Using mixtape pro pro#

Do not forget to add a Master Fader to the session. – you can add memory locations by hitting Enter on your keyboard).

Using mixtape pro pro#

Import all the songs you will be working on into a Pro Tools session, each onto its own track and also add the reference tracks to the session, also on separate tracks.Īrrange them in such a way that it is easy to see each song next to its reference track and in order to facilitate workflow add some memory locations to key spots in the song you feel need more attention (the chorus, the bridge, etc. Try to find similarities and differences in frequency content and dynamic between your songs and the reference tracks. After you finish, go through your record collection and find some songs that are similar in genre and feeling to the music you are working on and proceed to give them a very thorough listen as well. Jot down observations about things that you feel need some work – the high end, the low end, the dynamics of the song. Think of the mix as a finished job and focus on the frequency content and dynamics of the whole mix.

It is important to try and listen to the mix as a whole and not focus on individual elements. Take at least half an hour, though the more the better, and listen to each track your mastering project will include. The first step in all mastering session must be thorough, repetitive listening. We will only be looking at native plug-ins and editing tools found in Pro Tools for this article but be aware that there are a ton of great mastering tools and plug-ins out there. The mastering process prepares a song or a collection of songs for distribution by adjusting things like track length, distance between tracks on a CD, general frequency content, dynamic range, etc., and by producing the final stereo file for distribution – we will take a look at all the steps in detail. In a nutshell, mastering is the last stage of audio production and at the same time the first step in distribution. But what does a mastering engineer actually do to a song? Let us shed some light on this mysterious endeavor. To a lot of people mastering is this mysterious endeavor that happens after mixing that finishes a song. If you type audio mastering into Google and hit enter you will find so many different definitions that it is no wonder some people sarcastically call it a dark art. Thing is, most artists (and a lot of people who call themselves “engineers”) don’t really understand the mastering stage of production.