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Lesson Summary
You don’t have to do every part yourself. This lesson looks at different ways to finish your recording, from creating an MP3 copy and trying automated mastering to preparing your audio files for a professional mixing or mastering engineer.
Transcript
Welcome to the second part of Module 7: Mixing and Mastering, where I’ll show you how to outsource the mixing and mastering of your tracks.
Let’s return to our master track. It has been compressed and given a fade-in and fade-out, so this is the polished stereo master we can render as a WAV file for pressing CDs or uploading to a digital store.
One thing I want to point out is that, at the time this lesson was recorded, this REAPER installation and many other recording programs did not encode MP3 by default. WAV is the default output format, the largest file, and the highest-quality option. Attempting to choose MP3 produces a message about the encoder’s patent and licensing requirements.
That isn’t a problem. Render the master as a WAV file, then convert a copy to MP3 outside REAPER. I’ll demonstrate that now.
After rendering the WAV, open an online conversion service. I often used Zamzar.com. Select Choose Files, open the Meditation Sample project folder, and choose the finished “Meditation Sample Stereo Master Post-Master” file. In this demonstration, however, the approximately 80 MB master is larger than Zamzar’s limit for an unsigned account.
Instead, I use another free online audio converter. The process is essentially the same: select Open Files and choose the post-master stereo WAV. The file shown here is 79.4 MB and five minutes, 15 seconds long. The output is already set to MP3. Select the best available quality; it will take a little longer to convert but will produce a better result. Select Convert, then download the finished track from the page or from the link the service provides. That is the basic process for creating an MP3 copy of a WAV master.
Now let’s discuss outsourcing only the mastering. Suppose you’re happy with the mix from the original project and its stems, but you aren’t confident that you can master it yourself in REAPER. Close the version you mastered and return to the project folder.
Earlier, before adding the final fades and compression, we rendered a stereo master WAV. I’ve renamed that file “Meditation Sample Stereo Master Pre-Master” so it is easy to distinguish from the post-master version. Open the pre-master file and drag it into REAPER to confirm that you have the correct mix.
You can submit this pre-master WAV to LANDR, an online mastering service. Drag the stereo pre-master file into the upload area and wait for it to process. LANDR provides a preview that switches between the original and mastered versions. In the demonstration, the mastered result is more compressed and its volume has been raised as far as possible without peaking.
Whether you like that result is up to you. At the time this lesson was recorded, the free option provided two lower-resolution MP3 files. If you planned to press a CD or upload the release to iTunes, you could pay an additional US$9.99 for the uncompressed WAV and use that as the finished master. Those were the options and prices shown in the recorded interface.
You can also outsource both mixing and mastering from the beginning. Imagine that you’ve completed the edits and arranged the track as you want it, but would like someone else to mix and master it. One place to explore is Fiverr.com. At the time of recording, services there started at US$5.
Open the Music & Audio category and select Mixing & Mastering. Review the featured and recommended sellers, paying attention to their ratings and number of completed jobs. Make sure the listing includes mixing if that is what you need; many of the offers are for mastering only.
Open a prospective seller’s listing and read the full description. The example shown here offers to mix and master a song in Logic Pro X, supports a range of genres, delivers a finished track ready for distribution, supplies different file versions, and includes two revisions. The seller first sends an MP3 reference so you can request changes such as raising the voice or lowering the background music.
Check the base price, optional faster delivery, and any other add-ons. Browse several sellers, watch their demonstration videos where available, and compare ratings, experience, and the exact services provided before deciding whom to hire.
Once you’ve chosen an engineer, prepare the files they will need. Return to REAPER and reopen the original project containing the individual master stems. The engineer needs those stems as separate lossless files, all aligned to the same starting position.
First, save a second version of the project so these changes cannot affect the original. Choose File, Save Project As, and name the copy “Meditation Sample Consolidation Master.”
Next, choose File and then Consolidate/Export Tracks. Export the output of every stem as a WAV file and set the output directory to the Meditation Sample project folder. Select Process and allow REAPER to render the tracks.
The resulting files all begin at the same point on the timeline. REAPER fills the earlier gaps and creates a consolidated file for each of the five tracks, including the track that was muted. When the engineer imports these files into another digital audio workstation, they will line up without any timing problems.
Return to the project folder and locate the numbered consolidated WAV files. A dedicated subfolder would make them easier to organize, although five stems are simple enough to identify here. The files include the vocal, soft electric piano, Tibetan bowl, forest ambience, and the muted track.
Select all of the consolidated WAVs. On this Windows computer, I hold Control while selecting each file, right-click the selection, and use 7-Zip to add them to a “Meditation Sample” archive. You can use WinRAR or another compression utility on Windows or Mac to create the equivalent archive.
The individual lossless WAV stems are large: the combined files in this example occupy around 350 MB. Compressing them produces a single archive of about 42 MB, which is much faster to upload and download.
After purchasing the chosen Fiverr service—called a gig—you can contact the seller and send the archive containing the master stems. The seller can extract it, import the separate WAV or other lossless files into their DAW, and work on the mix from their computer. You can attach the archive as the service permits or upload it to Dropbox or Google Drive and send the engineer a shared link.
The next module, Module 8, covers backing up your files. I’ll see you there.