Ozone's self mastering guide

[ToxicBass]

I thought this was quite a good read for people who are thinking of self mastering their tracks but don't quite fully grasp what's involved or are just looking for tips.
It's based around using Ozone but the techniques and tips can be applied to whatever mastering method you use to a certain extent.

Listen and try to identify any problems that you hear. Start with the midrange (vocals, guitar, midrange keyboard, etc.) as this will typically represent the heart and soul of the song. Does it sound too “muddy”? Too nasal? Too harsh? Compare it to another mix, perhaps a commercial CD. Try to describe to yourself what the difference is between the two mixes around the midrange.
Too muddy?
Try cutting between 100 to 300 Hz (Band 2 in Ozone is set at 180 Hz by default. Try cutting the gain a few dB using this band)
Too nasal sounding?
Try cutting between 250 to 1000 Hz. (Band 3 in Ozone is set by default at 520 Hz for this purpose)
Too harsh sounding?
This can be caused by frequencies in the range of 1000 to 3000 Hz. Try cutting this range a few dB. (Band 4 in Ozone is set at 1820 Hz for this purpose)

http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/o ... gGuide.PDF

[judge_banks]

I've had a look through this guide and it's pretty useful. Especially since I have a habit of diving in and using stuff without using the manual. That being said it is really REALLY easy to overdo it with ozone, and it can really make your tune sound like shit if you don't use it right

[wolf89]

Yeah, If you're playing out and just want the tune to sound alright on a system go ahead

but for a proper release please please use a professional mastering studio. They know what they're doing and bad mastering can completely ruin a track for me (over compression is horrific).

[Rekkon]

I thought this was quite a good read for people who are thinking of self mastering their tracks but don't quite fully grasp what's involved or are just looking for tips.
It's based around using Ozone but the techniques and tips can be applied to whatever mastering method you use to a certain extent.

Listen and try to identify any problems that you hear. Start with the midrange (vocals, guitar, midrange keyboard, etc.) as this will typically represent the heart and soul of the song. Does it sound too “muddy”? Too nasal? Too harsh? Compare it to another mix, perhaps a commercial CD. Try to describe to yourself what the difference is between the two mixes around the midrange.
Too muddy?
Try cutting between 100 to 300 Hz (Band 2 in Ozone is set at 180 Hz by default. Try cutting the gain a few dB using this band)
Too nasal sounding?
Try cutting between 250 to 1000 Hz. (Band 3 in Ozone is set by default at 520 Hz for this purpose)
Too harsh sounding?
This can be caused by frequencies in the range of 1000 to 3000 Hz. Try cutting this range a few dB. (Band 4 in Ozone is set at 1820 Hz for this purpose)

http://www.izotope.com/products/audio/o ... gGuide.PDF

nice read thx

[LordBid]

thanks man o-zone has to be one of the coolest programs out there!

[sifres]

Nice. Using Ozone or your DAW, I saw some pretty decent tips about eqing etc in there. In understandable language.

Also some fairly obvious ones; like reference listening on other speakers (and getting someone else to listen to it). But the combination makes this a pretty decent beginners guide for people wanting to make their tracks listenable in clubs or just stand out a little on soundcloud.

So yeah... Nice find!