Hi, I’m considering joining this jam but I’m wondering if the track(s) I make have to be mastered? I have zero clue how to master a track but I know it helps make the audio quality better so I was wondering if that’s a requirement/recommendation. If so, would using an online mastering tool be okay?
Hi! That’s all up to you! I personally have a limited knowledge about mastering as well, so I usually mix it so that it sounds good enough. It’s not a requirement, but it is recommended as there’s a rating category (Quality) which rates on the mixing/mastering and choice of sounds of the tracks. Using an online mastering tool is also ok, ultimately it’s all your choice!
Hope this helps ^^
You definitely need to master them if you want to make more than one tracks.
Mastering has several levels:
- The basic level should be making the tracks similar. At least, you need to make the music the same loudness.
- Next level, it's time to fix the issues you missed during mixing. Say, LR balance, dynamic balance, etc.
- Even further, you can adjust the tonal balance and others, just to make it a bit better.
Relax, it's just a jam, a game, a chance to have fun. Don't be too stressed. Do whatever you could.
Is LR balance like panning? I really don’t know a thing about mastering since every time I try to read about it I get so confused (it’s just so technical), so I end up just using bandlab for it. Of course, I still try to balance the volume levels out when I’m mixing but that’s about it. I’m very new to all of this, this jam is the first time I’ll be putting my music out there, so if you have any other tips for beginners, I’d love to learn as much as I can :)
Well, when I refer to "LR balance" it's similar to "panning" but not exactly the same. Yes, it's about positioning the instruments so we have a better stereo effect. But for "LR balance", it's more like "balance the loudness of the left and right channel so they are the same".It's nothing with the stereo field.
For the loudness, I still prefer to make a final check when mastering. During the mixing step, we could try to make them the same but there is no guarantee. We can always make some mistakes and leave one track a bit louder than the other. Setting all 6 tracks in a row and checking them one by one is a lot easier than setting the loudness in each track.