Mastering with pro tools

[RawknRoll]

Ok so i'm new in the mastering stuff.

How do i take all my tracks and burn them to 2 stereo tracks or w/e you are supposed to do......... then what do i do after that... I'd really appreciate a step by step thing of what everyone does so i can get a feel for it!!

Thank you!

[EC_Beast]

There's no exact processing or settings you can use while mastering. Unfortunately it takes years of practice to really know what you need to apply to it to get the best possible sound out of it.

[DAS]

This might help.

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MasterHome/

[Smithcok]

Mastering is the "finishing touch" that an engineer puts on a CD.

(This is a very simplified answer. This is much! more involved)
Tracks are typically EQ'ed, compressed, and limited, among other things like dither. This is done to not only make the tracks "loud" (as in have peaks at 0 dBFS), but also to make sure the EQ and compression sounds similar across the CD.

Mastering is really an art form that takes years and years to "master" no pun intended.

Start by taking stereo bounces of your mixes. Practice using EQ, compression, limiting, etc etc, to make them loud and clear. Maybe try to attend a session at a local studio with a mastering engineer.

[RawknRoll]

how do i take all the tracks say there are 28 and put them into a two track thing i keep reading about.

I don't really want to do my own mastering just better understand it so that I know how to send me mixes to mastering companies.

Thanks!


Also what does dither do and why do i need it?

[howlingwolf487]

You need to bounce all of your files to a stereo file - it's also known as a mixdown (you mix down all of your tracks into a stereo track). You can make it dual mono, too, but I don't see why you would really want to.

Go to File in the top toolbar of ProTools and you should see a Bounce option somewhere in there. Give it a try - and do realize that it is performed in REAL TIME...meaning if you have a long track, you can go get some coffee and chill for a while.

[RawknRoll]

so i do that and then what import them back into the session? sorry im' slightly retarded ( not that that is a bad thing.... i just am haha.)

[Smithcok]

Most people will do it in a new session.

Open all the stereo bounces up in a row, and then go down the line and master them.