A lot of people getting their panties in a bunch over stem mastering LOL. Those of you getting offended, you missed the point. I specifically said if you want to pay someone to do this for you, by all means do it. But that doesn’t make it mastering. Stem mastering is not mastering, even if it is a useful technique for you and your music. Stem mastering is mixing. So while there are no rules, and there is no actual “right and wrong“… There are correct, and incorrect terminology‘s. Calling stem mastering “mastering“ is incorrect regardless of how much you may get benefit from doing it.
While I agree somewhat with what you've said about it actually being mixing. It's actually much cheaper to stem master than it is to hire a mix engineer and the results can be really good... I also wouldn't call it mixing either. Mixing is dealing with a bunch of tracks and stem mastering is just mixing group buses so its definitely not the same. Also after the stems are rebalanced, it's put through a mastering chain so it really is mastering in the end. This is how I see it anyway.
I see stem mastering as the mix being pretty much done but leaving some options open to the mastering engineer so that they have less of a chancd of having to send it back to you if they need to change something. You could just render out each mix element separately, but sending stems just narrows it down... The file sizes are smaller than sending whole mixes too. That's just my opinion. The only time I had to send stems to a mastering engineer was when I sent someone else's stuff to a mastering engineer and he asked for it. It had domething to do with the kick and bass iirc.
Thank you Colt, I couldn't agree more, I'm a mixing engineer people hire me for my style of mixing, when I'm done with the mix all it needs is Mastering, otherwise why use my services? Thank you for telling it like it is, good job.
@@XChristianNoirX File sizes are certainly not smaller when sending stems versus the whole mix. Because when you’re sending stems they all need to be at the same resolution you recorded at. So sending four or five 24/48 stems is four or five times the size of the 24/48 mix
not healthy approach because what sounds "GOOD" in your speakers won't sound "GOOD" in other speakers, and this when "GOOD" wont sound good ,but if you followed the preferable process it will sound real good . just pay time for standard quality that's what's GOOD
@@sallom97 For that we have our monitoring system, which is suppposed to be the most accurate possible and the comparativ listening on alternativ systems (car hifi, hearbuds, crappy speakers, etc...) I was just talking about art and creativity, carving the sonic raw matter.
A big problem on this decade is that we have a lot a lot of information, but peolpe don't know how to filter all that information. Music is not a exception.
I'm guessing all of us drank that 'master it to -14' koolaid at some point and had the same experience when it dropped on streaming... WTFF??????? I'm with Colt, cook that shit to taste, the rest will take care of itself.
Great Analogy! Wanted to add more, Some parts need to get Crispy, Crunchy, and some parts need Steamy, Gravy etc etc.. Rather than setting the cooking fire to a desired temperature and forget it (integrated lufs), i think its a good idea to watch those flames,control and cook while lookin at the food for the perfect texture that it needs( short term lufs)
the -14 lufs is intergrated, not true peak or short term, your song could be all the way to -1 true peak (cause it's safe when wav turns to mp3 the dynamic range might be shrink), but the over all stuff should be -14 lufs integrated. And lufs only measure things in digital world. When you're hearing, it depends on your monitor levels as well. As a film/game composer, there is a standard called EBU-128 that makes every film sound not louder than -23lufs integrated. Don't think that's too quiet, because the dynamic range of cinema speakers with an action film is super large. It can go all the way to -0.1 true peak and very quiet but you still can hear it. It's about dynamic range. When the integrated loudness is lower and true peak stays the same, your dynamic range will be larger. Of course that's just an example of "another industry", we don't listen to music in cinemas and we probably don't have that super dynamic playback systems of them. But -14 lufs really makes sense, it can make your music more dynamic.
THANK YOU! As a recording engineer for almost 30 years, all this crap drives me crazy. That and the term "producer" being ridiculously misused nowadays.
House music is to blame for that. suddenly every COMPOSER was calling themselves a PRODUCER. Most of them have no idea how to make a C chord on a piano and they call themselves a producer. What a laugh. These kids these days need to go get a subscription to MIX or one of the many recording magazines, and all of them will laugh at these people saying it's true.
@@jeffreycollins7297 To me bing a producer is simply someone who makes songs. What does it mean to you? Bing a music theory major? Having every scale memorized? When is the point where someone rightfully can call themselves a producer?
I'm 100% with you, but got used to it for few years now, most of the time I felt I end up looking like a complete ass-hole when "pointing it", I just smile now... Austin: imho, and according to most, a producer isn't what you describe, first you have to define what kind of producer, more on the business (exec) or more on the creative side ? both? that's hell of a work and required skills for a single human being, yet not impossible. But generally a producer will often have a high level view and imply handling both the economic/business side as well as parts of the technical and creative job to help the artist achieve their goals, he's managing human and technical resources, planning, schedule, etc... He's your daddy and he should take care of you =p I'm writing down a score a new song, I'm nowhere near being a producer, yet, I would fit your description. When I play my instrument and improvise, I'm "making songs", yet I'm still nowhere near a producer. And I would consider myself kind of knowledgeable on music theory etc, yet, still not a producer. Also, knowledge in anything doesn't make you a producer, your actions do. Hope this gives some pointers ^^
Nearly 40 years experience here and I'm absolutely with you. I watch a lot of these videos from super confident "young bucks" purely for a laugh and entertainment, but I do worry how many people starting out absorb this, largely bull shit who then have to unlearn it if they are going to get anywhere. There is so much info available now, good and bad, that there is a total overload and for anyone new to the profession it is becoming impossible to distinguish the valuable from the valueless.
From day 1 I've tried to take in information from everywhere but predominantly taking my biggest tips from decorated veterans, just like I'd take life advice from my grandad before my friend but would still listen to my friends too
Hey I am proudly agonizing about fractions of dBs that the listener will never notice but I wouldn't have anything to do with any stem mastering in my 20 years of making music ;)
I used an eq the other day. I couldn't find my hand towel I drape over the guitar soundboard to mellow it out. My rule is this: Use whatever works. A friend worked on tour with Anita Baker. Notorious pita. She kept saying she could make the house sound better. So someone on the team built a 2u box with a couple VU meters, some knobs and LEDs. It didn't do anything except give her knobs to turn. She fell for it and would adjust the box on every date.
@@morbidmanmusic why would I. All the videos I've seen actually use pink noise their mix sounded worse so why would I? I'm happy with how my stuff sounds with the experience I have at the level I'm at. If pink noise works for you by all means lmfao 🤣
@@morbidmanmusic I've never tried it, but I usually steer away from things that don't make sense to me. It's weird, because if you think about it, apart from simple level automation, all of the professional software developers use EQs and compressors to the very end that this pink noise thing is supposed to accomplish, so if it was a great idea, you would think they would be doing pink noise instead of all of the conventional methods of mixing and mastering.
Dude... the point about taking advice from anyone/everyone on RU-vid is spot on! I hate the way that the RU-vid community of mixers/engineers/producers only talk "tips & techniques." I'm bored of that! I want to hear about work/life balance, managing time, finding work... you can only learn about compressing drums once, and it's best done yourself!
Your magic is in the midrange video drastically improved my mixing more than any other tip I've read or watched on the internet. I'm extremely grateful. I've tried to tell my other audio friends but they haven't caught on and are still frustrated with their mixing despite me telling them the mid range secret like 3 times...oh well.
As a mastering engineer for nearly 20 years, I can tell you that I had people wanting to do this in 2007, so it's certainly not a new phenomenon. And yes, it's mixing in the mastering room. I never asked people to supply stems, but had clients who asked if they could do it that way. The reason was that they didn't felt their production room was not up to the job, monitoring-wise. It seemed to me that they would do better working in a decent mixing room, than working in my room at our higher rates. Some people still wanted to try, but the sessions tended to become messy with people arguing over mix decisions and mastering decisions at the same time, but, as I said, at higher rates.
Glad that you're cutting through the BS with this video. I knew I wasn't alone in having some of these thoughts myself. LOVE your channel, CONGRATS on your new desk, and keep making those records sound badass bro. Cheers from Atlanta!
the worst gimmick in audio engineering is the label audio/ mixing engineer without putting in the work in a real studio or under the tutelage of a professional mentor in the business at some point or another in that person's process. Also the catch phrase " i will professionally mix and master" coming from everyone and their momma is just out of control especially when the person has no gear or experience. Most places giving audio advice are actually doing the opposite of helping. You definitely hit the nail on some of these topics.
This means we have to rule out lots of famous mixing/mastering engineers working ITB and using headphones, because they don't have a real studio. No experience or gear, yes... it's true but in this day and age the term "real studio" is hard to define.
@@OrangeMicMusic your forgetting that all those people you mentioned started out in a traditional setting and their experience is what carried them to where they are now. They learned from pros and then applied their experience and became one.
@@michaelcandido2824 you're correct, most of the people mixing ITB now are coming from '80s and '90s real studio setups, but not all of them. In the last 5-10 years we're witnessing a new wave of good audio productions, made by people who never worked in these kinds of studios. My point is: this could be another slippery slope...like a "rule" - all good engineers should come only from that environment.🙂
@@OrangeMicMusic there are no rules in audio but very good points for a formal upbringing in audio. Very few are doing what you discuss with any success. They are out there but for the most part unknown until they mix or land a gig that goes commercial. You’d be surprised that in some cases they did learn their tricks from someone who was already solidified even if through the internet.
@@michaelcandido2824 yes, you're right about very few making it big. Other thing is, everyone is experiencing a different story, hard to quantize or to define rules about what to do/not to. Me, playing / recording guitar professionally for 20 years, having labels, promoters and now turning to music production I saw lots of things out of the "accepted rules". I met people making it big to the charts in Europe recording only on a PC without knowing much what they're doing....just a good song. This didn't stop me to learn more about recording/production, but it was an inspiration for me. But if you witnessed something different, then you're right on your side.
The biggest one that bugs me is the dismaying overuse of the limiter. So many "mastering" tutorials tell you to sausage squeeze the fuck out of your master with a limiter. If you use compression properly, you will only need 1 or 2db of limiter to get a loud and balanced track most of the time. Too much limiter can destroy your dynamics and start to sound clipped most of the time. Obviously there are exceptions, but generally the idea that "the limiter will take care of everything and you don't need master compression" is BS
colt is absolutely spot on about stem mastering. clients of mine who go with my stem mastering option are generally bigger labels managing 8-10 artists. this is where the process of resending files after revision notes will take too long and deadlines are often tight. having the 4x stems (at most) gives me the flexibility to maybe not require the producer to rebounce the entire f*kin song with just to turn the 808 up...could take them up to a week depending on their workload atm.
Hi Colt, I checked out your website and the tracks on there. Absolutely awesome!!!! The songs are varied but consistently superb quality. If I get a third of the way to that quality I’d be over the moon. Keep up the tuition Colt it’s phenomenal.
You are correct....... I have been a professional audio engineer for 25 years now, and it is amazing what these youtubers tell people is correct. I watched one guy that didn't even know what an acronym used in music was. I have had some amazing mentors, some of them have master's degrees in music/audio, so I like to c what folks are doing but do not agree with their advice very often. Thank you for this video, it is time that people go to school and learn how to do music proper. Respect the music please
Very well said David. and so true. And a rule that i have always gone with, is for anyone doing this is getting with a good mentor. I too have been fortunate. Its so easy to go down the wrong path.
Let’s gooo! Also, I totally bought the Focal headphones, I’m mixing with them right now. (I used your link, no worries).They are amazing, thanks for the recommendation👌🏽
I've been stressing the -14db. It never sounds right to me. I prefer to use my ear. That was my instinct but oh man I don't want to do it wrong. Best advice I ever got was day 1 at GIT from Les Wise. He said if it sounds good......it is good. Sometimes I forget that. Anyhow, thanks for this. I agree.
As I go through life I am continually surprised by how many folks seem to really dislike critical thinking - why spend precious time thinking when a simplistic “rule” suffices? Yeah, not so much. Thanks for teaching on this - it boils down to “there are no shortcuts” as you remind.
Stem mastering isn't about rebalancing elements in the mix. It offers insight into individual elements in said mix, and rather than make an eq move on a single stereo bounce that effects the whole mix, you can do it on the individual stem in which you identified the problem. A -1db notch at 1k on the master is very different from a -1db notch at 1k on "the guitar stem." I'm not saying this approach is the end-all solution as making changes to any source material is technically destructive, but it can absolutely offer an engineer that extra bit of precision if they so choose to use it and know how to.
The most important piece of knowledge that I picked up over 30+ years of working with sound is "always do" and "never do" DO NOT EXIST. Fundamentalism is dangerous and mind numbing...Colt, you are so very right, man!
So apparently I take your advice for all the right reasons. Great videos. And great advice. We used some of the stuff from your videos to improve the sound of the last two demos I did. You definitely know what you're doing. I'm super grateful for all this stuff.
I wasn’t expecting you to talk about the Spotify information but I’m glad you did because I was just looking into it and have been getting lots of mixed information on the topic. It was very helpful to clear it up. Thanks for what you do
I have read and watched countless RU-vid videos about all the tips you have talked about in this video to find out at the end that a lot of people say bs. I found that a lot of times, use your ears and not read whatever the dials/meters are saying. I truly appreciate your videos they are the best. 👍👍
Great advice. I also think you shouldn't listen to anyone who says to never do something and I've seen pretty successful engineers say stuff like this, like Bruce Swedien, who'se work I actually admire, but obviously we need to focus on developing our hearing skills and confidence to do whatever needs to be done to serve the music. Great videos Colt
As per “tip” #3, I recently broke things off with a producer I mixed for, and he told a mutual friend “I found out Joey’s secret thing he does to make a really good mix.” I was thinking, “oh, I would love to know what it is because I literally don’t do the same thing twice!” Mixes require listening to the music.
Stem mastering, exactly, the times stem mastering is ever needed is if the music is being used for a film and the production company want to take the vocal off the track for background music for a scene, or vocal up or down mix, or for other media - computer games, also many studios want stems because the record label does different mixes for mp3,, for radio and for tv, for vynl: it is a myth that one mix travels across all formats, there will always be a compromise somehow. I worked at the BBC for ages, then in other studios and what we sent to the radio stations simply was not one stereo master from the same mix, stems were needed, not because the band engineer could not mix, it was the protocol required. In short an proper released commercial mp3 from a well known band is not the same 2buss stem. Obviously stems are used for surround work. That said, if you are only producing the track for CD, which doesn't really exist anymore, but that the material is for one purpose, vynl only, then stems are not needed. If the deal is that the artist is contracted to have their material in film, on vynl, on digital platforms, then stems are required.
Absolutely agree on all of your points Colt! I'm glad you are bringing awareness to these BS advices, beginners must get so confused with all the nonsense on social media. It ties in well with all those instagram "tips" and nonsense circling around.
So glad to hear you saying this. I’m currently head steering my first EP. I wrote, performed, was the recording/mixing and mastering engineer and went into the project thinking all of these principles. The project is still in the mixing and mastering stages. Will have a single out in about a month or so! Thanks for confirming my thoughts!! 🙏🏻☺️
Love the channel. Have done for years. Definitely in my top 5 favourites. I respect your word, ethics & execution. Great advice as always. I’ve been more judicious lately exactly about those to listen to & those not to (anymore). It’s a crowded space & spending time on channels who I no longer believe are worthy for the reason you outlined are why I’m pruning some of my subs. Thank Colt, you’re f**king awesome 👊🏾
If you were in the electronic music scene you would understand that stem mastering many times is used because of remix kits. Not just for the mastering of the original release. Often when remix’s are done you send only stems out to other artists . Stem mastering ensures that all remixes will have each of the elements mixed and mastered to ensure that even if only one element of the song gets used, it is sent at the highest quality possible. Stem mastering may kinda of be a genre specific theory/practice . It’s also done in house and techno music where there is often many different versions of singles released... an acapella version . A instrumental mix and a percussion only mix sometimes are released because DJ’s purchase these unique mixes to create different mixes live. This is where stem mastering is crucial because often many different versions of a track are released with varying instrumentation. I can 100% see this not making sense in the country rock world. Kinda funny that a worst advice video kinda has some of the worst advice for some right in it lol! Where he is correct is if a mastering engineer is demanding to do a stem master... that is ridiculous, he is right avoid those engineers. Or send them your stems and see if you get a better final product... there is no one definitive path.
Technically he's still right as your examples are all about mixing really. You said it yourself using the words remix and mix. If you send your stem to another artist to remix it is not mastering it is mixing. They may master it after they have mixed it with whatever changes they wish to make but the process remains the same, mix stems until the goal is achieved then master. I get sending stems for the highest quality possible but all that means is sending stems to remix. Is the idea that the individual stem is mastered in a way that sounds the same across different versions? That's the only way the term would make sense to me.
@@scottlafferty6857 it’s absolutely mastering.... its stem mastering... the final process before a release is sent off to the world. Acapella mixes that are released have their stems “mastered” before release. Is a sample pack not mastered before it is put up for sale/download? This is the same concept. Not sure why people are so hung up on things like this. What is right for one genre may seem like a crazy method to someone else.... there is no one size fits all theory for any of this stuff. These methods I’ve spoke on I have personally taken part in...in the electronic world stem mastering is without a doubt a thing!... I’m speaking from actual experience in these things with releases like this and sample pack sales..... furthermore anyone saying there are rules that must be followed like “no stem mastering!” No additive EQ.... the OP even says that kind of attitude is totally bunk. If you disagree that stem mastering is not a thing... you likely have not released any music to the dance world.... I would never discount a method country rockers use because I have no experience in that subculture. But after half a dozen 12” releases , sample pack and club comps and MANY remixes in the dance music scene, I can say unequivocally that stem master is a thing and it is not part of the mixing process of the songs single or album release.... this is for all the ancillary releases that happen for DJs and synth nerds. Also having stem mastering done all at once means you won’t have to go back and do a completely new master or mix if you get hired 2 years later to do a new mix version for syncs. It enables you to do a stem mix and create multiple options for a single song. Maximize your music, make different versions and mixes of songs.... then maybe stem mixing will click. Lastly if you are going to use any playback stems live.... you are going to want to do a Stem Mastering so your live stem playback sounds are great as the record. Personally I could care less if any does stem mastering... I’m only commenting because I do release vinyl often, I do release remix kits often, I often do stem mixing for bands for their playback systems and stem mastering in my world is ABSOLUTELY a useful tool should you want to use it... if you don’t... big deal... we can all have different experiences in this, between the subcultures we would likely see many topics we would all disagree on depending where we butter out bread :)
DIY experimental electronic guy here chiming in to say Colt Capperune videos are mature and golden! feels good to sniff out the real deal to learn from
Good video. All the strong advice and MUST do x,y,z videos can create fear and hesitation with a worry of getting it 'wrong', and it can have a negative impact on creativity and the enjoyment of learning. Your video pretty much did the opposite! 🙂 . Nice one.
White/pink noise thing can be a good game to play when you learn the basics of hearing, and IF you really use it to consciously teach your brain to "get it"... Of course not for very long time, because it's noise, instantly generating a 20 minutes rest for you, or some hearing damage, if you're in your "constant volume raising" developmental stage... For some playful but deductive self teaching moments, little nonsense things like this can be your friends to start to feel some basics. At least, these weird experiments can definitely pull you away from your consumer listening mode...
Your boost and cut recommendations from the "f*** these freqs" vid opened up some great sonic exploration for my latest projects, so f*** those trolls!
Now this is what I call a great video!!!! In the past I've mastered an album to -/- 14 Lufs and it souded weak compared to other songs on Spotify.........So this is a great advice Colt. If the end result sounds good for you, it will be sound good for the rest of the world!
About the stem mastering…. I agree the amount of stems that you mentioned… that‘s not mastering that is mixing. However I had some good experiences with seperating the drums from the rest. Treating the instruments that need to maintain the transients a lot differently than all the melodic parts did work for me quite nicely.
That’s one of the first things I did when I found your channel, was go check out some of your work, love your content man really helpful, even for me as a metal head working on death metal mostly haha I would love to see how your mix would sound on death metal it would be interesting, cheers from Canada! 🤘🏼
Your the man love your recordings and the way you explain the topic. I learned more the 1st video of yours I watched then the 40 videos before it. Keep up the great work . Appreciate it, thank you.
I've said for years you should be very wary when people use words like: always, must, need, never, don't, can't. Something stated like that is totally subjective, but then after a single video it's being passed around as 'fact'.
Most modern recordings are heavily compressed. It's become how everything is done, people are now used to over-compressed music, and it's become what people like and expect. But put on a Steely Dan recording and don't be surprised when it comes out to be around -14 LUFS. And crank up a modern album and crank up a Steely Dan album, and see which one gives you ear fatigue after half an hour. BUT if you're mixing for clients, getting their music as loud as everyone else's is mandatory. I like Kings of Leon, but their latest album gives me a headache if I turn it up. Interesting conversation topic - over-compressed music does sound better at lower volume levels. Is this now the norm because most regular (non-musicians) don't crank music any more? Or no?
To add another thought - people are listening to more music than ever before, but they're mostly using it as background music. Not too many people put music on and crank it and listen and do nothing else. How many people (outside of this group) own a great home stereo system? Almost nobody I know. Does heavily compressed music fit this new use pattern better than music with dynamic range?
“Over compressed music does sound better at lower volume levels“… That is a very interesting, and I think correct observation. And I tend to think it’s because music is consumed in background far more often than it used to be. You used to put on a record, and sit down and actually listen to it. Now it’s Playing in your car while you’re talking on the phone, it’s on the grocery store system while you shop, it’s the background music of a TV commercial. Very few people actually sit and listen to music nowadays
@@ColtCapperrune Agree 100%. The overall purpose of music has shifted from main event to background soundtrack for your life. Even at a concert, people are holding up their smart phone and making shitty recordings, because it's not the music, it's the event. I still like the music, but the event is good, too!
@@budgetguitarist Still you have to understand that it's not actually all about the loudness but a large part of it is that you want your song to translate pretty much the same on all devices. You want it to sound "the same". This way you can avoid your volume ducking when reproduced on devices that can't really reproduce lower frequencies. This one trap song I mastered had a short 808 but a big one , and obviously you cannot smash it to -5 as the 808 will lose the depth and the punch so what happened is , when the song came out and I listened to it on my friends TV (that couldn't reproduce lower freq.) every time the 808 would hit , it would automatically duck the signal because of so much dynamic range between the peaks and the crest factor P.S. the song was mastered at -11 LUFS with the signal going to -7 when the 808 hit. Take a listen to panini by lil nas or the box by roddy rich x to catch my drift
Thank you for another massive dose of common sense and practical advice! A lot of these things seem to make sense on face value (and maybe do in certain very specific circumstances) but more often than not are misguided or flat out wrong.
GREAT information! Also, as a relative NOOB, I appreciate your clarification and @The House of Kush also noting in the comments that the -14 LUFS is nonsense (which makes sense, as if the norm is -6[for example] for tracks submitted to spotify, then if there is an error... then the algo will likely pre-set to -6.)
I (genuinely) love when I’m watching a video on a successful engineer and they explain something specific they like to do with compression, EQ, etc. and follow it up with “BUT this is what works for me, it might not work for you.” That’s a good disclosure and advice- and I can tell they’re humble in their approach to help others.
Awesome video! I love how punchy the snare sounds in your productions! Can you make a video on how to maintain the punch in mastering or how to mix so the punch doesn't get lost after mastering?
I agree with everything except the compression. And the proof is that so many things are so compressed today that everything sounds like a squished wash with nothing popping. Use compression as sparingly as possible.
Thanks for clarifying the truth about mixing and mastering, I remember when I first heard about Stem Mastering the 1st thing I thought was how you master just a stem. But when I seen the process I thought oh, that’s just a louder mix.
Thanks for the advice about lufs that has been super confusing for me as well. When your trying to do a group of songs together it makes it even more complex. I need to mess around with different levels to experiment by song.
That was some good preaching bro. I have got twice as many years at this than you do and the right sound is the right for the mix regardless of what the knobs tell you. When it sounds good stop tweaking and if you are working on multiple songs for someone leave the volume knob alone till your done!
Stem mastering is still "Mastering". Many upon many labels, publishing companies and film peeps expect this now and use it for that purpose. They go to Mastering and have it done.
Love this video and love this channel! While I may not be a professional mixing or mastering engineer, I have been doing it for a good number of years now. And the one thing I've learned is that everything, for the most part, is circumstantial. When I say that I mean that everyone's song is different, everyone's room is different, everyone's gear/plugins are different, and everyone is different. So a golden rule is that if it sounds good, than it is good! Just make sure to pay attention and if it sounds good it is good.
I have mixed and mastered 3 of my own band's albums over the last few years, and tried "stem mastering." However, it was our own material and more of a process akin to your "multiple compressors summed to a larger overall amount." We used clipping and limiting in as transparent a way possible, on separate stems so that the Mastering compressors / limiters did far less work, other than to bring the final volume of the stereo master (LUFS/peaks) to -10.5/-0.1. We got a pretty good result but it really didn't sound better than simply applying clipping to Drum buses and other dynamic tracks before sending to the master fader. while still in the mixing stage on one "board." IOW, "top down" mixing has essentially made that unnecessary if the tracking and mixing are done right.
Actually the “Stem Mastering” term was used in the early/mid to late 90s when Sessions 8 /ProTools 2.5, Tc Electronics and Samplitude / Sequoia were the start of the Digital Mastering. The 24bit 96k was alien technology back then and to set the record straight Stem Mastering was the Instrumental and Vocal Accapellas ONLY. So to clarify you would print out a Mix, Instrumental, and accapella track (3 stereo 2 track in total). The reason you would do this was IF the client or record label wanted a clean radio mix or some touch ups to the mix as in DeEssing (to vocals not beat) and or to maybe lift the vocals up a without using over processing, beef up the 808 bass kicks then this was the most natural best sounding way to do it (without doing mix recalls). How do I know this is 100% Fact?? It’s because that what we were doing at Digital Services and Sugar Hill Recording Studios in Houston Texas back in the 90s. Todays definition of stem Mastering is Trash. But,… the way we did it back then as I described it was a common and life saving process that ALL the most Accomplished mastering engineers lived by back then.
Man I’ll boost the sh!t out of an eq! Haha for real, this video is on point, I watch a lot of advice stuff on here and this makes me feel better. New subscriber here!
