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Author Topic: A Series of Good Newbie Mastering Questions  (Read 2250 times)

analog

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A Series of Good Newbie Mastering Questions
« on: July 30, 2005, 03:22:25 PM »

Did some research but need to fill in more gaps.

Is Sonic Solutions the only way of making PMCDs?  What is the difference between a PMCD and a regular CD-R burned out of Wavelab?  

What is exabyte DDP and what writes it?  What software programs can currently write DDP, and what is the advantage over CD-R, and PMCD.  

Do a lot of guys use the limiter in the DB Technologies Gold A/D and just push into it to gain level?

Audiocube..  Is there really a differnce between the Loudness maximizer VPI and the VST Loudness Maximizer?  Same company who writes the code, same interface, way different price ($1600 for VPI and $350 for the VST with all the other mastering plugins!) I ask because one of my favorite MEs Tom Baker apparently uses the Loudness Maximizer VPI to acheive level..  Has anyone a/b'd the VPI and VST plugins?  Can we really beleive that the company who made the code wrote a "worse" code in the VST and their "improved" code for the VPI, which is native?  Also, can anyone confirm or deny that Brian Gardner also uses the Loudness Maximizer VPI in his last insert before printing?  

Are there any Plugin EQs that can actually compare favorabley to outboard mastering eqs?

Thanks

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Chris Garcia
Slate Studios

zetterstroem

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Re: A Series of Good Newbie Mastering Questions
« Reply #1 on: July 30, 2005, 03:51:27 PM »

lots of questions....  Shocked

"Are there any Plugin EQs that can actually compare favorabley to outboard mastering eqs?"

imo..... no!

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Noting the music industry's complaints that illegal downloading means people are getting their music for free, he said, "Well, why not? It ain't worth nothing anyway." (b.dylan)

bblackwood

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Re: A Series of Good Newbie Mastering Questions
« Reply #2 on: July 30, 2005, 04:16:37 PM »

analog wrote on Sat, 30 July 2005 14:22

Is Sonic Solutions the only way of making PMCDs?

Technically, yes. And you have to use the venerable Sony CDW-900E as well, iirc.

Quote:

What is the difference between a PMCD and a regular CD-R burned out of Wavelab?

Not much. I think an actual PMCD has a PQ burst in the lead-out, but otherwise is identical to an audio disc. In fact, many plants have told me they don't accept true PMCDs anymore, only audio CD's and on occasion, DDP.

Quote:

What is exabyte DDP and what writes it?  What software programs can currently write DDP, and what is the advantage over CD-R, and PMCD.

DDP stands for Disc Description Protocol and was created by Doug Carson & Associates - it allows the mastering house to deliver what is basically an audio image, a data file to the plant. Exabyte, a tape and tape drive manufacturer, is the standard for this delivery method though the drives that are used to deliver these tapes (8 mm) are no longer manufactured, as I recall.

Some plants are accepting DDP on CDR or DVD - DDP is simply the format, not tied to any particular media - but most plants seem to be unable to do this at this time.

As good as audio discs have gotten, it's almost a moot point - I haven't had a label request anything other than an audio CD master in over two years now...

Quote:

Do a lot of guys use the limiter in the DB Technologies Gold A/D and just push into it to gain level?

Define "a lot". Certainly many do, that and just hammering the input of the ADC.

Quote:

Are there any Plugin EQs that can actually compare favorabley to outboard mastering eqs?

There are a few getting rave reviews, though I still haven't heard any that makes me want to sell my Sontec. Currently, the Algorithmix EQs are making some waves...

Don't know about Tom Baker or Brian Gardner's work flow, sorry.
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Brad Blackwood
euphonic masters

TotalSonic

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Re: A Series of Good Newbie Mastering Questions
« Reply #3 on: July 30, 2005, 04:37:41 PM »

analog wrote on Sat, 30 July 2005 20:22

Did some research but need to fill in more gaps.

Is Sonic Solutions the only way of making PMCDs?


Yes.  Everything else is a CD-R - however CD-R's can be made to Red Book specs.

Quote:


What is the difference between a PMCD and a regular CD-R burned out of Wavelab?  


I'm not positive about this but I think the differnce might be a few descriptors in the subcodes (maybe just the burst in the leadout that Brad mentions?).  At this point any reputeable glass mastering facility can make a glass master off of either format with absolutely no difference in sound quality.

Quote:


What is exabyte DDP and what writes it?


They are two different things.  Exabyte is a digital data storeage medium on an 8mm tape.  At this point Exabyte drives have been discontinued by their manufacturers and while still in use by many for the most part have been supplanted by data CD-R, DVD-R, DVD+R, DLT (digital linear tape), and hard drive storeage.

DDP stands for "Disc Description Protocol" and in the words of it's inventors "identifies and describes collections of data that will be recorded onto a CD or DVD disc. DDP was invented by Doug Carson and DCA to help manufacturers have a consistent and complete description of the input media for use in glass mastering of CD. DDP was extended to DVD in 1996, and continues to be licensed and kept current by DCA."

http://www.dcainc.com/products/ddp/index.html

Essentially DDP is a digital data file which contains all table of contents, subcode, audio (and for enhanced CD or DVD multimedia and video) necessary for creating an image stream that goes to the LBR (laser beam recorder) that etches the pits into the glass disc (which then gets developed & electro plated with nickel - which creates a nickel stamper that gets placed in the press to create replicated discs).


Quote:

 What software programs can currently write DDP, and what is the advantage over CD-R, and PMCD.


Sonic Solutions / Sonic Studio, Samplitude (with an add on), Sequoia, DCA's DDP Pro, SADIE, and a few others that I am forgetting (maybe some others can chime in).  

The reason it is used instead of CD-R as a delivery method for digital audio discs is that it allows you to send a verifiable data image instead of an audio disc that is subject to errors that are sometimes corrected by what is an "unverifiable" method when it is optically read.  

Before sending a DDP image make sure the glass mastering facility at your manufacturer can accept the format you wish to send them in.  The plant I used to work at, for example, could only except DDP on an Exabyte as they had not updated their input device array. If you send a DDP image on a data disc make sure you very clearly label it as such to prevent them from replicated ROM discs of your DDP image!!

Quote:


Do a lot of guys use the limiter in the DB Technologies Gold A/D and just push into it to gain level?


I've never gotten a chance to use any of the DB Tech (now called Lavry Engineering) Gold products - although they certainly have a very fine reputation.  For brickwall limiting most mastering studios currently use either the Waves L2 hardware, the various options in the TC6000, or clipping the AD (and many different ones are used in mastering studios - including units by Lavry, Cranesong, dcs, Meitner, Pacific Microsonics, Mytek, etc) - although there certainly are many other limiters out there being commonly used.   For limiting I personally primarily use the RML Labs Levelizer - and occasionally the Waves L3 (and sometimes a combination of the 2) -  although once in a while I'll clip the inputs of my Mytek Stereo96 AD if someone is really demanding a very hot average level and the program material warrants clipping instead of increased limiting.

Quote:


Audiocube..  Is there really a differnce between the Loudness maximizer VPI and the VST Loudness Maximizer?  Same company who writes the code, same interface, way different price ($1600 for VPI and $350 for the VST with all the other mastering plugins!) I ask because one of my favorite MEs Tom Baker apparently uses the Loudness Maximizer VPI to acheive level..  Has anyone a/b'd the VPI and VST plugins?  Can we really beleive that the company who made the code wrote a "worse" code in the VST and their "improved" code for the VPI, which is native?  Also, can anyone confirm or deny that Brian Gardner also uses the Loudness Maximizer VPI in his last insert before printing?  


At this point I believe the code in the Loudness Maximizer is fairly dated and I don't really know of anyone regularly using it - but I can't comment on what Tom Baker does or whether there is any difference in the LM VPI vs. LM VST.

imo - Audio Cube was a nice idea when it came out but at this point it is a ridiculously overpriced unit considering you can assemble your own very fast DAW with a ton of very good quality plugin processors for a fraction of its cost.

Quote:


Are there any Plugin EQs that can actually compare favorabley to outboard mastering eqs?


A number of posters here have commented very favorably on the Algorithmix eq's.  While I use a few different digital eq's for automating per sectional minor touch ups I personally greatly prefer a good outboard analog unit for the "heavy lifting."

Best regards,
Steve Berson
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