The Wild "Bunch"....

      As I write, I am backing up my audio mixes (as they now stand) for my second album. As reliable as my system has been, one still never knows with technology when it might fail, leaving months worth of work stored on "data discs" useless. In an emergency, I could assemble an intermaster from this disc, although I would lose the ability to do any serious modification on them, which would be a poor situation but not nearly as disastrous as losing them altogether...

     And so for the first time I am seeing these mixes in retrospect, and am reminded of the tedious process of turning a collection of individual recordings into an "album".
    It is a shocking reminder, when you listen to these mixes, side by side, how differently they turn out, despite being given the best possible effort. That "great mix" you were so thrilled with, now stands next to one which turned out far superior, ruining the illusion that you knew what you were doing.

     So how do you "tame" the wild bunch?
     As with all things both technical and artistic, it is a step by step process. Overwhelming at first, but in time you find a starting point.
     Naturally, I can't address every possible problem, but I can suggest a series of possible steps and an occasional hint as to what can be done using my own challenges as an example.

    1. On first hearing I notice major differences in sonic balance. While I have adopted a fairly consistent method of recording (especially certain instruments) there are a number of things that can spoil the soup. In today's case one of them is the use of different instruments...for instance, in several tunes, it was desirable for me to use an actual bass guitar rather than keyboard samples. Combined with the idea that I want this album to have a much "darker" sound than the previous, it seems those tunes came out overly "bass heavy". Sounded fine at the time, but compared to the sonically cleaner later tunes, they are now very inconsistent....Back to the mix.

   2. Anything that now sounds out of place or inconsistent next to their bedfellows will have to be addressed the same way. Same with vocal lines that are starting to bug you after listening to them 100 times, or effects choices on certain tracks...same thing: Back to the mix.

      So that is your first weapon against leaving the impression of a ragtag band of hoodlums (your tunes) on your audience. Never assume this can all be fixed with mastering. The best mastering tip I can give is do your utmost to make your tunes match BEFORE you master.
     At the same time, a collection that HASN'T been mastered will also be inconsistent, no matter how alike your mixes. So what to do after you've shaken out your mixes a second (3rd? 4th?) time?

     1. Time to match levels. Assemble your tunes side by side on your intermaster. You may attempt to space them if you wish, it will give you a head start at finding the best result. Now LISTEN to level differences while you run them all at 0db differential. Don't obsess about numbers at this point. It is the "apparent" level we are worried about here...your listener won't be grading you on decibels! Only on how it sounds.
    2. After you've identified the "rogues" (too soft or too loud) you can start thinking numbers. Do your best to get them all sounding similar (based on the loudest section of each song). When you have achieved something that "plays" well (and noted + or - dbs to get you there) you are ready for the next step......TIP: You can choose your loudest track and use that as your 0db reference, or you can choose your softest...It's the RELATIONSHIP between the tunes we are trying to adjust NOT absolute level...that's next.
    3. Try transferring your tracks "as is" with the level changes applied. Do any drive your recording over digital "redline"? Then lower all the tracks the same amount (gradually) until everything transfers with no distortion.

    As for master processing, that is an entire field all its own and I can't give advice about equipment I don't have, never used (and can't afford). All I can say is you should at they very least use a 3-band compressor if you aspire to smoothness and consistency across your tracks. Any other devices you may have you are on your own with...(hey man, like, read your owner's manual etc....)
      I'm not going to go into the use of the 3-band too extensively, but it's not as mysterious as it may seem to a beginner...again it's mainly about "ears".
      1. My trick is to run the bands separately at first. Your ears will tell you what content belongs in which band, so you can choose your "split points". You may also find, when you run the tune that an entire band may need to go up or down in level on one tune in order to be consistent with the other tunes.
     2. Next use each compressor as you would any other. Listen for unevenness in the track and apply the right amount and ratio to smooth it out...If your tracks are already pretty smooth, you may opt to use it simply as a limiter (small level setting, high ratio)...Or this can be applied to entire tracks (or even the whole album) in an extra step. Your choice. In digital, lossless mode, 2 or 3 generations in your master will not likely even be noticeable.
     3. Keep in mind that after all this, your apparent levels may actually change, causing you to go back to your "trail of breadcrumbs" (paperwork) and run this whole process several, even numerous times.

     As with previous articles, this one is very basic. The possibilities are only limited by your imagination once again...and like you, I put in a good amount of prayer along with my effort that things will work out in the end. Let's get those "bad boys" under control!