In Defence of Stem Mastering

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  • Опубликовано: 13 дек 2024

Комментарии • 362

  • @inthemix
    @inthemix 3 года назад +221

    Thank you, Dan. I don’t regularly use stems when mastering but there are times when it is so helpful for all the reasons you discussed!

    • @phutureproof
      @phutureproof 3 года назад +9

      Hey there mister, Ive learned so much from you and others, thanks!

    • @tonytemple8195
      @tonytemple8195 3 года назад +4

      MIKEY!! 😆

  • @scrapeape
    @scrapeape 3 года назад +210

    "Fire them!" Who would make that argument except for someone whose ego's been hurt as a mixing engineer? Dan, what you say here makes enough sense to anyone with experience that I reckoned it would be self-evident.

    • @josepapiii
      @josepapiii 3 года назад +13

      Lol imagine wanting what's best for your client

    • @DamnHeadHumpers
      @DamnHeadHumpers 3 года назад +2

      The person may not have them and since you are contracting the person to do the work and they could do it, they should do it if they can. That was the point. Your second statement seems like a total assumption.

    • @UncleBenjs
      @UncleBenjs 3 года назад +8

      @@DamnHeadHumpers I recently mastered a track for someone and when he said he can send me the stems, I replied that the stereo mix is fine I won't need stems, to which he replied that he didn't actually have a stereo mix, only stem groups. So sometimes it can be the other way around, turned out good tho, I'm glad I was provided the stems in that instance

    • @joechapman8208
      @joechapman8208 3 года назад +8

      I don't know if bruised egos can explain it. This might just be a case of scraping together a video topic to keep enough RUclips content coming out, though. There are a lot of videos feel like it's just someone keeping the algorithm fed. (Maybe I'm being to generous to him, and the simplest explanation is ignorance. I mean, you can get stem mastering done at places like Metropolis, and I'd love to see him tell Stuart Hawkes that he's not mastering.)

    • @eph_kni
      @eph_kni 3 года назад +4

      @@joechapman8208 came here to say this. thanks!
      to bolster your point; lots of content creators do this very cringe technique (borrowed from modern journalism) of saying controversial/polarized things to encourage discourse and "discussion" in the comment section of their videos (at an earlier time stamp). This encourages growth on your channel and presence on the algorithm since people are interacting with it.
      backtrackIattracting a broader audience that likes to hear what they already know (which seems to be most ppl on the internet, myself included).

  • @mixphantom0101
    @mixphantom0101 3 года назад +54

    When I commented on Colt's video I was the only one who pushed back... (he liked it though!) I do so many "home studio producer" masters now that I've started charging less for stem mastering as it makes my life easier! Your videos are the gold standard to which the others should be judged... clear, concise and correct!

    • @ghfjfghjasdfasdf
      @ghfjfghjasdfasdf 3 года назад

      That’s not just Mastering though. At that point you’re Mixing the tune down AND Mastering.
      If you’re Mixing the tune then you’re Co-Producing it, plain and simple.

    • @mixphantom0101
      @mixphantom0101 3 года назад +9

      @@ghfjfghjasdfasdf Not at all... my clients get masters that sound like their mixes - only refined. Low end is by far the biggest problem and far easier to solve with drums and bass on separate tracks - same goes for hats & cymbals. I just give them what they think they've mixed on their headphones! Generally I only work with four stems - drums/bass/vocals/everything else.

    • @theswedishmusicstudio
      @theswedishmusicstudio 3 года назад +1

      @@mixphantom0101 but. You dont think its cheating? They claim to have mixed the song and never gets a critical word and keep on ”mixing”. Why not push back against bad mixes and tell them to be better instead of hiding their flaws. ”Mix it again, think about this and that and then send it to me”. Why cover it up?

    • @mixphantom0101
      @mixphantom0101 3 года назад +9

      @@theswedishmusicstudio Oh they get push back! 😀 I listen and tweak their "submitted mix" in order to provide notes - I should say that the mixes are very good and my contribution is strictly corrective/sweetening - no rebalancing unless they suggest it. Anyway, they take another stab with my suggestions and submit their "final final mix" and if they supply their stems at this stage I give them a 10% discount - I only have time for a small roster of clients so time is critical for me. So, it's a win win... they get feedback, have a go and then further feedback with their final master - and I don't waste valuable time trying to tame hihats without affecting vocals etc...

    • @Gnurklesquimp
      @Gnurklesquimp 3 года назад +4

      It's all about the results, limiting yourself to the mix has always boggled my mind, outside of cases where it happens to suffice. Stems should be the norm imo, just know what you're supposed to do with those stems if the artist doesn't want you to do anything a mixer would normally do with those stems, simple.

  • @special_circumstancs
    @special_circumstancs 3 года назад +6

    LOL "I don't even own a proper camera". I always manage to learn and laugh whenever I watch your videos. Love what you do on this channel.

  • @iy42
    @iy42 3 года назад +8

    The absurd amount of misguided dogma in the music production youtube and forum world is really having a noticeably detrimental effect on the people just starting out. We need more channels like this.

  • @DonFredricks
    @DonFredricks 3 года назад +22

    I was puzzled by Colt's denunciation of stem mastering. I think you cleared it up nicely.

    • @JordonBeal
      @JordonBeal 3 года назад +1

      I’ve never been able to stand that guy.

    • @vasquezitosanchezito
      @vasquezitosanchezito 3 года назад +1

      Never trust a guy with a goatee :)

    • @DonFredricks
      @DonFredricks 3 года назад +2

      @@vasquezitosanchezito I have a goatee. 🙂

  • @wadebay
    @wadebay 3 года назад +3

    Exactly my experience. Thank you for taking the time to verbalize another very important option in getting a great final product.
    Oh, and looking forward to your snare processing insight.

  • @fdhfdh3310
    @fdhfdh3310 3 года назад +5

    Please do a tutorial on dealing with mid range build up . Your vids are the best . Thanks Dan.

  • @AftertuneMusic
    @AftertuneMusic 3 года назад +6

    Why show your face would be disappointed?! Trust your self Dan you are a great engineering and teach a lot of pro tips for your viewers 😊

  • @raycochrane3971
    @raycochrane3971 3 года назад +2

    I did about 15 songs, over a year or so, using stem mastering - I needed that process because I wasn't good enough at engineering or mixing at that point in time. The end result was that I had much better sounding songs and I learnt a heap from the feedback and differences. The use of stem mastering was, initially, the ME's suggestion and I continued to request it until I had more confidence in my skills. These days I rarely have an ME suggest much in the way of changes to a mix but I do get good feedback. I'm happy to be informed of the state of play anytime. To use the capped man's logic re "...shoooottn't...": if he can't speak properly he shouldn't speak.

  • @nitoniwatori
    @nitoniwatori 3 года назад +1

    Everytime I heard Your voice ... (no matter where ..) I think I can learn something one or two ...
    Thanks for being great guy and kind enough to have your own channel really love your work .. even I don't have hearing ability like I used to (I lost my hearing after served my country my left goes beyond -100db ... my right can hear up to 3.4khz huge lost for me as someone who love music ... also got tinnitus for both ears)
    but still ... music is the only thing can make me happy .. even I can't do thing like I used to (I have to rely on my eyes instead of my ears ... glad I have some experience before I lost my hearing so I kind of understand something ...)
    Very happy this channel exist ... Thanks for spend your time created all of this stuffs ..

  • @JazzMac36251
    @JazzMac36251 3 года назад +3

    I have learned an insane amount about production, mixing, and mastering from your video content - both from this channel and when you guest-host for others. I'd just like to take the time to thank you for doing what you do. So thanks, Dan! :D

  • @TabascoVolta
    @TabascoVolta 3 года назад +1

    cheers to Dan for always being respectful to our fellow RUclipsrs. we should all strive to be supportive of our peers and colleagues within this community. a rising tide lifts all boats!

  • @johnangelo4326
    @johnangelo4326 3 года назад +1

    Dan, I really respect and appreciate your outlook. And I find your videos incredibly informative. Please keep doing what you do!

  • @G_handle
    @G_handle 3 года назад +3

    1) STEM Mastering, to me seems like a natural evolution. Recording, Mixing, Mastering as three separate processes and specialties was also tied to the equipment involved at various times in Recording Industry history.
    To my understanding, 1 engineer did everything in the beginning, then the Mastering went to a special place with Special equipment especially for actually Cutting lacquer. But Recording and Mixing still happened in the same room by the same team.
    Then the "Mixing Engineer" emerged and those two processes were split. There were now "Recording" studios with great live rooms and mic lockers and green rooms, and there were "Mix" rooms that has an 80-Channel SSL, and walls full of rack gear. The concept of "Track on a Neve, Mix on an SSL" was a thing. Those mix engineers became superstars themselves and their mixes were performances.
    The Mastering Engineer was a scientist in a white lab coat that had better not "ruin my mix". A culture and set of practices emerged, but it was always evolving, and had a lot to do with the equipment available. Control Rooms tuned to their Monitors were always critical, and always will be.
    But just like the DAW and working In The Box revolutionized Recording and Mixing, so too did moving from tape machines and lathes to computers and hard drives, change what could be done in a Mastering suite. Whether a Mastering Engineer is running through a million dollars worth of Analog electronics, or working in their version of The Box, or some Hybrid combination, those ATR102s are gone (well), and there's no more physical reason they Have to be Limited to 2-tracks coming in.
    So if thier room, and gear, and ears can produce Even better results in the final Master, by giving them STEMS instead of a 2-Track Mix. Why the hell not? Nostalgia?
    My question isn't should we be giving the Mastering Engineer STEMS. My question is When I give them STEMS, how many? What should they be? How should I do it, for consistent and recall, etc? What are Best Practices for this third-decade of the twenty-first century?
    If I Mix Multitracks -->> 8-Stereo Busses-->> 2-Bus, then Print both the 2-TRACK Mix and 8-Stereo STEMS, those 8-STEMS played back at Unity and summed to Stereo, have to NULL with that 2-TRACK at Unity.
    Do I either have to Not use any processing on the Master Bus, and instead do All of the buss processing on the 8 Mixbusses, or if I do use a Master Bus Chain, do I set up an elaborate Send and Side-Chain system, so that All 8-Stereo Busses pre-fader send to a Parallel bus that only feeds the sidechain of the whatever Bus Compression is happening on the Master Bus, then Solo and Print EACH of the 8-STEMS through the Master Bus Chain for that final glue, with the Single Stem going through the Audio Path, but the Whole Mix keying the Detection Circuit.
    Cool....
    But what about Automation?!?
    To me, the question isn't if, but how.

  • @Joe-mz6dc
    @Joe-mz6dc 3 года назад +2

    Your videos are extremely good. Thank you very much for helping us.

  • @markhunstone2747
    @markhunstone2747 3 года назад

    Love your style Dan and the text along the bottom, pure class! 😉😆

  • @alvaromorello
    @alvaromorello 3 года назад +1

    The VO, pacing and how it's combined with the music in these videos are masterful. Like a score to a movie scene. I appreciate all the hard work.

  • @ComposingGloves
    @ComposingGloves 3 года назад +58

    Your voice has a kind of "mystic" quality to it.

    • @vandorb12
      @vandorb12 3 года назад +5

      I admit I have nodded off listing to a tutorial or two, only to be brought back from the nap zone with an awesome snare hit or bass drum kick. I don't want to put a face to the mystic voice; I just want Dan.

    • @0e0
      @0e0 3 года назад

      there is a wonderful modulation potential for hypnosis

    • @tenison7990
      @tenison7990 3 года назад

      oath he isn't human, he's this spirit integrated into an ai with growing machine learned, knowledge, perspective and of course wit.

  • @copiusbeats1824
    @copiusbeats1824 3 года назад +6

    Hard to not admire the cleverness of this video. Would love to know your Parallel Processing Snare Technique but from watching a few times now, I think I have some sort of idea what you did. That tune is awesome too.

  • @im2cxe4u
    @im2cxe4u 3 года назад +1

    This was my sentiment as well. Thank you for expressing it so eloquently.

  • @artysanmobile
    @artysanmobile 3 года назад +2

    Big yes to stem mastering. It changed the way I mix many years ago, defining a new template for mixing. Ironically, I master almost all of my own mixes and I don’t use this method to correct my first feelings about a mix, but rather to create alternatives for different markets or purposes. Makes all the sense in the world viewed this way, imo, and I’ve never regretted making this change. That said, I do get some real resistance asking for stems when I am serving as mastering engineer. Too bad, as I probably would’ve changed nothing seeing how proud they were of their mixing ability. 😎

  • @hunternico4810
    @hunternico4810 3 года назад +1

    Very sensible arguments as always. I haven't been mastering for very long, but most of my clients are exactly the kind you describe. Production tools are marketed so heavily towards musicians now (and budgets for albums are so small) that the lines between arrangement, recording, mixing, and mastering just get a bit blurred.

  • @KneeNinja1
    @KneeNinja1 3 года назад +3

    I have seen Colt's video just yesterday and I too was puzzled with his rant on stem mastering. I was new to the idea, but I thought he was doind so for comedic or personality points. Where Dan calmly explained the thing, what it is and what it is useful for. Overall I think Colt is a nice fellow, and knowledgable audio engineer, no doubts. But sometimes he presents information clumsely, in such way that he needs to retract or explain it in the other video, like with his frequencies.
    That's what I like about Dan Worral: the presentation is smooth, rich in information and it's detailed explanation. For me - Dan Worral is a voice of reason, voice of the knowledge itself. I like to imagine that Dan Worral is just a wave form, speaking the words of wisdom to me, like don't hate stem mastering, be a proper man and don't harrass female audio engineers (I do realize you are a person, and a solid good one). So, Dan. If you feel like you want or need to do a face reveal - then do it. If not - keep the format as is. Because it is, content wise, far supperior over any other topic related content I have come accross on all the RUclips I could find. There are lots of good creators, but you are an obscure gem, appriciated not by everyone, but highly valued among the people who understand what you are talking about.

  • @eliteextremophile8895
    @eliteextremophile8895 3 года назад

    Now I absolutely need that snare trick!!! Great video as always. I love you.

  • @memoduran
    @memoduran 2 года назад

    Thanks for all the knowledge you share Dan!

  • @Lossothechin
    @Lossothechin 3 года назад +2

    I like The accent and use of english vocabulary Dan lol you good at teaching and explaining things, it's your talent some people don't even know how to explain something even tho they know how it works. Much love from Zimbabwe,Africa

  • @Noaaaaaaaaaah
    @Noaaaaaaaaaah 3 года назад +94

    Face reveal at the same time as the snare trick reveal. That way we can see your smug and satisfied face while showing off another one of your amazing tricks. ;)

    • @Beatsbasteln
      @Beatsbasteln 3 года назад +3

      i'm also looking forward to the snare trick reveal. kinda sounded to me a bit like it was just layered with a lower octave, but not sure

    • @edgarasjokubauskas629
      @edgarasjokubauskas629 3 года назад

      THI$!

    • @poor_impulsive
      @poor_impulsive 3 года назад

      😂

    • @elblopex
      @elblopex 3 года назад +2

      I would hate to know his face. Hi is just that deep and calm voice to me. Im fine with that

    • @BrunodeSouzaLino
      @BrunodeSouzaLino 3 года назад +1

      Or, he could do a face reveal the way This Old Tony did. You show it once for a short while (he did it when he reached 100k subs) then return to the regular format. Many people assume that face reveals imply changing the format of the videos. In practice, having your face in videos about audio adds precisely nothing to the video itself other than some annoyance when you start blocking stuff on the screen.

  • @MOSMASTERING
    @MOSMASTERING 3 года назад +12

    I’d be very interested in that parallel processing trick for brining back the snare punch on a stereo track!

    • @GAAfin
      @GAAfin 2 года назад

      pllleeeeaaaasssse

  • @PositunesMusic
    @PositunesMusic 3 года назад +2

    Totally agree with you, Dan! Great little tube cast, as always.

  • @JimAlfredson
    @JimAlfredson 3 года назад +1

    I just ran into this on a recent project. Everything in the mix sounded great except the piano, which was suffering from some really obvious phase issues. I asked the client for separate piano tracks so I can see what's going on and hopefully fix the issue and he agreed. Just waiting for him to deliver the tracks but it will be much more effective to fix them before mastering as separate entities rather than inside a stereo mix.

  • @PlayTheGuitarra
    @PlayTheGuitarra 3 года назад +16

    I had an experience with a mastering engineer who refused to use the stems I took to the session (apart from the final stereo bounce) based on this prejudice and then he butchered my mix doing all sorts of stuff like narrowing the stereo image using Mid/Side and eating the high-end of the whole mix because he didn't like the Hiss of the guitars distortion in one part...At the moment I still liked his job but now two years later I found the original mix and compared it to the final version and I think he definitely butchered it and was totally invasive with his work instead of being transparent and subtle...Anyway good video as always, show us your face 🤣

  • @IDDQDSound
    @IDDQDSound 3 года назад +5

    Hi Dan! This video got me thinking, I would love it if you did a "tutorial" on dealing with clients. My education/work on the audio side of things is nowhere near finished, but I often feel like what holds me back even more is my inexperience dealing & communicating effectively & diplomatically with clients. I know your thoughts on this will definitely be educational for me and my fellow Worrallites :)

  • @franciscobrito1385
    @franciscobrito1385 3 года назад +27

    I love the reaper animation! I agree with what others have said here. I don't feel the need to see your face for this type of content. In fact, your videos are my favourite source of information about audio engineering!

  • @richardkaar1725
    @richardkaar1725 3 года назад

    Oh man - I discovered I can't listen to something and read text about something unrelated at the same time today... Damn!
    Really love your content Dan, you're the first "Real RUclipsr" that I subscribed to actually, as a member.
    Those sneaky birds joining you in the end of the video (4:20) really cracked me up haha - nice to know your Waveform self still lives on planet earth too, keep it up! :)

  • @apoplexiamusic
    @apoplexiamusic 3 года назад

    This makes so much sense. Let’s hope the world moves from the extremes to a discourse that is more well thought out, properly explained and that explores an issue from all perspective

  • @sheppo
    @sheppo 3 года назад +1

    I like the fact your videos are in the format they are. they aren't like every other youtuber, and in a way that makes the content more engaging - it's not about your face, its about what you're saying.

  • @Nathanaelsun22
    @Nathanaelsun22 3 года назад

    Your the man, so thankful for your clear mind.

  • @eefmydee1slideways
    @eefmydee1slideways 2 года назад

    Yea I agree with you. You make some solid points. At the end of the day it's the bigger picture that matters.

  • @joesalyers
    @joesalyers 3 года назад

    Moral of the story find a Mastering Engineer you can trust and works well with your style of mixing. If you are a die hard 2 track or bust engineer find a mastering engineer who will work in that regard, or if you want stem mastering find and mastering engineer who will do that. But make sure you have a healthy, honest relationship with your mastering engineer. They should have ears you trust as well as someone who you can turn to, to ask about audio related issues in your mixes and will compromise for not only you as the mix engineer but also for your clients the Artist. I have over the years dealt with mastering engineers who refused to listen to any criticism from the artist who didn't want a EP smashed to the moon. So working with a team you have the upmost confidence in is paramount.

  • @deafconmediaZA
    @deafconmediaZA 3 года назад +1

    You opened my mind up on this subject.

  • @lyva
    @lyva 3 года назад +1

    Semantics.. the root problem of most disagreements in this world.

  • @marc-io
    @marc-io 3 года назад +4

    haha that snare comparison was night and day, please show us the way

  • @breitbartsimpson4940
    @breitbartsimpson4940 9 месяцев назад

    Watching this 2 years later and i already watched the parallel processing suite! what a fun detail :)

  • @jackbailey4438
    @jackbailey4438 3 года назад +1

    Yes I do really like the animation. Great video from a great channel as per always

  • @TheREAPERBlog
    @TheREAPERBlog 3 года назад +3

    its like you knew I would be watching this

  • @_charwyn
    @_charwyn 3 года назад +9

    There’s something inherently wrong with plain on hating a technique for some reason.
    It’s so bizarre.

  • @giovannispinotti
    @giovannispinotti 2 года назад +2

    Back in the analog days, when I was an assistant in a big city studio for a big mixing guy, the final part of my job was printing the mix, and then all its possible variations: the + and - .8 dB vocals, the - 1.6 vocals, the base only, the vox only and so on, on all the possible formats. You'd have to wait every time for the whole song to pass through and then retouch the automation on the big console. This was done so that "when the mastering engineer does his things, maybe the balance could change a bit, and they can the choose for, let's say, the chorus, a different vocal version so that it stays coherent".
    So nowadays whenever the mastering engineer asks me for a separate base and vocals so that he can get some more dBs and keep the vocals clean, I just send them, it takes me the time to press a button.

  • @VintiqueSound
    @VintiqueSound 3 года назад +1

    YES! I saw his video the other day and was like, ugh ok, there's at least some cases where it makes sense for clients and mastering engineers, and stem mastering is clearly different from stereo bus mastering and mixing. Not a huge deal.

  • @XRaym
    @XRaym 3 года назад +31

    Oscilloscope vizualization over Dan voice... I feel like I'm hypnotized.

    • @XRaym
      @XRaym 3 года назад +1

      To answer question at ruclips.net/video/o1b0oyd6Fws/видео.html, I'm not huge fan of visualizer in this context ^^
      Images are better. Drawing, charts, photos, screenshots, stock or even text... There is choice :)

    • @moneyDev1111
      @moneyDev1111 3 года назад

      @@XRaym it shoud've been fullHD and colorful

  • @snardash_1197
    @snardash_1197 3 года назад +1

    The waveform animation Is super cool. :)

  • @retromograph3893
    @retromograph3893 3 года назад +3

    It depends how you mix. If you're mixing into a compressor or saturation and / or have a lot of processing (especially analog) on busses which effects how the various tracks interreact, then your summed stems won't sound the same as your mix. If, however, your summed stems sounds the same as your mix, then sending stems to your ME will give them more creative control. With the only caveat being that the ME might be tempted to do too much and turn a banana into an apple.

    • @DanWorrall
      @DanWorrall  3 года назад

      Yeah, mix bus processing is probably the best reason not to send stems.

  • @drrodopszin
    @drrodopszin 3 года назад +4

    With a hobby band I don't have the budget for paying mixing and mastering. So I instead get the sound decent according to my best and then let a mastering engineer do a stem master in a well treated room with a great speaker system. This way they can do the final - minor - adjustments, e.g. maybe I like how the hihat is on my system, but on other devices it has too much highs. If I give a stereo mix trimming only the hihat back in it will surely affect every other instrument basically.

  • @Aqua_1014
    @Aqua_1014 3 года назад +12

    As beautiful and luscious your face probably is, I find that the way you make your videos are already perfect and easy to follow even when more complex stuff is involved. I would think that switching between a taking head and info on the screen might create more mess than benefit, although a shorter video like this would be a good candidate to show otherwise haha. I dunno, just my $0.02, but it is your channel so you do you! :)

    • @Dave-te9tl
      @Dave-te9tl 3 года назад +5

      I agree, I think many shots of presenters are there to bridge the gap between information. I can't think of a time when I've been skipping forwards to get the the point of a DW video. More that I've been pausing and replaying to make sure I didn't miss anything.

  • @MaxCarola
    @MaxCarola Год назад

    I had very bad experiences with mastering engineers requesting stem mastering. But never happened to me that a good one asked for stems. And I don't really like that someone else fiddle with my balance. So the perfect mastering engineer for me is the one that gives me back MY MIX, only slightly better. But of course I take extra care of working in a good listening room with the right equipment and I have a fairy good knowledge of how to properly mix. But I agree with your point in this video.

  • @FASTFASTmusic
    @FASTFASTmusic 3 года назад

    Did you flip the phase on the snareless version and then print that and do more stuff to it? That's what I would do.

  • @studioguyx2823
    @studioguyx2823 3 года назад

    Hello Mr. Worrall. Just discovered your channel today, and subscribed as I appreciate your thorough and factual approach. Very informative! Two things... I went halfway on the face reveal and used an infrared camera, so that’s an option :). Secondly, I can’t go with the consensus on the waveform display as I find it distracting. Also, for whatever reason, whether it’s my personal optic system or brain, I can’t even look at it. Your actual content is marvelous though. Glad I subscribed! Thank you so much.

  • @glendicky
    @glendicky 3 года назад

    Looking forward to the parallel (EQ?) trick! And also the face reveal 😀 And also every new video! They’re always great 👍👍 your channel is my favourite 🙂

  • @WUOTH
    @WUOTH 3 года назад +2

    There is not only one way to do it :-) thanks for the opinion, refreshing as always. Everyone wants to play the game and win, but no one wants to listen to the basics. LOL

  • @kristianTV1974
    @kristianTV1974 3 года назад +2

    No face thanks Dan, just keep the solid advice.

  • @ahvkentaur
    @ahvkentaur 3 года назад +1

    LOL! Love the animation :D mesmerizing.. Also, I did not know Reaper had such features. The more you know...

  • @thanosbikos
    @thanosbikos 3 года назад

    Agreed. I work with a soundtrack composer who mixes his own tracks. He is an amateur mixer but he is very dedicated and has a very good ear for balancing the voices in his music. However his lack of some pro skills results in drums sounding dull, cymbals sounding harsh, maybe a bass line sounding muddy. Or maybe his reverb choices are not ideal. So I often ask him for stems, where I can get the punch, softness and clarity without altering his fine tuned balance. So yes, I polish his mix stem by stem and then do the traditional mastering process. Everyone is happy.
    That said, I don't usually ask for stems. But this is a good example of when I do.

  • @prodigalretrod
    @prodigalretrod 3 года назад +2

    I've got plenty of mixing experience but by necessity am about to be working in a less-than-ideal acoustic environment, so stem mastering on a basic set of stems (eg drums/bass/insts/vox) would be a great solution: hand it over to a mastering engineer with good ears and a good room, and give them enough control to tweak my mix's shortcomings, but give me the confidence that my processing and balances aren't going to be messed with the way that another mix engineer might.

  • @joshuafielstra
    @joshuafielstra 3 года назад +85

    It's not clear to me why you *wouldn't* send your mastering engineer stems. I want the best sounding result possible, and if there's something they can do by moving tracks around, go for it. I'm interested in the result, not my ego...that's why we hire a second (or third) pair of ears in the first place.

    • @Gnurklesquimp
      @Gnurklesquimp 3 года назад +1

      I suppose for some there would be a fear there's gonna be too much tinkering outside the realm the mixer had intended, but that's just a matter of finding the right person to work with in the first place, and showcasing and communicating. Who knows, maybe they'll do something very much in the stylistic mixing realm and you'll even like it, if you don't have said ego.

  • @jorgedejesustejedavaldez5283
    @jorgedejesustejedavaldez5283 3 года назад +2

    I see the stems mastering as more flexible way to do a mastering. In today’s music you need to get loud to be competitive in the mainstream. So the stems mastering give you the opportunity to fix really details problems that could affect the final result on the final master. And also can help us to conserve the as soon as possible the original balance of the mix cause frequently in mastering that when you’re putting the song to loud levels can unbalance the mix. So for me is just a way to be more flexible.

  • @privatehuff
    @privatehuff 3 года назад +3

    Didn't know reaper could do video like that, good times!
    Face Reveal at 100k

  • @dighawaii1
    @dighawaii1 3 года назад +1

    the Winamp-esque visualizer is tops XD

  • @sleepCircle
    @sleepCircle 3 года назад +1

    i could've sworn i left a comment on this video, but i can't find it, so you get a repost 'aaay:
    i didn't know there WAS any objection against stem mastering until this video came out. now that it is out, my concerns about them are assuaged.
    quite an emotional roller-coaster.

  • @Beatsbasteln
    @Beatsbasteln 3 года назад +1

    i was planning to compliment you on that soothing waveform because it underlines your voice very nicely, but then your video even asked me to comment on that, lol. also i do think you're a proper youtuber. when it comes to music-production-youtube, you are one of the only guys everyone knows. you have way more followers than i have, and i do use a camera. one doesn't have to exploit every little trick to be a good youtuber. .. oh and yes, stem mastering is a good thing!

  • @foreverud666
    @foreverud666 3 года назад +6

    If you make a sound engineer or mixing course or something , I would buy it.

  • @hazmatproduction4562
    @hazmatproduction4562 3 года назад +1

    Interesting. I watched colt’s video earlier today & stumbled onto yours a few hours later.

  • @chris_share
    @chris_share 3 года назад +6

    Not sure about the "face-reveal" - once we saw KISS without make-up it was never the same!

  • @tunairaiol
    @tunairaiol 3 года назад +3

    Excellent video!
    My concern with stem mastering is just a lack of know-how. In orchestral music, we usually have instruments going to multiple but common reverbs. How would I deal with the reverbs on the stems? Should I render each orchestral section with its own copy of the reverbs?

    • @DanWorrall
      @DanWorrall  3 года назад +6

      Good question. Sends do complicate things a little. In your case it might be best to bounce each stem with its own reverb. With a clean, linear style of reverb (IRs are perfect!) it won't matter that the reverb is applied separately for each stem, it will all add up the same regardless.
      With a more non linear reverb style (including compression, distortion) your best bet might be to bounce the wet only reverb return as it's own separate stem: anything else will change the end result.

    • @tunairaiol
      @tunairaiol 3 года назад +1

      @@DanWorrall Understood. Good to know that the reverbs will add properly.
      Thanks, Dan.

  • @garyroberts1843
    @garyroberts1843 3 года назад +1

    Right on Dan!

  • @JuliusVI
    @JuliusVI 3 года назад

    Skepticism from masculine audio 'professionals'. Instead of embracing a better solution or alternative (as in this example stem mastering) they hind behind false sense of purism. Great video! Don't care what you look like.

  • @HORNGEN4
    @HORNGEN4 3 года назад +1

    "If you don't trust your mastering engineer, then why did you hire him?" Shit, that really made me think...

  • @thomasjeffery
    @thomasjeffery 3 года назад +1

    "A type of snobbery" I love that. And yes face reveal at 50k.

  • @jgonzalez2005
    @jgonzalez2005 3 года назад +1

    This was not the only issue that caught my attention in this video, he later explained that mastering at -14 LUFS was not necessary for RUclips and other platforms, he said that one can upload louder audios with no problem. I have received opinions to the contrary from well-reputed authors.

    • @mattbukovski92
      @mattbukovski92 3 года назад +4

      It's absolutely not necessary to "master with -14 LUFS target" for anything. Decide your dynamic range for a particular track (that sounds good) and set your ceiling to be safe - letting all the services like Spotify or RUclips do their job with normalizing audio. My masters are usually between -6 and -10 LUFS short term in the loudest part and I let it be normalized (turned down in volume).

  • @nikht0
    @nikht0 3 года назад +1

    Funny thing about RUclips, in the beginning many of the tutorials didn't even have voices let alone faces (remember all the videos with scrolling text in Notepad?). For audio tutorials especially, a face is not necessary unless it helps tell the story better in some way. I'm good either way.

  • @aduaneicoplan2623
    @aduaneicoplan2623 3 года назад +1

    "i dont need stem mastering cause I get my mixes right in the first place" hahah good answer

  • @McAndriu
    @McAndriu 2 года назад +1

    Dan, amazing videos and huge fan of your style. I have been on both sides of this discussion... Lately I was sending a single stereo file to mastering because I put a few things on the mix bus -nothing dramatic but really helps, like SSL bus comp, the UAD Oxidizer or a touch of EQ-. How do you handle this? Do you usually put stuff on the mix bus? Thanks

    • @DanWorrall
      @DanWorrall  2 года назад +3

      I always put stuff on the mix bus, and consider it an important part of the mix process. But yes it's problematic when it comes to rendering stems, and this is probably the biggest reason not to do so. Of course linear processes such as EQ will be fine applied to separate stems instead of a full mix. Non linear processes such as compression and saturation will behave very differently, and are best removed or bypassed. But there are grey areas and possible workarounds for compression which I might look at in a future video...

    • @McAndriu
      @McAndriu 2 года назад

      @@DanWorrall Looking forward to it! Thanks

  • @IanBeato
    @IanBeato 3 года назад

    Stems are useful for something as simple as making more subtle EQ moves, too. As we all might have guessed, a 1k boost/cut on a stereo bounce is not the same as making that same move on a guitar bus stem for example. I don't typically charge more myself for a stem master, but I will restrict the amount of stems I allow the client to send for personal reasons, one of which is scope of the project.

  • @theopbmusic
    @theopbmusic 3 года назад +5

    Great clarification! However for mixers who like to process their mixbus with compression and saturation, stem mastering will need them to bypass these effects. I guess the mixer then trusts the mastering engineer to process the mix the way they intended.
    Btw I like the waveform animation :) reminds me of old milkdrop visualization for some reason

    • @jamescuttsmusicjcm5013
      @jamescuttsmusicjcm5013 3 года назад +2

      Good point.

    • @dnch
      @dnch 3 года назад

      it really depends, when i got my track mastered for release, the mastering engineer requested just 2 stems.. essentially drums in one stem, everything else (including sidechain ducking and master processing without limiting) in another.. i was skeptical but the result was great

  • @DarkSideofSynth
    @DarkSideofSynth 3 года назад +6

    No face reveal all at once - give us stems ;)

  • @peterjuulkristensen8425
    @peterjuulkristensen8425 2 года назад

    Hi Dan. I am a mix engineer and have tried both regular mastering and stem mastering and liked both for different reasons. My biggest issue with stems though, is that they don't sound the same, when played in total, as my 2-buss. These days my 2-buss is doing more and more work for me and as I see it, it's impossible (both practical and theoretical) to get the stems to blend in the way, but I would very much appreciate your take on this issue. 1) How to get closer 2) is that even important 3) any cross-stem dynamics-tricks you would like to share 4) ....etc. Keep up the great work, and BTW where is that face-reveal now that we're at almost 68k subs? :-)

    • @DanWorrall
      @DanWorrall  2 года назад +1

      Short version: you can't really replace 2 bus processing on separate stems, which (for me) means its impossible to really finish the mix, and this is probably the biggest reason not to provide stems. There are exceptions: your EQ is probably fine applied to stems instead of the full mix: the saturation might be also, if it's tastefully subtle. There are workarounds for compression, though they're a major PITA. But generally speaking you need to turn off your mix bus processing and trust your mastering engineer to replace it, which I don't like to do because the bus processing is a big part of how I like to mix.

    • @peterjuulkristensen8425
      @peterjuulkristensen8425 2 года назад

      @@DanWorrall "....is a big part of how I like to mix". Yeah. Me too. Thx for the quick response.

  • @jaffasplaffa1
    @jaffasplaffa1 3 года назад +1

    For Dan's videos:
    1. Like the video
    2. Watch the video

  • @SaturnVoyager11
    @SaturnVoyager11 3 года назад +7

    I saw that video when it was released, the dude took more time saying “fire them an get someone else” than me unsubscribing from his channel. There is not one only way to get the same results in life things, included Audio, that’s why nobody should allow a dude to tell them what to do and what don’t , He is the one who should get fired .

  • @Zenvo-uu9tm
    @Zenvo-uu9tm 3 года назад +2

    Face reveal is very welcomed Dan!

  • @soundtaxiproject
    @soundtaxiproject 3 года назад +1

    Like that master ... 👍

  • @quantumhorizon
    @quantumhorizon 3 года назад +1

    I would love to see a tutorial of how you made the animation in reaper.

  • @0e0
    @0e0 3 года назад

    i'm friends with a lot of ME's and they mostly find that more and more clients request stem mastering by default (and the ME's don't enjoy doing them and will try to avoid doing them unless they are necessary for the project)
    so some extra diplomacy is needed even just to talk clients out of stem mastering..as some might believe they are a necessary tool to get the best results
    it's funny how this information gets deployed around people in different part of the chain

  • @morgendorffer3504
    @morgendorffer3504 3 года назад +2

    LOL "if you dont trust your mastering enginner, why did you hire them" exactly

  • @G_handle
    @G_handle 3 года назад +3

    2) Your Face!
    While I am indeed curious, personally I REALLY enjoy the mysterious nature of this magical Voice, always perfectly mixed with the Track, perfectly chosen to illuminate whatever jedi master level Mixing Strategy I'm about to be enriched with.
    You claim to not be a professional RUclipsr, which is of course complete nonsense. The production value of Dan Worrall Videos makes every other RUclips Audio Expert look childish. Like they could just as easily be doing Gaming Videos.
    Your use of Pictures and Sound in your productions are clearly the most well thought out, as to what is the image and sound meant to convey at This exact moment, how does this help make the point being made, of any on the entire web.
    Your properly written and performed Voice Over Narration knows no equal in this realm.
    Dan Worrall is to the world of Audio what David Attenborough is to the world itself.
    Now, as to the animation rendering. Personally think that this is a departure that doesn't add much other than wow factor. Also, the flickering white graphics on a jet black screen was a bit spastic, and I could see it being problematic for people like my mother and sister who both suffer from migraines triggered by both high contrasts and flickering.
    That said you could obviously tone it down, blend it in, Mix it if you will. But what exactly does it Add to a traditional, nearly flawless Dan Worrall Masterpiece?
    Stay mysterious I say.
    Let the voice do all the work.
    Keep em guessing.

  • @TazzSmk
    @TazzSmk 3 года назад +1

    that video osciloscope effect takes like 5 seconds to figure out.....but I didn't know it's in Reaper :D

    • @DanWorrall
      @DanWorrall  3 года назад

      Yeah, I've only just found it. After hours of frustrating fiddling about with ffmpeg and the command line I realised it was right there in Reaper all along. Lol.

  • @RambowMusik
    @RambowMusik 3 года назад +1

    Thought exactly the same:D Good video

  • @darbomusic
    @darbomusic 2 года назад

    Great video 👍

  • @gravityfreaksmusic
    @gravityfreaksmusic 2 года назад

    Dan says it all here. I master from stems all the time and I don't see the point in getting wound up by nomenclature. If I get asked for stems from my mix I'll happily oblige. Worst thing that can happen is that my mix sounds better in the end. :)

  • @entity9588
    @entity9588 3 года назад +1

    Thanks Dan, I made a lot of the same points you've made here in Colts video lol.

  • @goseason2343
    @goseason2343 2 года назад

    All Facts 🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽🙌🏽

  • @joekuschnick9241
    @joekuschnick9241 3 года назад

    Hey dan, great points and video! Which oscilloscope is this? I love the detail and high end response on it :P