This site has produced quite the variety of posts in response to the Separations article in the May issue of EQ Magazine. I have many family and business commitments which don’t always afford me the time to get on to web site discussions - but in this case I would like to respond.
Several posts on this thread are supportive of my efforts, and I acknowledge and appreciate those positive contributors. In the last year that I’ve done Separation Mastering, I’ve gotten an extremely enthusiastic response from my clients and from many engineers in the industry. It would seem selfish to not “put the word out” and EQ was gracious enough to agree that the information is valuable.
Regarding the negative comments on this thread, I note that they come from people who have never met me, and so it’s possible they may have gotten the wrong idea from a line or two in the EQ article.
Magazine writers usually find eye-catching ways to draw the reader into the article: the subheading indicates that we’ve “managed to make your mastering obsolete.” But let me clarify, we never gave any text to the magazine that indicated we were diminishing anyone else’s methods or results. This article’s intentions are about another way for better sound to be realized by more artists, producers, etc. Nothing invalidating toward other methods or other mastering engineers was ever intended.
I’d like to give a reply to a few posts:
“he's just trying to make a living like the rest of us, but he's making out like he invented Stems mastering.”Stems mastering has been around a long time, but many mastering studios won’t touch it because it can be a can of worms. I had a client who skimmed my web page and sent in stems -- 20 of them. It was a huge undertaking. There were no reverbs, there were level changes in the final mix that weren’t in the stems, and there were vocals with no verb and weren’t panned. We want to make a distinction here that serves people because it’s clear and deliberate about the form and the A-B method that honors the original stereo mixdown.
Separations distinctly mean that the stereo “subgroups” the client submits must contain the verbs and effects relative to the tracks that are being separated from the whole mix. It’s an easy definition for many recordists who want to have more flexibility in the mastering room. Since the wordage relates to color separations, we felt that it would identify the exact purpose and context of the format.
“I'm still waiting for him to answer my questions on another thread about hearing differences on two different cd-r blanks when there are no CU's on either. You can get the same Taiyo cyanine type 1 long strategy cd-r under Memorex or Fuji for example. Only difference is the packaging.”
“He must have great hearing.”Ask Bernie Grundman if he’s ever heard different CDR's sound different. Ask him if he’s ever heard the same file sound different when it came from a different type of media/drive/etc. I have an excellent monitoring system that allows anyone to hear what I hear. It’s not about me, it’s about results. I state on my web site that other engineers, clients etc. heard differences that some people on discussions like this haven’t heard yet. I’m not alone in my findings and neither are you.
”All you have to do is read his site. It's seriously a laugh-a-minute.”Personally I find it interesting when the moderator on a site is an expert at insults and has nothing to say about the audio topic of the thread. In fact, no one on this thread has stated that Separations don’t sound good, aren’t practical, won’t benefit a large number of artists, are too expensive, etc.
When people spend time putting someone else down, it makes me wonder why their time isn’t more valuable. At least 50 out of 70-some articles on my site revolve around supporting others. My articles help my business to be sure, but there’s no hidden catch, there’s no sign-up or abundance of advertising banners.
I also find it interesting that in a time when the world has become so volatile in many aspects, people in our industry are battling each other. It’s almost like some people think that the biggest bully wins. I can understand why some people can see Americans as being combative- all they need do is look at how we treat each other, and they have all the evidence they need.
”...swear words?”I won’t master a project that is filled with abusive language or lyrics about killing, illegal weapons, drugs or abuse of women. I don’t want my name on it, I don’t want to contribute to young people hearing that, and I do my best to be a positive person. I have many clients who appreciate that I stick to my principles. I feel it’s one of my personal responsibilities to contribute to better life for everyone in whatever small way I can.
Our thoughts contribute to our experiences. Personally, I’d really like to experience more peace on this planet, and a lot of anger-filled or disrespectful music doesn’t lead to more peace in my opinion.
I’m a fan of quantum physics, where science points out that our behaviors follow our thoughts (or to put it another way, our result occur depending on how we look at things). If you want some science about this, here’s a book I find fascinating:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0553344803/sr=8-1/qid=11467 33016/ref=sr_1_1/103-3821928-7628637?%5Fencoding=UTF8
”Although I didn't actually read the "article", seemed like he was describing a version of stems.”
“How does EQ come to print a market-speak sales brochure for JV purporting it to be a real article?”
”I looked for an "author" or "advertisement" designation, found neither... maybe a new category of Infomercial publishing.”Are you saying that if someone has an idea that is easy to understand, extremely flexible, opens up lots of sonic possibilities for artists, we shouldn’t say anything about it? If stems mastering is so prevalent, why didn’t EQ print something in that regard earlier? Why do so many people ask me, “Why hasn’t this been done before?”
I’m amazed that some people spend time “taking away” from others, instead of considering there could be an opportunity -- if they would only look at the intention -- look at the function of what’s being offered.
We started this in March of last year, and now 70% of our clients use the Separation format. It takes a bit longer (nothing compared to stems mixing) and so, yes, my business has increased. If you offer it in your studio, I’d say your business will increase as well. Along with an increased number of really happy clients. I’d say that’s win-win. Not all of the posts here have that same spirit.
Why not look for the good that’s being offered? Anyone is welcome to use the term Separation Mastering if they feel that the format is clear enough to attract clients and create happy customers for themselves. Personally, I think there’s enough to go around.
”all badly superimposed on a crap GIF of me in my laundry room?”I explained in the other thread that I simply haven’t had the time to get new photos, etc. There are web site upgrades in the works, but in the meantime, what does that have to do with Separations and the subject of this thread?
”Isn't it usually people that hasn't been enlightened yet that makes fun of these things?”Thank you for your comment. Enlightened or not, anyone can choose at any time whether or not they want to contribute to others, or detract from them. Usually if someone asks for my support, I’ll do my best to give it. If I make a mistake, I’ll do my best to understand it and correct it. If Mr. Blackwood, Mr. Collins (or whoever) feel they’re helpful by being condescending, I’ll respectfully state that we have differences in our approach toward other people.
”You have to admit that putting lots of famous people's names on the front page of your website (and not clearly stating that they are not clients) is misleading. There's a link to his actual clients below the list of famous people's work he uses for reference listening. The intention is obvious.”Our intention is to show that we listen to great sounding recordings, which means we’re paying attention at the same level. Does it help our search engine placement? I don’t think it makes any difference. 99.9% of the search criteria used to find our site does not revolve around those top artist names. I clearly state in RED where people can go to see our client list.
On the Commercial CD page with those top name albums, I compliment and honor numerous OTHER engineers who’s work I admire. None of those top engineers are making derogatory remarks on this thread about me. Interesting.
“I thought John Vestman was Bill Roberts' roommate?”Mr. Roberts has contacted me and I find him to be a person of integrity who offers a lot to his clients and is dedicated to sonic excellence.
”those monitor controllers he builds, they look kind of...well...good!”Thank you.
”considering he uses potentiometers rather than stepped attenuators, there's probably at least one spot where L & R channels match. Almost. Other than that, I'd agree with DC - Firlotte knows what he's doing.”Steve Firlotte recommended potentiometers for cost reasons, and also because Nautilus gear is made for both studio and mastering applications. It would be too much expense for the studios, and anyone who wants a custom unit simply needs to ask for a modified unit.
”Why are those sold on "cassette tape" from an ME?”Again, if you look closely, you’ll find the copyright date. Family and business time constraints have kept me from releasing that product on CD. Also note there are numerous links on that page to articles that are all about... you guessed it... supporting others. Including the link for sale of the product that goes to ANOTHER business.
Some of my time is dedicated to the support of charitable organizations such as ChildHelp USA and the Red Cross. I wish I had time to give more. I hope that the extra promotion that I give to these and others is enough to make some small difference. In the end, even the small differences may be felt at a larger level. I hope I’ve clarified what I’m about and what we’re trying to present to others with the information about Separation Mastering.
Thank you for your time.
Peace and best wishes,
John Vestman
