CD Mastering Before-After Display

CD Mastering Services at Vestman Mastering

Before-and-After Display

This illustrates two songs that have been loaded into our "destination" mastering computer (this was in our former Sonic Solutions System) for a visual overview. The blue waveform is the original source, the white waveform has edits and level corrections, and the yellow waveform is the mastered output.

Our new Pyramix mastering computer is much more sophisticated - this illustration just shows the difference in the waveform. The "spiked" shape of the original wave files show dynamics - and this is good! These songs were used in the project we mastered for Juice Newton, "American Girl." The red edits in the first song were spots where the crash cymbals were too loud, and thus were lowered, one crash at a time. Check our Secrets of Mixing article where you'll read that the key to saving money in the mastering studio can rest in the hands of the drummer!

Load-in source
The bigger this blue waveform (either upward or downward), the more signal level. The peaks reach the top of the "digital ceiling".

Edits and level corrections
Each red line indicates an edit. In this case, we were taking down the volume of individual cymbal crashes. A nice result of this was that the vocal sounded louder because the cymbals weren't as distracting.

Final CD output
After processing, notice the "fatter" waveform - this means the sound has more over-all level, and it is fuller, cleaner. Keep in mind, our goal isn't to make this wave "shape" - the goal is to make the music sound better over a variety of speaker systems, have appropriate level, and keep the dynamic impact of the music in tact.

© Copyright 1998 - 2010 John Vestman
Solutions for how to avoid mix problems!
Mastering procedures
Info about compression
Info about cutting a hot cd
Visual example of creative mastering techniques
Rates and Policies

Now in 2009 we use Pyramix for our "destination" mastering computer.

	Load-in source The bigger this blue waveform (either upward or downward), the more signal level. The peaks reach the top of the "digital ceiling".
	Edits and level corrections Each red line indicates an edit. In this case, we were taking down the volume of individual cymbal crashes. A nice result of this was that the vocal sounded louder because the cymbals weren't as distracting.
	Final CD output After processing, notice the "fatter" waveform - this means the sound has more over-all level, and it is fuller, cleaner. Keep in mind, our goal isn't to make this wave "shape" - the goal is to make the music sound better over a variety of speaker systems, have appropriate level, and keep the dynamic impact of the music in tact.