LMMS • Forums

ACYDE Music wrote:
The answer came too late, I mastered my song in the project file

It worked out pretty well though.

mrlmmsguy wrote:

ACYDE Music wrote:
The answer came too late, I mastered my song in the project file

It worked out pretty well though.

Thank you!

mrlmmsguy wrote:True story, though you'll have to export your project as separate tracks. And audacity doesn't exactly have the playback editing functionality of LMMS.

That's so true mrlmmsguy. And sometimes exporting seperate tracks into Audacity can be a pain sometimes.
But as a test example, I used audacity for the two Pipe guy sound example wips, I posted on soundcloud last month.

mrlmmsguy wrote:P.S. Bsb, did you get my PM?

Yep, I did. Sorry for not responding sooner.
I was so busy these days. I shall respond to your message in a few days time.
So look out for it.

ACYDE Music wrote:

mrlmmsguy wrote:

ACYDE Music wrote:Another question:
Should I export the project before I begin to master?
Or should I do it in the project file?

That's not a bad idea, saving a mod copy to play around in the mastering. Better safe than sorry

brandystarbrite wrote: Yep. You can use good ol' audacity for mastering too.

True story, though you'll have to export your project as separate tracks. And audacity doesn't exactly have the playback editing functionality of LMMS.

The answer came too late, I mastered my song in the project file

That's okay. Once it sounds good, that's all that matters.
Also, I forgot to mention before, that some FL Studio users, use Audacity sometimes, to master their tracks.
But whichever method suits you best, for a particular music project, is all up to you. He! He!

O.K. can someone clear something up for me. I'm old and I've always (since 4-track tape days) used "mastering" to mean adjusting fully-mixed stereo tracks for an album so they sound good and sound right together, same general volume/tone etc. (and in the really early days so you hadn't got so much dynamic range and peak volume that you couldn't successfully cut master discs from them).

The word obviously means something slightly different now so can someone please explain to me when mixing ends and mastering starts and what exactly each does ? I'd be grateful and could perhaps start using the terms correctly .

Steve

slipstick wrote: The word obviously means something slightly different now so can someone please explain to me when mixing ends and mastering starts and what exactly each does ? I'd be grateful and could perhaps start using the terms correctly .

To be honest, I'm not sure, I think that the two are synonymous like peanut butter and jelly, drum n' bass, pomp and circumstance, mrlmmsguy and dubstep, etc., IMHO, mixing is the process of balancing a track as you make it. Mastering is the final adjustment of that balance and application of FX for the export. Am I close anyone? GBAGD

Very close and right you both are slipstick and mrlmmsguy.
It's the same in DAW's like Lmms and others etc.

I made a post to someone, where I explained, what Mixing and Mastering is, a few months ago on this forum.
But I can't seem to find it.
So I'll try and explain it again, in simple laymans terms.

Mixing: is normally, when you put all of the cool Vst Instruments, Vst Synths and audio sample sounds
all together, in Lmms etc.
In other words, eg. you are mixing/putting all of the synths and sounds all together, in Lmms or any other Daw etc.
With some minor volume adjustments or other etc, as you make your melodies and put everything together etc.

Mastering: is when you try to make all of the synth sounds, instruments, audio files, Lmms internal plugins
and sounds, all fit in well together. And sound well together, without hitting the red zone/cause clipping.
By using equalizers, limiters, compressors (and hopefully they work )etc.
And, doing some manual volume reductions etc.
To make all of the instruments/sounds, sound clean and not sound too muddy, or cause any clipping/noise distortions,
in any of the instruments FX channels, especially the master channel.
And, to prevent all/some of the sounds, from drowning out, or overpowering other sounds, that you don't want drowned out.

Note: The master channel and other channels, are all auto set on 100 volume.
If any of them, especially the master channel, hit the red zone, you might hear clipping/distortion.

Some people master, while making the melodies etc.
Others master, after they make all of the melodies and put everything together etc.
And some do it anyhow. Lol!
Your choice.

As mrlmmsguy said, they do go hand in hand.

Hope that helps you guys.

Thanks, I thought the distinction between mixing and mastering had pretty much disappeared. E.g. things like making all the sounds sound right and fit together and preventing sounds from overpowering others or clipping with EQ, compressors etc is all what I'd call mixing. Essentially if you do it to individual tracks to get to a stereo mix you like it's mixing.

Checking and adjusting the overall mix so it sounds good in mono (so will play properly in clubs) and on cheap systems like in-car and laptop speakers and balancing all the tracks on an album so they sound right together is more like what a mastering engineer might do...and of course famously trying for maximum "loudness" without completely killing the dynamic range.

I suppose when we're all doing it on our own in our home studios with just us as composer, arranger, musicians, producer, mix engineer and mastering engineer it doesn't make much difference really .

Steve

slipstick wrote:Thanks, I thought the distinction between mixing and mastering had pretty much disappeared.
..................etc.
I suppose when we're all doing it on our own in our home studios with just us as composer, arranger, musicians, producer, mix engineer and mastering engineer it doesn't make much difference really .

Steve

No probs.
The other interesting thing is, some musicians actually call mixing as mastering and mastering as mixing.
And others say, that both terms are too ambiguous and that mixing and mastering, are technically the same thing.

Interesting eh.

I think it's best to export the song as a stereo file and master in a new session.


-Matty Harris
-https://mixandmastermysong.com/