Are Mastering Engineers Responsible For Bad Mastering Demands?

I was wondering why they would care if their product is not aimed at the audiophile market? Don't many releases not include the ME in the credits (or is that just with the older CDs)?

On a side note (not indending to threadcap) I just wanted to mention that this discussion reminds me of the thread in which we discussed using preset algorithms for brickwalling/compression. Wouldn't that give every ME a Get Out Of Jail Free card? I guess that in some circles the use of brickwalling/ compression (and Auto-Tune) is considered part of the artistic pallet, so preset algorithms may not work.

 

Don't forget, we're talking about the music business here.

 

This!

 

Those of you who think the engineer is typically in a position to take a line-in-the-sand "no" position when confronted with demands from the artist/producer/label for whom (s)he's working don't, I think, have a clue.

It's a job, and, especially in today's environment, there isn't so much work being farmed out that you can snub your nose at jobs on principal. Especially since that kind of thing frequently comes back to bite you on the butt again and again ("he's too hard to work with...") If you're super lucky to have the proper niche in the industry and you are also very well known, you MIGHT be able to make some of those principled "absolutely not" decisions. But very very very few people are in that position.

In the end, if you come to be known as someone with good ears and a mastery of the craft who will do things right if allowed, and will follow instructions (or stay within budget, or do what's necessary to deliver on time) when ordered, you become a go to guy--a member of the rarefied club with both a reputation for quality, and a reputation as someone who people can work with.

It's not unlike just about any other profession, to be honest.

 

I guess I would brickwall to keep working and to get my name out there. A bad name is worse than no name.

 

Chewlies Gum Rep: Yeah. Yeah, now here comes the speech about how he's just doing his job by following orders. Friends, let me tell you about another group of hate mongers that were just following orders.

Angry Smoking Crowd: Who's that?

Chewlies Gum Rep: They were called Nazis!




Your veins are very discolored

 

Just today I sent a beautiful-sounding master for approval to the artists. Good old-school New Orleans Funk, very well recorded, natural sound, professionnal. I used no compression, just a little EQ as the mixes sounded good as is.

The artists compared it against other CDs and found it was "not loud enough" and that there wasn't "enough treble".

Well, what do you think I did? I went back and did a moderately-compressed version with a little more treble and a slight limiting, with a note explaining the pros and cons of compression... I hope they won't request a brickwalled version, but ultimately I will have to go with it. It's their money.

 

Yup, you know better, but they are paying the bills. Gentle persuasion and hope. The marks of the professional who will continue to work

 

It begs to be asked, what were they reviewing the music through? iPod, typical car stereo, boombox? Configurations that "benefit" from skewed sonics?

 

Thank you!

They said they reviewed in "different locations", mentioning "in the car". I don't know if they listened to it on a good system.

 

I understand your point here, but 99% don't care or at the very least, they're uninformed. Have you been to a big box store and looked at the electronics section lately? It's hard to find a CD player these days that doesn't hook up to a computer, or a CD player in general!

 

Will brickwall for food.

 

That's the scary part. They might get offended and get someone else to do the job. Unfortunately, most people are not technical, and do not have trained hearing. They just know what they want to hear: loudness, treble, and bass.

 

You are right, that's all that they want to hear and that's what they get.

 

BREAKING NEWS!

Brick-walling Mastering Engineers soon to be out of work.
With the release of Dada Life's SAUSAGE FATTENER anyone can brick-wall music without the need for an ME.

See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHFzfZl6NQQ

Make the perfect sausage!

 

I think everyone who masters eventually does some projects that don't fit what they're usually know for doing. Every mastering engineer I can think of has projects that fit this description, though not all of them are necessarily brickwalled. However, I've yet to find a mastering engineer who hasn't used compression to some degree.

 

Well, I hear there might be some guy in California named Steve Hoffman who never used mastering compression...

 

When I was working as a radio engineer, one of my engineer friends called that knob the "pleasure control".

Seriously, the loudness was what ended my carreer in radio. The station manager and PD told me I must make our station the loudest one in town. I told them I didn't like the idea, but did it anyway, and quit shortly thereafter. I've not had the desire to get back into the radio industry since.

 

If that's what the artist wants, so be it.

 

Hm... If I'm not mistaken, the first Pretenders album has a mastering with some compression on it, though it's a very nice mastering overall. But it's certainly not brickwalled, and I find it easy on the ears.

 

I think that one thing that sets our host and some other of my favorites apart from the others is that they don't compromise the music, EVER. Any mastering decision compliments the music.

 

That was done after his mastering work without his prior approval, I believe...