How to make a project sound complete and flow together when mastering multiple songs

[mrskytown11]

When mastering multiple songs, how can I get each song to flow with each other, I know many engineers reference sings to other songs but if I do that with every song wouldn’t it not flow together when mastering or it doesn’t matter? I know to make sure each song has same loudness I guess. Any suggestions


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[Tassy]

Find sites, or youtube (take care of foolish uploads) where it is explained. This forum is not for education, only if regards certain use of Mixbus.

I mix and master on the go, so my finished mixes can go to albums almost as they are. But naturally if goes to CD it depends mainly on two things:
- Are the songs of the same or similar genree?
- if not they need quite another approach when preparing for album

My way is as follows:
put the mixes after one another in one track or in different tracks but after one another in the timeline. So you can easily jump by the playhead to different songs to see they fit the meters, sound on the master

I put my plugin chain on the master for album and do not change it once set during the process, so the songs all are treated similarly, but I change the song settings , mostly only gain if needed.
The songs have been mastered before alone as I said but if into albums I have another print for them with some 2-3dB headroom to be able to adjust for the album.
If the single songs are of different sample rate then I must do a "for album print" as export in the format of the most songs to be able to put them in a common session thet is eg: 44/24.
I think, for a start for you, it is enough and do some experiment that works for you. No sense to tell what the master chain is because all depends on your gear, plugs, the mixes, your experience......
Care also be taken not to dither, limit, etc twice the same song by accident (when exporting the prints).

Your question to answer in a usable way needs a 6-month course 6 hours every day
I hope some I helped, so maybe only 5 months remained
Happy New Year
Tassy

[mrskytown11]

Thanks lol


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[jonetsu]

This forum is not for education, only if regards certain use of Mixbus.

It might be silly, but do you mean that the 'Recording, Editing & Mixing Technique' section must always mention Mixbus in every topic and is not a general section about recording, editing & mixing techniques no matter which DAW you use (although probability makes it that it'll be people using or having an interest in Mixbus that will read) ?

Cheers.

---

As Tassy explained it, it is a very good way. The thing to add is that the whole set of songs should be at an appropriate level for the distribution. Also, there should be another step before that in which all mixes are kind of falling into a same range. That always makes me think of the Neil Young album from the 80s, "Trans" (quite a different meaning nowadays) in which all songs are 'computerized' except for one which is a full acoustic band sound, "Little thing called love" and is totally different from the rest.

I would add, do some test drive. Like playing your set of masterized songs in the car. In the kitchen CD player. On cheap computer speakers. Anywhere. Don't listen to them per se, play them like playing any radio music. If suddenly one sound in a song, or one song stands out for no good reason, then refine the mastering.

The order of songs also plays a subjective role.

Cheers.

[Tassy]

You are right Jone, I missed to read the title of the thread. Also thanks for your additional pieces of advice.
For compensating my mistake here is some more on mastering from my Mixcoach posts:

Mastering separately or mastering as you mix:
https://mixcoach.com/mastering-separatel...on-the-go/

Threshold on compressors:
https://mixcoach.com/setting-threshold-compressors/

Sure it was some years ago and now in 32C5.1 I use also some other plugs but the general idea and work flow remained the same.
Happy mastering in 2019
Tassy

[jonetsu]

You are right Jone, I missed to read the title of the thread. Also thanks for your additional pieces of advice.

All good. The name (or pseudo rather) is Jonetsu though and just to provide the background, is from the title of a song by UA:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DjfYxIAon0

Cheers.