2 leave headroom in your mixes to enable a mastering engineer to do his job properly.
Mastering for vinyl.
The sequencing difference is that delivery from mastering for digital is either individual wav files for download or a single ddpi file for cd replication whereas for vinyl the delivery is generally two wav files one for each side of the record.
Vinyl mastering 1 follow the general guidelines for proper mixing.
Limiting compression and loudness.
Andre calilhanna audio mastering excerpted from our new guide the musician s guide to vinyl this post digs into post production audio mastering for vinyl records.
Mastering is the final step in the recording process which takes place after the mixing process post production to optimize and add the final sonic touches to your recordings.
For a vinyl release it is recommended to create your own masters only as a reference for a mastering engineer who understands what will and won t translate to vinyl.
Knowing how to master for vinyl may mean the difference between being able to keep a client and losing a client to a mastering engineer or studio that masters for the vinyl cutting and reproduction process.
For vinyl the optimum source is 24 bit dynamic and limited either extremely lightly or not at all.
4 do not mix hi hats and.
Low frequency issues low frequencies can be difficult to transfer to vinyl especially if there is stereo information.
Mastering for vinyl is important for both mastering engineers and artists to understand.
Avoid excessive high frequencies many people consider the sound of vinyl to be warm compared to digital mediums.
3 avoid the use of brickwall limiters or finalizers in your mixes.
They destroy dynamics and cause distortion.
Following these instructions will ensure that you are satisfied with the final product.
A basic eq will work well for this.
Vinyl mastering facilities rely on de essers that are built for this particular problem.
But many vinyl cutters have been benefitting from the constant development and growing versatility of the plug in world.
Use a multi band compression instead of a limiter.
They ll be able to create the best version of your release for the medium without sacrificing the quality you strove for.
The ultimate goal of your creation is not only the recording on your cd or cassette but on vinyl which you intend to offer to your fans.
Mid side processing is best for centering low.
Center the lower frequencies to avoid phasing issues.
Vinyl masters will probably use a higher resolution file format for example 24 bit and perhaps 48 or even 96 khz sampling rate but if the cd has already been mastered these will probably be available from the original mastering engineer for little or no extra cost.
Attenuate any excessively high frequencies.
Several known outboard de essers through the years include the maselec mds 2 and the orban 536 a.
