Mastering is something that a sound engineer, recording musicians, and producers should learn in order to add the extra element to make the masterpieces more elegant. It is an art that will take your music production to a new level.
The production, as we all know, depends on the availability of raw materials. The common mistakes that musicians commit during mix mastering show the phase where a mix can be improved to a huge extent. Let us talk about those mistakes.
Common mistakes during mastering your mix
Treble trouble
The high frequencies, which tend to hide in the studio environment during the formulation of the project, might show up in a different form when you are mastering the entire production.
As per the experts, all the mixes need extra polishing or shining effort during mastering. This is the phase where you have to destabilize or de-ess hi-hat or vocals in order to bring a balance in the production.
Excessive bottom
This is where the mixing environment comes into the picture. The environment needs to be acoustic so that mix is not haunted with bass traps and reflective surfaces. The uneven response in the entire bass spectrum will ruin the mix. In most cases, a few notes are overemphasized and a few become inaudible. In some cases, using drums too much might ruin your productivity. Use busses and groups for the simplification.
Excessive reverb
A ‘reverb’ is a very good component for a mix you want to master but adding this element to almost everything is a huge blunder. Most of the other elements will drown in the excessive reverb environment.
Ignoring comping and editing tracks
Spend more time on editing the recorded tracks to find the best one among the multiple takes. Imagine doing it on a hurry and leaving noises behind. It means that a person will repeatedly listen to your music and will definitely find out the noises. Take comping and editing more seriously.
Not manipulating presets
In most of the cases, the amateur mixes contain presets. During mastering the mix, try to tweak the presets a little and make it a real one. Using too much default presets will cause monotony and your creation will sound generic.
Overuse of plugins
Plugins are extremely useful when incorporated wisely. The minimal use of plugins will keep the piece of music simple and suave. Try not to fall in the trap of plugin addiction.
Messing with the Mids
The most important and critical part of the mix lies in the midrange. The major harmonics and fundamentals lie in this zone. When you carefully treat this midrange area by making excellent adjustments, all the frequencies will be highlighted at the same level. Do not let the mix build energy in this range to avoid a hollow quality from developing.
Verdict
Mastering a mix will become better with time. Knowledge and experience will play hand in hand to make your mixes better. Keep an eye on the mastering mistakes mentioned. If you want to learn more, click here.
