Mastering questions for my indy CD project

So I am getting near the mixing stage of my independent CD project and have some questions about what to do about mastering.

The producer/engineer has offered as part of our arrangement that he will do mastering for no additional charge and he has some mastering software I guess he uses. I will have to find out what that is. I will add that to this thread soon.

Is it better usually to have someone other than the producer / engineer do mastering? Why?

Another potential issue here is that there is one track on the CD that he won't be producing, and I doubt he will want to master that. How easy would it be for someone else to master one track in a manner consistent with the rest of the CD. Is that pretty much impossible? Or how terrible would it be for one song (with a much more acoustic sound than the rest of the album) to be mastered differently?

Some of the disc replication services like CD Baby and Disc Makers offer mastering through a company called Soundlab. Any thoughts on the advisability of using them?

What other folks might it worth getting in touch with about doing mastering on a project like this. It is a low budget independent release and I will be shocked if it ever turns a profit and I am already spending more on it than is likely prudent.

 

Assuming you know the sequencing you want for the tracks, if the recording and mixing have been done well, mastering in its simplest form is transferring everything to a CD master without any changes. That, however, is hardly ever the case. Level adjustments for consistency is the most often adjustment done during mastering. Then there are hopefully minor EQ adjustments to get a balanced range of frequencies. Perhaps some limiting or compression might be desirable as well.

"The producer/engineer... has some mastering software I guess he uses. I will have to find out what that is." Mastering requires two types of software, typically. One for making adjustments to individual tracks; the other for actually creating the CD master. It shouldn't make much of a difference what software is used, assuming it is high quality with good functionality.

"Is it better usually to have someone other than the producer / engineer do mastering?" I would say no. No one knows the subtleties of each track better than the artist, the producer, and the recording/mixing engineer(s). If they know how to use mastering software, they can do the mastering. If someone else is going to do the mastering, they should be given specific instructions about overall levels, what kind of eq or sound is desired, etc.

I wouldn't worry about the track produced by a different producer than the other tracks. The goal is to get each track to sound as good as it can individually, and when sequenced properly, balancing everything out for consistency.

 

Yes, it is important to have a fresh pair of ears doing the mastering in another room and on other equipment than the recording/mixing engineer used.

It wouldn't be the same if some other guy mastered just this track, but it being a different more acoustic type of track, I guess it wouldn't jump out too much.
The best, and my recommendation, would still be to let the same person master all the tracks.

Avoid these at all costs unless you know someone working there you can trust.

 

When we release material, it's material I've recorded and mixed. My wife, the other creative half of the band, is in on all final mixes, as she's quite particular about her vocal arrangements being mixed to her satisfaction. Once the two of us are happy, we take the mixed versions to the same Mastering engineer we've used for years, as we trust his ears. He has a mastering studio with gear that is set up for the purpose in a room built specifically for that purpose. He often hears things we missed in terms of overall EQ. If we have alternate mixes, we bring those, and again, trust his ears.

We work together on making the sequence happen the way it should. That is, we work out in advance what we want, and when it's time for sequencing, he puts the tracks in the correct order and we spend time listening to the transition between the songs, making sure someone listening to the CD as a whole gets maximum impact. We realize most people will never listen that way, but we grew up listening to LPs and full CDs so it matters to us in presenting our product to the world. At this stage, there is also checking for overall levels, for an organic listening experience.

I wouldn't be very likely to use anyone else, nor would I ever attempt to master my own material (or anyone else's, for that matter). I realize it's an added expense (a session usually costs us around $1,500). We're just picky people artistically. I realize in today's world, the LP experience is almost non-existent, particularly with newer releases. I also realize most people listen on ear buds and computer speakers or in the car, and extremes in dynamics (sometimes even normal dynamics) aren't appreciated. We don't cater to those markets. We also spend a lot of time and money on artwork and a nice overall package, despite that being an outdated concept, too.

So, by and large, I'd say consider how you much significance what you put out in the world has to you. If you trust the producer's ears and mastering skills and have a great relationship artistically with him or her, by all means look no further. If you're you want another set of ears before you birth the baby, use a different mastering engineer, but make sure you attend the session. I've never understood just mailing off your files with some notes and accepting what comes back in the mail. I learn a lot attending the sessions and more than once, we've changed the engineer's mind about how a mix should sound by reviewing the artistic idea behind the lyrics. (A mix was thought to be a bit claustrophobic. As the song was about being confined in Bedlam, it made perfect sense artistically for it to feel that way, as it enhanced the vibe we were going for).

Good luck with the project!