Last week Ian Shepherd (productionadvice.co.uk, mastering engineer and friend of AGZ) announced the release of his first instructional E-Book Mastering with Multiband Compression.
There is a basic and enhanced edition. The enhanced version has a bonus 1hr tutorial video, and audio examples for just $10 more.
Here is the sales page: Buying through this link will support AGZ If you prefer not to donate, click here.
Ian sent me an advance copy and I was quite impressed. I sent him a short review for his sales page.
“I already use multiband compression in my mixing and mastering, but this eBook made me realize I’d been taking some things for granted. Reading it I gained new strategies, a greater understanding of the parameters and new ideas I can implement into my mastering projects right away” Jon Tidey, Audio Geek Zine
And this is the truth. Ian’s approach is different than the way I’ve taught myself to use multiband compression over the past couple years. I haven’t been doing it completely wrong but I now know why on several occasions it hasn’t worked as well as I’d hoped. Multiband compression was never as transparent as I’d like and it was so easy to overdo it. I know this is a common complaint about multiband compression and Ian’s book has the solution. The starting point, strategy and tips will change the way you misuse multiband compression.
Below you will find a comparison of 7 10 popular brickwall limiters with similar settings. I’m not comparing which gets loudest, I’m comparing which can cleanly take a few dB off the top.
Which one sounds the best or has the least artifacts?
The source is a MIDI pattern played through Steven Slate Drums. 24 bit, 44.1kHz. A different limiter plugin was applied with both threshold and ceiling set to -6.5dBFS. Note that Ozone does not allow a ceiling below -5dBFS.
You can download the files. Images can be enlarged.
Izotope Ozone 4 is a suite of powerful mastering effects in one plugin. It is a comprehensive mastering toolkit with an easy to use interface and professional sound quality.
In this article I will briefly explain the use of the 7 processors within Ozone 4. If you don’t have the time to read the 122 page manual or the 64 page Mastering guide (PDF) but you want to get started with Ozone quick, read on.
General operation - Ozone’s interface is simple, a window for adjusting effects, buttons to select the effect and meters on the side. You’ll notice little sliders below the name of each effect, these will scale the amount of that processor. This is not a feature I find useful, it is if you start with presets (see below). Three of the effects are multiband meaning you have control over four independent processors within a frequency range. Four of the effects can be used in Stereo or M/S configurations meaning you can work with the Left and Right channels together or middle and sides separately. M/S mode is not something I use very often unless there are real problems with the source. Buttons in Ozone can be either left or right clicked to increment/decrement the available options. You can double click a slider to type in a value, and you can alt+click to return something to default. The mousewheel will change whichever slider is hovered over. There is a comprehensive undo history function should you need it.
Headroom – The song you will be mastering should peak no higher than -6dBfs*. If the unmastered file is peaking higher than that you don’t give much room for Ozone to do it’s thing. Lower the level of that track in the DAW until the loudest point is hitting the meters closer to -6dB.
Skip the presets - With some effects, particularly reverbs, delays, and modulations, presets are great starting points. Presets for mastering are unhelpful for a number of reasons, with Ozone the presets tend to be way too extreme to be useful. When you first open Ozone the preset browser appears. I recommend just closing that browser and set the processors manually based on what you hear and what is needed.
Loudness Maximizer - The Loudness Maximizer section is where I start working with Ozone. On the left half of this page are 3 sliders. Threshold, Margin and Character. Starting with the Margin control, bring it down to -0.3. This is the maximum level that your song will be mastered to. There is almost no audible difference between -0.3 and 0.0 but if this file will be converted to mp3 you will run into distortion in that process unless you leave a little room. Next is the Threshold, this increases the level of the song. Setting this to -6.0dB is where I usually start and adjust depending on if I need the final to be louder compared to other songs. If your mix peaks at -6dB and your limiter threshold is -6dB you will be making the song much louder without compressing it yet or really changing the dynamics at all. Setting the threshold at -12 will make the final master much louder but you’re starting to squish out a lot of the good stuff from the mix. Louder is not better. The 3rd control, Character is the release time of the maximizer. Most often I leave this on transparent. Lastly I click the “Prevent inter-sample clipping” box.
Dither - On the right half of the Maximizer page is the dither and DC offset options which both default to off. You need dither when going from a 24 bit recording to a 16 bit master. Click DC offset on and the Dither Type button once. The settings should be MBIT+, High, 16, Normal.** I’ve done some experimenting and found this to be not worth experimenting with, set and forget.
Paragraphic Equalizer - Next I switch over to the Equalizer page. The EQ has 8 independent bands that are fully adjustable in type, gain, and Q***. I like to have the EQ parameters shown (show info button) because I’ll often type in the values I want. I usually work in analog mode and set the zoom to 6x. I’ll usually set a gentle “sweetening” curve with band 1 set to Highpass, 25Hz, 0.60 Q and Band 8 High Shelf 8000Hz, 1.5 dB, 1.00 Q. Somewhere in the lower mids will likely need to be taken out between 250 to 500 Hz depending on where the buildup is. Next I’ll sweep and notch out any offending areas. If I’m mastering several songs I’ll use a different eq on each song to correct problems and even out the balance between songs. Your computer may not be able to run more than a few Ozones.
Multiband Dynamics - If there is still frequency balance or control problems, the Multiband Dynamics section is a powerful tool for managing those issues, it’s also where you can really destroy a good sounding mix so be careful. There are 4 frequency bands with a separate limiter, compressor and expander for each. You can solo each band to hear what’s happening in each. My basic strategy here is to play the loudest part of the song and pull the limiter threshold for each band down until it is just barely being hit. Beyond that things can start to sound unnatural if you’re not careful. I’ve never needed the expander in this section.
Mastering Reverb - This effect can be useful for evening out the sound of several different songs by putting all the instruments in the same space. At the top of the reverb page you have a high and low filter. Below are wet and the reverb adjustments. I rarely use this particular effect but when I do, all I change is the wet control and move it only to 5%. I don’t want it to be to obvious. You may not need this in a typical mastering situation.
Multiband Harmonic Exciter - This is a particularly powerful section. This is where you add the sparkle and really bring up the excitement for lack of a better term. This is essentially a 4 band distortion. I like Tape mode for rock, wherever I need more aggression and Tube mode where I need something a little smoother but still excited. From left to right, set the amounts to 1, 0.5, 0.5 and 1. I don’t find I can use more than 1dB in any band before things sound too crispy. Try adjusting the band crossover points next to fine tune the effect.
Multiband Stereo Imaging - This section is a four band stereo widener/shrinker. This is where users often get carried away, as with everything in Ozone, it’s easy to go too far. I set band 1 to 80Hz and set the widening to -0.6, I set band 3 to 0.2 and band 4 to 0.4. That’s it, I may adjust the crossovers but I don’t take it any farther than this. I’m making the lows more mono and the highs more stereo.
Do it again - At this point you’ll likely want to go back to the limiter and go through each of the 6 processors again to fine tune the settings to suit the song your mastering. Compare your master to professionally mastered songs in a similar style and adjust. I’ve assumed that the mixed song you’re working on is already pretty close to perfect and it just needs the final touch of mastering. If there are serious problems with instrument balance, too much bass, trashy cymbals or vocals too loud, get those taken care of before you attempt the mastering.
In closing, I hope this short guide has been helpful, this is just barely covering what Ozone 4 can do, there are so many features, so much flexibility and so many options that I’m always finding something new and am never less than impressed. This is essential software for any project studio.
Notes:
* dBfs is the metering scale that is used within your DAW.
** Izotope have a thick pdf just on dither if you’re bored.
My parents weren’t cool enough to buy their 5 year old a Nine Inch Nails album when Pretty Hate Machine was first released. Actually I probably didn’t hear PHM until 10 years after its release. The Downward Spiral was my first NIN album, then I got Broken, then I started listening to Marilyn Manson, Skinny Puppy, KMFDM and others. When I first heard Pretty Hate Machine I didn’t like it, it sounded old. I still listen to Nine Inch Nails regularly and of all their releases spanning 22 years, PHM is my least favorite. I don’t hate it, but don’t listen to it as often as the others. I’m telling you all this as a disclaimer.
Recently Trent Reznor announced that Pretty Hate Machine was going to get an update and re-release.
I’m happy to finally announce the re-issue of the first Nine Inch Nails record “Pretty Hate Machine,” releasing worldwide 11/22. UMe and Bicycle Music Group managed to locate the original mixes, so I went in the studio with Tom Baker and remastered it for a greatly improved sonic experience. In addition, Rob reinterpreted Gary Talpas’ original cover to make for a fresh new package.
It’s been an interesting trip watching the fate of this record float from one set of hands to another (a long and depressing story) but it’s finally wound up in friendly territory, allowing us to polish it up a bit and present it to you now. We had fun revisiting this old friend, hope you enjoy.
TR
Tonight I had a listen to the new and improved Pretty Hate Machine to see if I liked it more. About a minute into ‘Head Like A Hole’ I asked my wife if she heard anything different. She did immediately. “It sounds different, I don’t like it, its not as dirty.” So there’s the totally non-audiogeek first impression. It does sound cleaner, and louder, more modern in some ways. I dropped the original and remaster into a DAW to A/B compare.
These are my thoughts as I listen to Head Like A Hole on speakers and headphones. I like this song more than the others on the album.
*NOTE* the remastered file is an mp3, I’m not going to buy it again, remember I didn’t like it all that much the first time
Clearly a louder master, as is the trend
Fuller bass, the kick drum definitely hits deeper
More midrange, listen to the synth bass, the original had the mids aggressively cut out
Much less dynamic, as are most hard NIN songs
Some of the percussion parts can be heard more clearly
Wider stereo image
It sounds better to me, but I wish they would have just rerecorded it with modern equipment. The very dated sounds, drum machines, cheap reverb etc and of course immature songwriting keep me from really liking most of the album. *flame suit on* Let me know what you think.
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What is Home Recording Tactics? This is a collection of audio interviews with 9 hard working, successful home studio engineers (including me). The interviews were led by Joe Gilder of Home Studio Corner. He got these guys to share all their secrets on a variety of home recording topics.
My part of Home Recording Tactics can be heard below:
Recording on a Budget with Graham Cochrane, TheRecordingRevolution.comGraham shares some fantastic advice to keep you from playing an endless game of Gear Acquisition Syndrome and instead getting great-sounding recordings.
Microphones with Slau Halatyn, SessionsWithSlau.comSlau’s passion for mics is evident in this interview, where he explains the differences between various types of microphones and also shares why he uses different types of mics for different sources.
Arrangement with Dave Chick, InsideHomeRecording.comAs a professional composer for video, Dave shares his approach to composing and arranging music, and we discuss how to apply that to any
recording project for awesome results.
Editing & Workflow with Jon Tidey, AudioGeekZine.comJon shares some really useful tips for becoming better and faster at editing and your general recording workflow, regardless of what recording platform you use.
Mixing with “Big Al” Wagner, HomeStudioGuru.comBig Al’s mixing expertise stretches back to the days of analog tape and big consoles, so he brings a really valuable perspective to the table and gives practical advice that you can use on your next session.
Sound Design with Nick Maxwell, NicksTutorials.comNick introduces us to the fascinating world of sound design and shares how sound design skills can be extremely useful when applied to your studio productions as well.
Recording for Live Sound with Ryan Canestro, HomeRecordingShow.comRyan gives us some great advice on how to effectively pull off a live recording, whether you simply want to capture the audio for a YouTube video or do a full-on multi-track recording.
Recording Sound for Film with Jesse Zoller, TheIceShop.netJesse gives us a glimpse into the world of recording sound for film. A great video can only be a great video if it has great audio, and Jesse shares with us how to make that happen.
Mastering with Ian Shepherd, Mastering-Media.blogspot.comWhether you want to master yourself or hire a mastering engineer, Ian will help you understand this extremely important process and enable you to make an educated decision.
I just watched this interview with Mastering Engineer Greg Calbi on the subject of the Loudness Wars. It turns to a bit of a rant but he makes a lot of sense. I think my own mastering skills just improved having watched this.
If you have the time, spend some time on YouTube and watch some more of the interviews with him.
There is a basic and enhanced edition. The enhanced version has a bonus 1hr tutorial video, and audio examples for just $10 more.
