Premastering During Mixdown

DSP
BOB DENNIS ON DIGITAL SIGNAL PROCESSING

004 - PREMASTERING DURING MIXDOWN
Mastering With Dynamics Series #3
Because of tape compression in analog recording, a digital mix is automatically half as strong as the former analog mix standard. Bob Dennis shows you how to, during mixdown, use dynamics processing to compensate to prevent weak-sounding working copies of your production.

The Analog Warmth & Impact
It was 1995 and I was producing an 11 tune CD on a Gospel artist. The project had started in our studio A as a 24 track analog recording project. For the last 6 tunes, however, we switched up and recorded them with digital MDM recorders. After I got all of the tunes mixed, I'm assembling them into the final album master and I notice something. All of the mixes of the analog mutlitracks are considerably louder and sound better than the mixes of the digital productions.
I was running into the effect of "tape compression" which makes the production have a louder average level by rounding out some of the very extreme transients of the drums and percussion. The sound could be described as a bit "warmer" but it still had plenty of impact... (READ ENTIRE ARTICLE)

Soft Knee Drum Limiting Demo
I took the drums and percussion of a production on "Big" C, produced by Recording Institute Of Detroit production students. The demo will play the drum mix for 4 bars (after the one-bar intro) and then switch to the processed drum mix for another 4 bars. You will notice a distinct jump in apparent level.

CLICK HERE TO HEAR SOFT KNEE DRUM LIMITING DEMO
NOTE: >1 MB MP3 FILE - ON DIAL UP, RIGHT CLICK LINK AND USE "SAVE TARGET AS" TO DOWNLOAD

The production of Kandi Momma was recorded by Recording Institute of Detroit students and interns in the Music Producer program. It is in a Funk/Hip-Hop style, performed by "Big C," a Detroit area artist. Copyright 2004, All rights are reserved by the tune's authors and producers.

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Bob Sr.