basic mastering questions

[goosetherio]

Hello,

I have a single-song CD I'm sending to be duplicated and want to raise the overall volume of the song so it matches the volumes of the CDs in my standard collection when I play it in the car or wherever. Can anyone walk me through (in very basic language) how to do this with Logic? Bear in mind I suck at technology and don't even know how to access Waveburner, since everyone keeps talking about Waveburner but doesn't include what to do once I'm in there.

Also, when I burn a master, is Logic defaulted to burn "disc-at-once" or do I need to change it from "track-at-once?" If so, how?

Finally, I apparently need to burn a master at approximately 25-40% of the drive's maximum capability (example given was: the optimum burn speed for a 52x maximum speed burner is 16x-24x). How do I do this?

Thanks - I appreciate it.
Goose

 

[midnightsun]

Just jump in

-- first and foremost make backups of your project... seriously.
-- search your computer and locate the WaveBurner Guide/Manual and burn it to your favorite media.
-- Drop off Waveburner media at your neighborhood printers to be printed.
-- drive to store
-- buy a stack of blank CDs
-- don't forget to swing by the printers to pick up the Waveburner Guide/Manual
-- on the way home buy a dry latte with a triple shot of expresso
-- turn on computer
-- make note of where your Logic final mix is located
-- open applications on your computer and find Waveburner
-- launch Waveburner
-- drag and drop your final mix into Waveburner
-- hit play on the WB transport and listen
-- if that doesn't work open the manual or formulate specific questions
-- drag some of your favorite commerical music CD songs in to WaveBurner to see what they sound like in comparison to your song and make adjustments to your song accordingly.

Remember...... when all else fails RTFM...... may the force be with you.

Respectfully

Hello,

I have a single-song CD I'm sending to be duplicated and want to raise the overall volume of the song so it matches the volumes of the CDs in my standard collection when I play it in the car or wherever. Can anyone walk me through (in very basic language) how to do this with Logic? Bear in mind I suck at technology and don't even know how to access Waveburner, since everyone keeps talking about Waveburner but doesn't include what to do once I'm in there.

Also, when I burn a master, is Logic defaulted to burn "disc-at-once" or do I need to change it from "track-at-once?" If so, how?

Finally, I apparently need to burn a master at approximately 25-40% of the drive's maximum capability (example given was: the optimum burn speed for a 52x maximum speed burner is 16x-24x). How do I do this?

Thanks - I appreciate it.
Goose

 

[lightrainends]

Ok, probably a bit late for this, but as far as getting your mix louder, here's my overly simplified advice:

Open your mix in Logic. On the master strip, add two plug-ins, Multipressor and Limiter, in that order (both are under the dynamics). If you're not familiar with the multipressor, it works like a compressor on 4 different EQ bands, allowing you to set each frequency band separately. Play around with different settings (mainly the threshold and ratio) for each band, until you get something you're happy with. Bounce it to a WAV or AIF, and play it back with Quicktime (or iTunes or VLC), along with some commercial stuff you really like. If it sounds weak, go back and up the compression (reduce threshold and/or increase ratio).

Also, I recommend sampling your mix with really strong compression -- you'll hear how bad that makes the music sound (there's a sort of 'pumping' sound that comes out). Then when you're tweaking the compression settings, you'll know what to listen for, to keep yourself from making that mistake.