had great results with Stereo Spreading on too much of a mono mix. Typically House or Techno can do good with this. Pop finds better use with the stereo focus in the individual channel instances, paired with the 2bus width. This gets a very modern sound. - Ozone or Melda are great for this
* Mid/Side to check the bass/low end. Usually OK but just in case its there - Pro Q3

I am talking small bits of each. Nothing drastic. Most of that has already been done in the mix and on single channel or Groups/Bus. I group mix so its about the summing and gluing going on. Then when it hits the mastering chain it is really smooth and forward for the M.E. whether thats me or another house.
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:phones:

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-Softube Tape for a bit of grounding
-Maag Eq 4 - For the air band, and it's ability to boost low mid without mud
-Gentle compressor with a bit of character, mostly to tame and boost the sides.
-Weiss Maximizer
-Pro-L2

Lately I've been experimenting with playing/mixing into analog emulation plug-ins, creating really filthy signal chains first and then making music on those. It's great!

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