Quick Audio Mastering: Waves L3 Multimaximizer / Waves Q10 plugins tutorial

[EricBBarker]

I know that James was doing some things for the sake of the video, but I do feel the need to point out something for posters here: he is demonstrating two different processes (limiting and EQing out frequencies), but one should NEVER EQ after final limitting. The L3 manual (a very good read!) explains it better than I can, but Limitting should always be last. I think James knows this, he's just showing that limitting can't solve everything, and EQing should be done... just not in that order.

[JamesMulvale]

@EricBBarker You're totally right Eric, I should have EQ'd those renegade frequencies out first which would have allowed me more headroom to limit to a nicer level. I tend to EQ early on nowadays - this video is a couple years old now! Thanks for pointing it out :)

[EricBBarker]

@JamesMulvale I figured you knew, I was just making sure others didn't get the wrong idea. For what it's worth, it might not be a bad idea to work out the limiting first, then go back up the chain and apply the EQ, as the limiter tends to emphasize renegade frequencies. Just as long as the Limiter remains the last thing in the chain.

One thing is for sure, Limiter is ALWAYS last. The L3 manual even suggests doing sample-rate conversion before limiting, which I didn't even realize

[kokhen]

Thanks for this tutorial!

[BestAudioPlugins]

Stop by my blog.. i got the best limiter plugin on the market! FabFilter Pro L :D .. and steven slate mastering!

[JamesMulvale]

@BestAudioPlugins I love slate digital mastering, I sometimes combine it with waves L3-LL adding just a couple of dB on each.

[JamesMulvale]

Watch my new video on mixing and mastering with waves!

[JamesMulvale]

@JamesMulvale ....in the Video Response section, 'Mixing music with Cubase 5 and Waves Plugins"

[Myleso]

Brilliant. Learned a lot. Thanks for this.

[Rrrrobbo]

I can't believe there are people who actually use windows for music

[JamesMulvale]

@Rrrrobbo I used to hate my PC but now I have Win7, I can't fault it... I don't use L3 anymore either, moved on to LL-Multi

[Rrrrobbo]

@JamesMulvale Ah I had 7 for a bit on my pc pc and they moved everything I used to use like 'network connections' was nowhere to be found! unless you manually made a shortcut to some obscure command, then I tried the latest ubuntu and it was perfectly happy to format my hard disk and 'install' but then wouldn't boot from a non-ahci motherboard, friggin genius!

[DJPETE2010]

@Rrrrobbo Not everyone can afford Apple you know

[Rrrrobbo]

@DJPETE2010 save your pennies up, it's worth it

[Rrrrobbo]

@DJPETE2010 My mate just bought a used mac for  200 quid, it runs logic just fine

[Rrrrobbo]

@DJPETE2010 admittedly, they're not the best for everything, they're shit for games, but then again if you want games a console is far more cost effective and will last years before being obsolete, but for stuff like music osx is unbeatable IMO, I didn't want to spend the money but i wasted years trying to make a pc do it properly and it simply couldn't, I bought a mac and it destroys winx, and just never gets in the way, i know pc's very well I just got sick of the crap after 15 years

[Vintage27]

@Rrrrobbo 9th wonder, Ski Beatz and Khrysis do...must not be too bad.

[Rrrrobbo]

@Vintage27 I have no idea what or who they are, what do they play? Or are they just more nob twiddling drum machine "musicians"

[Vintage27]

@Rrrrobbo I play instruments too (bass & alto)...trust me I understand the frustration that one may have when surrounded by "so called" musicians, artists, producers, etc etc. LOL, it's enough to bust a vein sometimes. When I save enough I already to jump ship and get Logic.

[Rrrrobbo]

@Vintage27 haha cool sorry man i just can't take it too seriously on here i do end up being a bit abusive

[Rrrrobbo]

@Vintage27 Yeah im sure it does work out alright for some people I just tried all the wrong things in all the wrong order probably, some people find stuff that works before their patience runs out!! It just felt like once i moved to the mac i haven't had to try to fiddle with /anything/ once its running logic its like it's a console or thing in itself that doesn't really get in the way, windows as soon as I'd get into it it'd start screwing up on me, then i'd forget what i even wanted to do!

[JamesMulvale]

@Rrrrobbo I'm with you on that one Robbo. Annoys the heck out of me when people with no musical ear but have a copy of Reason or Fruityloops and claim to be musicians or even producers. Years of practice and practice to write and score music properly and you get these guys who can barely sing let alone make a coherent backing track try and tell you they have talent. Whatever tools you use, it's the end result that counts. Bad workmen blame their tools. Protools would be nice though :D

[Rrrrobbo]

@Vintage27 and I speak from personal experience, I've used PC's since dos/win95, since then used 95/98me/nt4/2000/xp/vista/7/ub­untu/redhat/some other linux distro i cant remember and osx tiger/leopard/snow leopard, and i've played guitar for 20 years, i play drums, synths, keyboards, i don't care what some shitty rapper uses to talk shit over a drum machine, i make music myself and that's where my opinion comes from, osx shits on windows, try making an aggregate audio device in winx... YOU CAN'T

[Vintage27]

@Rrrrobbo For what you are doing (multi-channels/inputs/outputs­) I definitely understand why you'd be pro OSX. Traditionally speaking (not just about AADs) Mac/OSX is without a doubt the way to go for not only audio, but photo/video editing. It's much more streamlined and efficient, no argument there. I guess I'm focusing on the success many people (including myself) have had with Windows (yes, it's terrible) and making dope music regardless of the limitations.

[Jugularkill]

@Rrrrobbo There are hit songs made using windows.. What you're saying doesn't make sense.

Windows is just an operating system, ok it doesn't have pro logic but it has equivalent software. There's no physical reasons why someone can't perform a task on a Windows PC that you can on a Mac. It's all the same hardware these days.

[Rrrrobbo]

@Jugularkill Ah if you read my other comments you'd see I used windows for many years before getting so sick of getting partway through a project and then all of a sudden have to deal with a load of bullshit errors that would totally take me out of a creative mindspace, that was my problem with windows, im sure some people manage to make the tools do the job, but they were too fraught with niggly twattish nonsense that i couldn't really use them and have fun, which is what i want to do

[Rrrrobbo]

@Jugularkill ah yeah, it's the same hardware but it's osx that makes it great, my friend runs a recording studio in ireland, he used to use pro tools on a carillon (sp?) PC, once he used my mac and saw how it all works he switched to a mac pro in weeks, the thing that i don't understand is that a lot of people who disagree haven't even really got much experience of BOTH sides, yet that is what I have, and why I voice my (own personal) opinion which I have derived from my own personal experience

[klcbsoft]

@Rrrrobbo I have MacBook Pros and stationary iMacs of the latest generations as well as contemporary PC hardware. Over the past 2 years OSX has been giving us troubles in live and studio recordings with latency crackles, playback studdering or crashes (since Lion). In Windows 7 every attached hardware just plainly works. Be it a low-end Tascam or Behringer A/D or our high-end RME-converters. OSX has screwed up 3 live sessions in 6 months alone, thankfully RME can do a backup to USB-directly.

[Rrrrobbo]

@klcbsoft I'm with you on that, i'm not getting lion and my mac has gone downhill over the past year or so, i tried windows 7 but it was destroyed by a virus within literally days so i'm not going near that again! XD

[Rrrrobbo]

@Jugularkill and there are also things you can't do in windows (you might be able to in 7) that you definitely could not do in xp that was possible in osx for years before, which is as I said, create an aggregate device, want to use a usb pod in with a usb mic in and drums through a firewire interface? all at once? try doing it on windows, and good luck, because you can't

[triclops8]

@Rrrrobbo why?

[WallaceWinstonWright]

@Rrrrobbo I can't believe there are people who still believe that nonsense. I have owned 3 Macs in my time and I will never go back to them now. All the money I saved not wasting it on an overpriced Mac let buy A LOT more gear. Plus when I want to upgrade to the next level (like I recently did going up to a 6 core) I do not have to try and unload a old worthless computer. I just upgrade the components and off I go...A few hundred bucks as opposed to a few $1000.00...but hey, it;s your money!

[DDman465]

@Rrrrobbo What's so surprising about it?

[MrDigitalTrix]

did u mix this down urself bro?...if so...y so much destructive mastering techniques..and wers this tv channel i wanna apply 4 a job man ;)

[JamesMulvale]

@MrDigitalTrix again, read the narrative. it's overcooked for demo purposes only. Ever heard of the BBC or Gems TV? You can apply at their careers page. Google them.

[MrDigitalTrix]

@egervari at the end ov the day mate u kno that us engineers kinda 'teach ourselves'...so thers no exact right or wrong way...I actually understand ;some; of what he is saying all be it a little bit backwards toward the end but shureley ther is no need to hate on people as much as that whats wrong wqith u man

[bbbkink1]

sure! Nice example of a good ''loud'' master

[DJMNM310]

thanks for the vid.. it helped me...

[JamesMulvale]

1) if you bothered to read the narrative I explain that I bring the threshold down 'too much' to show the effect of too much limiting, for demonstration purposes. 2) It was soundforge, the other compressors and limiters were already added. Don't tell me my job please, if my work is good enough for TV then it's good enough for a quick demo. I don't normally master tracks in 5 minutes, normally an hour at least. It was a flavour of what Waves can do, now off with you, troll.

[MrStevieb75]

@JamesMulvale you tell e'm, this guy is trying to give you guys a bit of knowledge, so please don't try and be smart, if somethings wrong or not quite in the right order, well, just keep it to yourself, that way you don't look lie a To44er on here !!

[JamesMulvale]

No, i'm afraid they don't they're quite expensive. try waves.com. Luckily work paid for ours :)

[darkoducko]

Some good basic tips there, thx.

[polodenautico]

Thanks Man I found it helpful and I also checked out the song on soundcloud, sounds great:-)