10 Critical Mastering Mistakes You Should Avoid | Are You Listening? Season 6, EP 1

[@neuroxik]

Mastering: Fix it in the mix -> Mixing: Fix it at the source / prod

[@OfficialStevenCravis]

4:42 looks like a stressful day at Wall Street!

[@baselinesweb]

Welcome back! I always pick up something new to think about even after 5 seasons. We all appreciate what you do.

[@valentin_boes]

I love when you're showing the extremes and not only how it looks and sounds with the perfect tweaks. It is so much easier to understand a feature or what a knob is doing that way.

[@nicklegendmusic]

Best combination using Ozone 10 in Wavelab Pro 11

[@justinmoore1136]

Sooo ready for the new season! Love this series!!

[@mikew4646]

Bravo iZotope! Thank you for continuing this series with Jonathan. Great stuff!

[@JackLove]

18:29 this is a Thing I Learned Week Ago when in I was getting Master Distortion on SIDES , even though the Track was not sounding Distorted on Stereo and Mono , i spent 2-3 hours finding every possible error in a mix , Masking , cutting transients with clippers but yet still was getting distortion , i paused the work took hot tea ! and mistakenly i bypassed the Plugin after Ozone Limiter and every distortion Gone !! sometimes we learn from sudden mistakes , SO SAY NO TO ANY PLUGIN AFTER FINAL LIMITER !!

[@williamhively3295]

17:49 What a tender way to describe how some of us feel about our creations. They have to make their own way among all the other tracks out there. We try to set them up for success. The rest is out of our hands.

[@EricLevineItsEze]

I feel like I just got the Cliffs notes in video form from my Berklee Mastering class. Great work as always and glad to see the excellent knowledge sharing with another season of Are You Listening.

[@DMMirval]

Thanks for the clear and useful presentation. Congrats !

[@BigTrouble324]

I usually start with an eq to even things out discretely, then go to the multiband comp, and another eq to balance out small issues caused by the compressor, then the limiter at the end. Works most of the time, but might change plugins depending on taste. But the order is usually eq, comp, eq, lim.

[@bco0t6]

This is a great video wish it was around 5-6 years ago when I first started engineering

[@musicforworldpeacerecords324]

Great to have you back! I missed watching your very informative video tutorials.

[@stevesrecordingtips7247]

Great advice about loudness targets.

[@AnnexationMusic]

As someone who has a copy of Ozone pretty much to master my own stuff exclusively, I'm definitely guilty of trying to zero in on a 'one size fits all' chain. I do think there's loads of learning potential in experimentation and trying something new every time, but it can be hard to motivate oneself to go for it. Hearing Jonathon advocate for it is inspiring.

[@AlbertNorris]

Very informative videos, Jonathan. Thank you for doing these. (Cool T shirt, too). 😀

[@SoundFreqsOnline]

This is a great video. Time well spent. Thanks Ozone and Jonathan

[@rikn1750]

This series is incredible !! Love it !!!

[@AdamElteto]

Even as an iZotope plug, this series is great, and Jonathan Wyner is an amazing engineer anyone can learn tons from. I really like his common sense and approachable attitude. Plus that T-shirt. Geek cred. Enough said.

[@GloveBunniesVideos]

Such a great series. So helpful!

[@notyourtypebeats]

wow, that´s some real good content! Thanks for sharing :)

[@monkmusic5994]

Wow, what a helpful and at the same time superior advice!

[@UriShavitFineArt]

Love your show. So clear and easy to understand. Keep it up !

[@oskarwroniewicz]

I could happily listen to you talk all day. We are really fortunate to be blessed with your knowledge and the impecabble presentation

[@KarryConway]

thankyou i learned a lot from this !

[@iZotopeOfficial]

Are there any other mastering mistakes you’ve made that you think others to avoid? Share in the comments! Improve your masters with tools like Ozone and RX: www.izotope.com/en/shop/deals.html

[@witnessthelightmusic]

You guys have been at the cornerstone of my audio addiction… thanks for all the knowledge and the best tools in the industry.

[@iZotopeOfficial]

Appreciate your kind words 😇

[@bhargavdobhal5327]

Thank You 🙌🙌Very Helpful Video🔥🔥.

[@lennix_music]

Thank you for all the valuable information

[@Jess-P]

YESSSS I’m listening!

[@Mdjagg]

Your voice recording here is phenomenal, btw! Love to see that tutorial.

[@stallmak8]

Great video as always. Thanks

[@Esotericvaultofgems]

Thanks for the tips!

[@bluewavesmastering2284]

Slowly but steady I am getting more and more into Masterring!, I love it!... Thanks for this amazing videos!!!

[@bloodwerk6156]

Thanks for this video!

[@bassManDavis1953]

I have just got around to watching this video? My god! what a ton of info, so cool, so easy to listen and presented in such a great way. thank you so so much, this is one I'm gonna keep at the top of my list and favourites. Absolutely brilliant.

[@iZotopeOfficial]

Thank you! Glad you like it. Keep your eyes peeled for more videos from this season 🥳

[@bigkidband911]

Great info, Thanks!

[@peterhorvath8153]

@19:02 That little laugh says it all :D

[@ModusVivendiMedia]

I learned the hard way both about having an EQ without a limiter following it, and not saving intermediate files in 32-bit float. I had to redo noise reduction on a few tracks because I'd inadvertently introduced clipping, then saved the files as 24 bit linear.

[@stevenneufeldmusic]

great video! thank you

[@Skimatik_DnB]

Since “Are you listening” series 1 Iv been following and implementing and learning 🙌 as long as you make them I’ll listen 😎 we can always learn something new 😎✌️💚☯️

[@n1tr0sys09]

#4.. it is just really great to see this quality of info, where it is important and where it's irrelevant basically, kudos to the great teaching on this channel and tools. Great work :)

[@pawel9450]

Thank you 😎🤘

[@OfficialStevenCravis]

Jonathan, I’m interested to know: Does Izotope plan any integration of Ozone with Dolby Atmos (Spatial Audio and Surround) in future updates?

[@Pulse2AM]

Holy H*ll I didn't see the true peak limiter button on the limiter. Yikes, I mastered a track without that engaged set to -3dbs now looking at it again since the limiter was last in the chain I see some peaks got through. If you have peaks at .3 coming through has that destroyed the mastering? Yikes!

[@vitaminfian]

JW is BOSS !

[@paisleepunk]

wow, does that read horribly out of context

[@espanievac]

Thank You.

[@dsmond]

Is it recommended to master on ozone stand-alone or in a daw? does anyone knows this? i’ve tried both, but i can pin which i like the most or is better.

[@CarloLibertini]

NICE!... Thank you Jonathan!

[@golbeatspro]

Thanks iZotope for such quality content... Grato 😊😊😊

[@Entertainment_Records]

Got to get you as my mixing engineer teacher 👨‍🏫

[@EclectickMusic]

He’s baaaaack! 😁😁😁

[@adamsunderland0823]

This was helpful. I was curious about ozone eq match. Also the whole gain staging argument. Should you be gain staging Ableton stock plug inns.

[@KLAUSPavlock]

I wanted him to play the extreme match

[@nayanmirza2507]

Great work 🙏

[@rybotekk]

Thankyou.

[@emiel333]

Great video

[@thaexception3406]

Welcome back

[@zazoomatt]

Now Just started to Make songs & record w/ Midrange Equipment, 2 pairs 6" Biamped speakers Presonus & Behringer all room treatment (REW & ARC3 Room Correction completed) w/ Good 6 pairs of Headphones & 6 starter mics just getting to spectrum Analysis. Now to LISTEN ! This SERIES IS INVALUABLE TO ME RIGHT NOW.

[@bboymac84]

JW is back!!💪🏽😁

[@marudelel]

Ufh great video really! I would argue though that especially when mastering only a specific type of genre it may not be a red flag to always do similar-ish moves

[@alainsellier7751]

Thank you for all your tutorials. I have a question. Is it better to use Ozone on a finished mix track or also use Ozone at the mixing level of your tracks on the main master bus?

[@mrfleamino9350]

thank you

[@kingech_B15]

I use IZotope de-click after the limiter. Works fine

[@connelljacintorealestate4361]

Thank you for the excellent tutorial. When using a reference, is it important that the tempo of the reference track match the track being mastered ? My track is 130 BPM. I found a reference track that closely matches the style and sound of the track but is at 150 BPM.

[@savagetofu1]

good show.

[@theandroids]

Epic t-shirt.

[@eccentricworx]

#4... just use a VU meter as you would have in the analog days...

[@visheshl]

Whats your opinion on not mastering at all if you feel that the mix sounds great as it is ? Or is mastering a requirement...and if that is the case, what would be the primary goal when mastering a mix that you feel sounds great just the way it is ?

[@LETTMusic]

Always love this video series. They have helped me improve my own mixing/mastering greatly over the years. The one thing I want to ask though about the end of this video, it suggests not to do any processing after the final limiter, but for me, I still like to add one final gain plugin after the final limiter, and use it to create an automation clip where 100% on the automation clip is set to 0dB on the volume/gain plugin. That way, I've got one final automation clip to handle the fade ins and fade outs of my song, it's only purpose is total volume reduction. Does it not make sense for me to have this after the final limiter rather than before it, because a limiter is doing some compression work, wouldn't it potentially cause weirder things to occur from the limiter than for me to treat volume fades post limiting? Should it really make a difference if my final fade ins/outs are before or after the final limiter since I'm never pushing anything up, only reducing volume down? What if I wanted to make the verse 90% of the volume of the hook/chorus, would a volume automation on the master be better served before or after the final limiter?

[@DarkTrapStudio]

It depends, most of engineers put it like a the start of the chain, but everything is possible, after the limiter gain automation will sound more mechanical especially if the limiter is hitted in the rms more than burst, I like often to put it after the clipper and before the final limiter. For musicality on a good master, putting it at the start could make more sense, try and hear !

[@LETTMusic]

@@DarkTrapStudio I thought putting it at the start is the worst place you can put it. Say you have distortion/saturation or compression in your master chain. Those plugins often apply processing and add character based upon the Input level, so if you do volume automations at the start of a chain, you're affecting the processing amount of distortion/compressors later in the chain; which is why I feel like volume automation last in the chain is the only way to ensure your processing is exactly as you want it, and you have one final fader at the end to basically do your fade ins/outs. I may experiment with trying right before the final limiter plugin.

[@DarkTrapStudio]

@@LETTMusic Yes, when you shout you have more saturation, so when there is less volume it is more natural to have less distortion, Its the natural way, like I said Its not complicated, when you put it at the end it sound mechanical, but you may like it/fit the song.

[@DarkTrapStudio]

When I do automation for hook, chorus, verse I can do gradually 2 db, on a pro master it will sound good, but me being medium skilled it doesn't make sense most of the time It break the master, so I do it after the most triggered compressor or like I said after the clipper before the limiter.

[@robertsimpson5801]

Hi, John! Thank you for another great video! You probably don’t remember me, but I was one of your students in the year 2020! I have a question for you in regards to mastering signal chains in “mastering by rote.“ When you are mastering tracks for an entire project, do you typically set up a single mastering chain, and use it for all of the tracks of the project (manipulating the setting in the chain) to give the entire project a unified “vibe,“ or do you still treat each song Primarily as an individual piece of music?

[@PatAutrey]

thanks for these great insights - quick question, I am older now, and after spending in the military around jet engines, and jamming live for the last 35 years, my hearing has diminished - do you have any recommendations on how to visually discern if a mix has been done "correctly" where you are not depending entirely on what you are hearing?

[@cashbreed6804]

Is the intent of plugins to resolve issues or is that for the equalizer?

[@KYTHERAOfficial]

I love theese videos (:

[@nicolasfox]

Yay, the cat shirts are back! 🙂

[@bennyb7ee]

I'm all ears

[@randomschittz9461]

What was the reference track? Sounded very familiar.

[@Songwritersbehindthecurtain]

Is remaster and remix album 💿 still tell the same story or different story? Because this is what grant Norsworthy from Paul colman trio said he said that I think if an album is remastered and/or remixed, it’ll tell the same story but (hopefully) better. But Jonathan Byrd he said that Sure! It’s a different album, more or less, depending on how much they changed things. For instance, ZZ Top did some radical remixes on their earlier albums, and older fans hated it. From their perspective, they were very different albums from the originals. what’s your opinion about it?

[@jacksonreazin6042]

Tell us where to get the shirt. Please.

[@artist1303]

Should I remove my limiter in my mixing stage before I send it to mastering?

[@tonekerneymusic]

i am listening

[@repasiv]

After using Ozone since version 5 or 6 the last update was the first one I didn't get. In fact I ditched Ozone and now I'm using another mastering application and I get easier and better results.

[@valentinlechene916]

Which one? i'm thinking to not using it anymore too

[@repasiv]

@@valentinlechene916 Might sound like a joke, but TC Finalizer. I didn't even know that there was a software version of it. Somehow it barely made the news. It is a standalone application with no plugin support. But I think it is brilliant. It always analyses the whole file and updates the representation if you change something. You can set the output stage to loudness maximization and it is 100% sure the file hits the set target. And it is kind of fool proof. If I need a better master than I need to give it to a mastering engineer. Ozone is nice and flexible but it never got me that close to a professional sounding master. It is for sure depending on my skills and listening environment, but the finalizer really takes these kind of out of the equation. Within minutes the track will sound polished in the right way.

[@repasiv]

@@guitar.knackshack2210 I didn't state any of that and initially didn't even say what my go to solution became, only after being asked. Don't be a Kevin. I purchased Ozone 4 in 2010, updated to all new versions up to Ozone 9 and used Ozone for over a decade. The new tools of Ozone 10 are mainly AI stuff to give you a new starting point, but no other significant update. It started to feel like such an automated mastering service. I found myself using this AI stuff in Ozone 9 also too much. In contrast I tried the mastering plugins from Plugin-Alliance, which yielded also good but different results. But in the end I stick to the Finalizer which I just discovered recently. I always wanted the hardware unit, but never got one. The software is a suite with a set of tools and it is very refreshing not stacking all kind of plugins but to be confined to the set of tools inside Finalizer. It just works quiet well for me. I think you should be grateful for an opinion even which might you not agree with. If the guys from Izotope read this, I wish for them to take it as a constructive critic from a long time user and may this serve as an input for their future development. I use the majority of their products, but this AI direction isn't one I'd like to go.

[@valentinlechene916]

@@repasiv Hey thanks for this clear answers i'm looking about it now, kind of curious thing i didn't come across but seem really interesting ! I was thinking the same about Ozone, this is kind of you go in the good direction but not much or sometimes thats worst haha, i try to avoid using it or just some of these plugins

[@lameraviglia]

👂👂👂👂👂👂👂👂👁👄👁👂👂👂👂👂👂👂👂 that's me when i see a new jonathan wyner video is out. and yes i know i only have left ears, don't judge me.

[@Frankie_G_]

See that Trio6 in the background

[@D3NXIE]

Producing with $10 dollar headphones is really embarrassing when I'm watching these videos.

[@leonardogabrielgarcia]

👍👍👍

[@TNT-km2eg]

I wonder how could producers make all those fascinating masters before the age of PC and all these visual substitutes for actual hearing ?

[@nicklegendmusic]

They used their ears more plus they had meters

[@jacksmith4460]

"when trying to play guitar make sure you play guitar and not piano" tip number 1

[@CraigFlowersMusic]

Where did you get that shirt. TELL ME! NOWWWWWWW!

[@Fouche_tv]

I want that shirt

[@moxenrider]

How do I get a cat shirt?! 🐈

[@BrownestHarry]

JOLO CHAINSHNACKS TENINS OLVITAR EEEE

[@chrishaertwig]

🖤

[@henri-fillipbauer6579]

For some reason I can’t stand the sound of isotopes maximizer

[@Linguae_Music]

#1 Problem: NOT USING THE MASTERING ASSISTANT (Insert sarcasm indicator, for the sarcastically blind)

[@yelka93]

Tunecore is a SCAM!!!

[@Exaltation-heliacal]

Mention fake crap like Billie I’m out

[@Realliedoe]

YES!!! Let’s Go!!!! 🎉 I just start med using the power of Neutron 4 suggestions… 🤯!!!

[@by_nalavi]

Thank you!