Each song's eq might seem best by itself, but if you series them together, suddenly one tune sounds too bright (or too dull ...). Changing the eq can even everything out. Idea # 1: remember that any eq modifications to your stereo mix affect the entire mix - if you wish to cut 3 db at 80Hz due to the fact that your mix sounds muddy, keep in mind to check how that affects all the instruments (e.g. the vocal), not simply the bass guitar and kick drum. Pointer # 2: if you're unsure about an eq choice during mixdown, understand that it's easier to cut lower frequencies in mastering than to improve them, and much easier to increase higher frequencies than to cut them. Compression: In mastering, this is used not just to manage a mix or to add character, but likewise to "print" or send out as much level to the master as possible without clipping the signal. This can almost feel like a competitors for who has the loudest cd (" my record sounded fantastic up until I listened on my CD carousel and Green Day was 5 db louder!"). However mastering engineers need to balance level with sonic stability. Levels: Ideally, a listener can play your record and not have to get up to adjust the volume. This is resolved in mastering, after the record has been sequenced. Just then can you actually understand how levels connect to each other as one tune ends and the next starts.
Spacing & Crossfading.
Spacing: there are different viewpoints regarding how one must approach the spaces put in between songs on a record. Some feel the downbeat of one song should fall at the start of a new bar, in the tempo of the previous song (to continue the circulation.) Others believe you need to prevent this like the plague, because it decreases the effect. In the end, do whatever feels. There is no requirement. Cross-fade your songs if you like, or place six seconds between them. (2-4 seconds is common in most popular, non-classical records, however it's up to you.) Final suggestion: you might be inclined to master the very same recordings that you mixed, whether it is for monetary factors, innovative factors, or merely because you can. However we strongly suggest that you get somebody else to master your task. The neutrality and fresh ears they give the table usually lead to a stronger, more cohesive album.
Normal areas of concern for a mastering engineer are: equalization (eq), compression, levels (volume) relative from one song to the next, and spacing between tunes. Or you might have 10 tunes mixed by three different engineers in five different studios.
Each song's eq may seem ideal by itself, but if you sequence them together, all of a sudden one tune sounds too intense (or too dull ...). Pointer # 1: keep in mind that any Hip Hop Beats eq changes to your stereo mix impact the entire mix - if you desire to cut 3 db at 80Hz since your mix sounds muddy, keep in mind to examine how that impacts all the instruments (e.g. the vocal), not simply the bass guitar and kick drum. Compression: In mastering, this is utilized not simply to manage a mix or to add character, but likewise to "print" or send as much level to the master as possible without clipping the signal.
