running out of insert slots!

Steinberg Lounge
1

Hi, been following a mastering tutorial which was starting to sound good on a new track I’m doing but then the tutor started adding more vst’s and I ran out of slots… :astonished:
can I get some more insert slots :question:
anybody know how please :question:

I thought about printing some of the vst’s by exporting the file and importing it back to finish off with the other vst’s but would this reduce the quality of the stereo file :question:

thank you most gratefully, Kevin :slight_smile:

2

you could just keep putting your bus through a group bus then another etc and using the insert slots ,i think

3

or use Blue Cat Audio Patchwork

4

thanks for those reply’s guy’s…both sound like they would sort it :slight_smile:

5

Yeah, Polgara got it, but I’m really wondering what your tutorial is. Seems like a lot of vst’s. What’s this tutor advising, out of curiosity? The other thing you can do is print a mix into stereo before you apply some of the mastering stuff (I think this is pretty typical even though I don’t do it). So you would have already printed a mix with a compressor and dither. Then, what do you have left? Loudness, equalization, stereo widening, maybe harmonic distortion? Tape effect?

6

Shouldn’t dither always come last?

7

Right, I was thinking the stereo mixdown would go to 16 bits. But if you’re working in 24 bits, probably best to leave it in 24 bits and put dither as last step of the mastering stage to reduce to 16.

8

I was following this guy and it was sounding good…I have since got myself the “patchwork” suggested by homestudio87… that’s sorted the problem

9

I liked the video, thanks.

10

Glad you liked it…I found it to be one of the most clear, concise and straightforward tut’s on mastering around…

11

He has some valid points but also some things that I am totally against. Ymmv

12

Might be a good thread to discuss! There were a few things I wondered about, as a total amateur. I am sold on the compression step (more a mixing step maybe?), the clipping step, the stereo enhancement step, and the limiting step. The multi-band step is something I’d like to explore (as I’m using Ozone and I wish I understood the logic behind some of the presets). I’ll also admit I couldn’t hear a difference that perked up my ears for the tape/tube/analog steps. They were not the big contributors. It’s hard to put a lot of weight on extremely subtle enhancements when some of the others were so huge. In any case, the guy was very straightforward about what he’s trying to achieve in mastering, while at the same time, some of the respected writers I’ve read are saying, don’t go there, leave it to a pro. Always a good topic!

13

I dont think the mastering tutor is very helpful ,for instance the valve and tape simulation plugins ,he didnt explain the amount of volumes passing through the plugs even though he pulled the tape simulator input down by 2.8 db, he didnt explain why he was pulling it down ,we all know that the most important part of using a plugin is how much volume is passing through .so the volume must have been correct at that stage even though we could not hear any effect,it must have been correct for it to make a difference at the last stage which was the limiter ,but he didnt explain. waste of time .he knows more than he`s letting on.

14

Way too much processing. Way too much.

If your mix needs all that stuff at the mastering stage, it is not ready for mastering (not finished) IMO.

15

What would you say is the minimum? I suppose the compression, and tape/tube emulation belong to the mixing stage, do you agree? Then, you still have left the final equalization, stereo widening, and loudness (clipper/limiter). Finally, dithering.

How do you see it? Just trying to learn here!

Thanks.

16

That would depend on the material would it not? I think probably you could record an accoustic guitar and vocal using a bit of compression, eq and a bit of reverb, whack a limiter on the resulting stereo track. Bob’s your uncle :wink:!

17

Compressor eq and a brick wall minimum. Not too much more really tho.

18

Hi IBM… :slight_smile: wasn’t saying my mix needed “all of the above” just saying I watched the tut and found it clear and straightforward, I did try everything he suggested and it did start to sound better, I agree with you and jaredf that it is probably too much and some of the inserts should be used during tracking and also, my mixes are never :blush: ready for mastering, I just get as close as my meager production talent and cloth ears allow.
I did learn something from the tut but will not necessarily follow it verbatim :slight_smile:

mastering will always create interesting discussion… :slight_smile:

best, Kevin

19

All good my friend :slight_smile:

I will chime in later for a more thourough explaination. A bit busy for a couple of days :wink:

But, to throw in both a multiband compressor and a multiband limiter seems a bit overkill, for one thing.

But as a start:
Usually within a mix/production maybe only a track or two needs multiband treatment in the sense of compression/limiting. Why throw it on the whole mix.
If your settings is not perfect, the groove within each band can actually work against each other.

There you have something to start with.

As said, I will try to chime in later (before I get banned again :wink:)

PS. I am for more pre-fader Inserts.
For one thing, it can be handy when A/B-ing different Eq’s, compressors etc. against each other. That’s why I like the “freedom” of more inserts (like in Reaper and Studio One).