Mastering For Vinyl

The sequencing difference is that delivery from mastering for digital is either individual wav files for download or a single ddpi file for cd replication whereas for vinyl the delivery is generally two wav files one for each side of the record.

Mastering for vinyl.

For a vinyl release it is recommended to create your own masters only as a reference for a mastering engineer who understands what will and won t translate to vinyl. Andre calilhanna audio mastering excerpted from our new guide the musician s guide to vinyl this post digs into post production audio mastering for vinyl records. Vinyl mastering facilities rely on de essers that are built for this particular problem. Mastering for vinyl is important for both mastering engineers and artists to understand.

But many vinyl cutters have been benefitting from the constant development and growing versatility of the plug in world. They destroy dynamics and cause distortion. To get the best results with your records you need to read the following before preparing your master source. Center the lower frequencies to avoid phasing issues.

2 leave headroom in your mixes to enable a mastering engineer to do his job properly. Attenuate any excessively high frequencies. Knowing how to master for vinyl may mean the difference between being able to keep a client and losing a client to a mastering engineer or studio that masters for the vinyl cutting and reproduction process. For vinyl the optimum source is 24 bit dynamic and limited either extremely lightly or not at all.

Limiting compression and loudness. Low frequency issues low frequencies can be difficult to transfer to vinyl especially if there is stereo information. Control any intense dynamics. Mastering is the final step in the recording process which takes place after the mixing process post production to optimize and add the final sonic touches to your recordings.

Use a multi band compression instead of a limiter. A basic eq will work well for this. Vinyl masters will probably use a higher resolution file format for example 24 bit and perhaps 48 or even 96 khz sampling rate but if the cd has already been mastered these will probably be available from the original mastering engineer for little or no extra cost. 4 do not mix hi hats and.

3 avoid the use of brickwall limiters or finalizers in your mixes. How to master for vinyl. Following these instructions will ensure that you are satisfied with the final product. Several known outboard de essers through the years include the maselec mds 2 and the orban 536 a.

Mid side processing is best for centering low. The ultimate goal of your creation is not only the recording on your cd or cassette but on vinyl which you intend to offer to your fans.