00:00:07 Good morning children!
Today, we're gonna talk about
something secret.
00:00:12 Really, really secret! So you have to
make sure that nobody's listening
while you watch this.
00:00:16 Look around!
We're gonna talk about mastering...
00:00:29 and what mastering engineers
do to your music.
00:00:32 I'm told it's very secret!
We shall see. Let's go!
So what is mastering?
Good question!
To know what something is, it's always
a good idea to know where it comes from.
00:00:47 Originally, there were only one kind
of engineers,
people who would take the music
and cut it into a vinyl.
00:00:53 That was until the late 40s.
00:00:55 Then, the good people at Ampex
invented the tape machine.
00:00:59 That pretty much changed everything.
So now, you recorded onto tape.
00:01:02 But the only distribution medium
was really still vinyl.
00:01:05 So you need some dude to transfer
from the tape to the vinyl,
cut a vinyl master
from the tape recording.
00:01:12 That person was called
a transfer engineer.
00:01:14 He is the ancestor,
the Neanderthal if you will,
of the mastering engineer of today.
00:01:20 As time went by,
and recording techniques developed,
multitrack, big consoles,
and stuff like that,
there was more and more creativity
happening on the recording side,
and on the mixing side,
and also more and more variety
into the different kinds of song
that would be put into one record.
00:01:35 Which means that the cutting engineer
had to do more and more work...
00:01:37 match levels between songs,
match tone between songs...
00:01:40 You know, one song might be mixed
in Ouagadougou,
and another one in Pretoria,
they had to be on the same record.
Who's gonna match the level?
Who's gonna match the tone?
It's gonna be the cutting engineer.
00:01:50 At that point, the cutting engineer
started being called mastering engineer.
00:01:53 I don't know who started, nobody knows,
but that person's a genius.
00:01:56 Then, CDs came along, which meant
everything had to change.
00:01:59 We are now in digital.
00:02:00 Actually, at the beginning, you would
master, transfer,
your record from tape, analog tape,
to a video recorder called a 1630,
which was a big, expensive
hunk of junk,
that had been modified from being
a video recorder
into being an audio recorder,
with the adjunction
of a big other hunk of junk transcoder-
modifier-converter thing.
00:02:21 Digital changed everything.
00:02:23 And all the mastering engineers
had to learn that.
00:02:26 Somebody was wise enough to realize
that the whole transfer thing
was really complicated,
why not use a computer?
Then the good people at Sonic solutions
came up
with the first ever dedicated
piece of software.
00:02:36 At that point, the process became
transfering from tape still
into the computer. And then...
00:02:41 as music started
to be made on computers,
the mastering engineer had to learn
to transfer
from computer to computer.
00:02:48 Anyway, even today,
where everything is digital,
mastering is a very valuable
part of the process.
00:02:54 Let me tell you why.
00:02:56 Number 1.
00:02:57 Because of modern
production techniques,
songs tend to be mixed by different
people at different places,
at different times, which means
they don't sound the same.
00:03:04 Maybe your first song was mixed
by Tony Maserati two years ago,
but then, you ran out of money!
So you mixed the rest of the record
by yourself,
in your bedroom, on your laptop,
on headphones.
00:03:15 Not gonna sound the same!
It may sound great, but not the same.
00:03:18 Do you really want one song on your
record to sound completely different?
No! You want somebody
to take care of that for you.
00:03:24 Somebody who knows the difference
between that mix and your mix
and can match them.
That will be the mastering engineer.
00:03:29 Reason number 2.
00:03:32 Are you sure your record sounds
the way you want it to sound,
and the way it should sound?
If you're a mixing engineer, you make
a record every two weeks,
or every month if you're not so busy.
00:03:43 If you're an artist, you make a record
every what? Two years? Max!
The mastering engineer tends
to make a record a day.
00:03:50 So a mastering engineer listens
to a lot of music
and knows a lot of music, so he has
a great reference
on how a record should sound.
00:03:56 If you wanna dig into styles,
a mastering engineer who's specialized
in hip-hop, for example,
listens to hip-hop all day long.
He knows what hip-hop records
are supposed to sound like,
because that's its stuff.
00:04:06 Of course, you also know what
hip-hop records are supposed to sound like
because you listen to Jay-Z
all day long.
00:04:11 But that's not the same thing, because
when you listen to your own music,
you don't hear the problems,
you don't hear what you're doing,
because you're in it.
00:04:18 Having a second opinion as to the tone
of your record is great.
00:04:21 It's a good reason to hire
a mastering engineer.
00:04:24 Reason number 3.
00:04:25 Because of the limitation
of the digital medium,
and the pervasive
human insecurities,
especially amongst A&R executives
at record companies,
there's something called
the Loudness War.
00:04:36 Meaning everybody wants their record
louder than the next record.
00:04:39 It's not a new thing.
00:04:41 Back in the days of cutting vinyl,
the transfer engineer's job
was to try and make the record as loud
as possible to minimize noise.
00:04:47 Then, since some A&Rs
at some record labels
noticed that the louder records
came out louder on the radio,
grabbed more people's attention,
then sold more records,
then the race was on.
00:04:57 Now, today in the digital medium,
and because of the modern tools,
it's turned into an insane
pissing contest
where the loudest record
is the best record,
with absolutely no consideration
about sound quality whatsoever.
00:05:08 Also, there's a lot of confusion
as to what a really loud record
sounds like on the radio,
it's not what we think it is,
and a lot of confusion as to what
a loud record sounds like on a laptop,
or on low quality preamps like,
for example,
the worst one ever made, iPhone,
or Android phones.
00:05:23 There is still this feeling that
you have to beat the Katy Perry record.
00:05:26 And that's an art form to beat
the Katy Perry record.
00:05:29 And consequently, you need somebody
who knows how to do that.
00:05:32 Can you learn how to do that? Yeah!
Do you want to learn how to do that?
I don't know!
Reason number 4.
00:05:39 Ask yourself:
do you have a perfect room?
Are you absolutely sure that
what you hear is what you get?
Well, if you've ever had to print a CD
of the mix
and go listen to it in the car
to make sure, you don't!
Most likely, you don't.
00:05:52 Mastering engineers spend a lot of time
and a lot of money,
and a lot of brain share on making sure
that their room
is as accurate as possible.
00:05:59 It's very costly.
00:06:01 I have been in rooms that cost as much
as a million dollars,
just for the walls and the floor,
let alone the equipment.
00:06:06 The value there is that you play
something in those speakers
in that room, and whatever you hear
is whatever it is.
00:06:13 If there's a problem, you hear it,
if it's all good,
you're sure that it's all good.
00:06:17 The mastering engineer
will know the room very well,
and that's why he's valuable.
00:06:22 He is your guarantee
that you did not screw up.
00:06:25 Now all that said, is there
any kind of magic to mastering?
I don't think so!
There's no more kind of magic
to mastering
that there is to playing guitar
or learning how to mix a record.
00:06:35 It's a trade, you gotta learn it.
00:06:37 It's a bunch of skills
that you have to acquire.
00:06:39 It's a bunch of equipment
you gotta learn.
00:06:41 It's a bunch of systems
you have to develop.
00:06:44 So should you master
what you mix, then?
I mean, mastering engineers
use the same tools
you do when you mix: compressors,
limiters, EQs, de-essers, name it!
What's the difference between
mixing and mastering?
When you're mixing, you're working
at the micro-level.
00:06:57 You're scrutinizing the relationship
between a verse and a chorus, for example.
00:07:01 When you're mastering,
you're working at the macro-level.
00:07:03 You're scrutinizing the relationship
between songs 2 and 3 on your record.
00:07:07 It's a completely different process
and headspace.
00:07:10 What most people think about
when they say:
Mastering while mixing is basically
make your track loud and in your face,
that's not mastering!
That's called making your track
loud and in your face -ing!
Different thing!
You can do that.
00:07:23 Probably not a good idea if you're
gonna have a mastering engineer
come after you on this project,
we will discuss that elsewhere.
00:07:29 The take home idea here is that
mastering is taking a bunch of songs
and turn them into a body of work
that's coherent.
00:07:36 Can you do it yourself?
Of course you can.
It's like fixing your own teeth,
or driving your own car.
00:07:41 It might be a little dangerous
at the beginning,
but after a while, it gets safer.
00:07:45 In summary, we can say
that mastering
is the process of making you record
sound... number 1...
00:07:50 as good as it can sound!
Number 2...
00:07:55 Be style-appropriate.
00:07:56 Lie within the realm of that style,
or outside if you're a pioneer.
00:08:00 Three... Sound like a coherent
body of work.
00:08:04 Four... Be loud as hell,
if you're into that kind of stuff.
00:08:16 Don't tell anyone!
Et voilà!
Once logged in, you will be able to read all the transcripts jump around in the video.
Fab Dupont is an award-winning NYC based record producer, mixing/mastering engineer and co-founder of pureMix.net.
Fab has been playing, writing, producing and mixing music both live and in studios all over the world. He's worked in cities like Paris, Boston, Brussels, Stockholm, London and New York just to name a few.
He has his own studio called FLUX Studios in the East Village of New York City.
Fab has received many accolades around the world, including wins at the Victoires de la Musique, South African Music awards, Pan African Music Awards, US independent music awards. He also has received Latin Grammy nominations and has worked on many Latin Grammy and Grammy-nominated albums.
You get what you pay for, in this case free, not much to learn about Mastering other than what most aspiring audio engineers already know, but I'm sure there is some information in this video that can help someone new to this.
uachmusica
2021 Oct 04
Ha ha ha, this man is a genius, i really learn and have fun time.
AnaAntao
2021 Mar 17
I love you!
Timothy0103
2020 Dec 22
He is cute :)
Gerry2020
2020 Oct 01
Very well explained. Thank you so much.
jofret10
2020 Jul 02
en pocas palabra y tiempo se explica la escencia de la importancia de la parte que muchos no le da importancia.... muy bueno.
Ezeeymix
2020 Jun 04
Great understanding...Fab can I have your email?
one_human.b
2020 May 30
This was downright hilarious. Well done.
Deadlyxian
2020 May 13
i like the way he does that haha
manos.k
2020 Apr 07
Great explanation & presentation !!!!
jesperbrinck
2020 Feb 08
Great great explanation. Never really understood it ! This makes sense.
rockabilly
2019 Aug 20
thanks fab great advice, mario,( bradshack studio )
ronald.du
2019 Jul 01
Great video, Fab!! Looking forward to learning more from you.
beschornermusic
2019 Apr 19
Okay. Fab, you are so funny! Thanks for this overview.
Forrher
2018 Sep 28
Studing has never been so funny! Tnx fabulous Fab!
Vaiarii
2018 May 06
Superbe présentation et fun avec ça, merci :)
beatweezl
2018 Mar 31
Fab = hilarious comedian engineer teacher. FYI Please mute the background music. It's distracting and unnecessary.
bradp015
2018 Mar 30
Fab is always entertaining! Thanks Fab!
JulianFC
2018 Mar 30
haha, soooo funny. Man, this guy should think of doing Stand up... hahah. LOL.
david.ol
2018 Mar 29
Fab, this is accurate!
DanimalZ
2018 Mar 29
Keep it secret...Keep it safe...
f4llens
2017 May 25
Fab is fabulous as always!
saltstudios
2017 Apr 09
Nice work
itsJosh
2017 Mar 22
This video is straight up f*#@%ing AWEsome. Thank you. I learned a LOT..., in under 9 minutes.
kike 1
2016 Jul 18
gracias fab ... siempre con ese humor que me agrada espero mas de tus consejos.
steve2k2
2016 Jul 13
Can I have one of those French hot dogs to go? :-)
Rodogera
2016 Jun 18
Estupendo, gracias!!
composermikeglaser
2016 May 09
Fab cracks me up, lol. "Don't tell anyone." Haha...
spproplus
2016 Apr 18
Très bon vidéo explicatif.
Merci bien
Et très beau site 2.0
Au plaisir.
Bien à toi, SP.
Alexander Roca
2016 Apr 08
Thank you for awesome video !
Andymuz
2015 Mar 02
Good
pererling
2015 Feb 19
OK Video with the basic.
mrdjspice 1
2015 Jan 21
All I have to say is Thank you.
tom krueger
2014 Nov 26
The tape machine was not invented by "the good people at ampex" but by german company AEG in 1935.
ajmolica
2014 Nov 25
Fab you're a riot. Half of what makes this good is your humor. The other half is the good stuff you're sharing.
MicahTHartsock
2014 Sep 19
@MediaBCD:
The loudness war and how it began and what exactly it is, is all speculative. There's not much more to it, RCA didn't exactly go before congress for a declaration of war. And yes, Fab isn't far off base saying that this pissing match started in the days of vinyl and AR guys wanting their records to be louder than the next,. However, You're not incorrect that FM radio upped these stakes up in many ways, but consider the competition between record labels making vinyls predates stereo fm radio.
Great video, and as usual Fab makes the information concise and digestible.
Krisco
2014 Sep 09
Like Iggy Pop would say: "Blah, blah, blah..."
gilleslh84
2014 Jun 20
toujours un plaisir de voir tes videos...
bonne intervention je trouve...tiens j'ai ouvert mon site francais www.audio-max.fr tu me diras ce que tu en penses merci d'avance....a bientot Gilles alias Max
Spin Cycle
2014 May 25
I like the various points he makes about the process and what it entails.
Luc Gabriel
2014 May 24
:)). Well, generally speaking, I feel better after Fab's videos.
Nino
2014 May 14
shhh
godwin.canada@hotmail.com
2014 May 01
Mastering explained short and sweet -Fabulous
Dorian
2014 Apr 09
Le secret est bien gardé!
cadheo
2014 Feb 28
great lesson Fab. Idont no if you mastered eLDee da Don undeniable album I know you mixed wash wash. I really like the tone and tightness of the album. if you did it great job on that.
Media BCD
2014 Feb 28
Love your videos.. but hummm.. small thing.. the loudness war didn't start because of vinyl. The loudness war started when the FM radio stations started to compress the audio too much to be able to send the signal much further and clearly compared to their competitors, and then the labels got it into their heads that they should do the same with their albums.
Pearlpassionstudio
2014 Feb 28
Excellent video and always love to learn from your experience...thanks for the sharing.
Gaetan
2014 Feb 28
Quel humour !!
Also the Master engineer can tell you what is wrong in your mix !! Sometimes a good lesson of humility.
Great video: merci beaucoup Fab, great "Maestro" !
tgilliland@gmail.com
2014 Feb 20
Insane Pissing Contest --- Lol, That does sum it up!!