Hey guys! I'll be totally honest, I wasn't entirely sure if I was going to make a post for this month, just because I didn't get any submissions last month! I had a few people show interest, but nothing actually came in. It's not that I was super bummed about it or anything (I was pretty busy as it was anyways!), but I did question for a minute whether or not it was a practical or useful initiative.
However, the conclusion that I came to is that, this is for you guys. Whether it gets used or not is no big deal, the important thing is that it's there, and that's what I will continue to ensure. The way I see it, producing records isn't something people are always doing every day, and the people who are producing records every day probably know enough to master their own material. But if it can help even one Steemian better their situation as a musician, then I'll keep these posts coming. So anyway, with that said -
Every month, I will choose three tracks to master for three lucky Steemians. This is just one way I decided I would say 'thank you' to the community for the ongoing support, friendships, and opportunities.
What is mastering?
In the context of this giveaway, mastering is the process of optimizing the loudness, frequency distribution, and stereo spacing of an audio track to make it sound as punchy, full, powerful, and great as it can be. The master is supposed to preserve the decisions made in the mix as well as possible (or intended) in order to retain the vision of the song. In the context of an album, it can also fall to the mastering to make sure that all the songs sound coherent and smooth playing into one another.
What should I submit?
Ideally, you want to submit a high-quality recording (premaster) of your music that may need that extra push to completion. The track should already be mixed to the best of your (or engineer's) ability. Traditionally speaking, it is advised to leave around -6 db of headroom on your audio to leave the mastering engineer (yours truly) some headroom to work. Tracks should ideally be in .wav format, but if you only have an .mp3, that is okay too.
Note: Because this is a giveaway, I won't be overly picky with the headroom/wav preferences above - I am more aiming to help the individuals in the community that think they can benefit from it. Therefore, I will not shy away from tracks that do not follow the headroom/.wav preference, but keep in mind it may affect your final product!
What should I not submit?
Mastering is not magic - a mastering job is only as good as the mix/recording that comes before it. Therefore, you should not submit live tracks, or audio recorded on your phone or webcam. Obviously there are exceptions (like a live track being officially released as a live version), but use your best judgement. If you are unsure or need help/advice on how to get to a good premaster, join the 'Steemit Local Music Society' Discord and ask the community for help! That's what we're there for!
How to enter -
Submit your track in the comments of this post! Any player is acceptable - Soundcloud, Youtube, DTube, etc. I might advise to save your DSound post for your potentially mastered song to maximize upvotes though!
Over the course of 72 hours from the post, I will select the three winning songs that I will master! I will 100% upvote and comment 'Selected!' on the three winning comments (be sure to check your 'Replies' tab on your blog so you can see if I choose you)!
If you are chosen, email your track to 'mikesmonthlymastering@gmail.com' in the highest quality that you can (.wav is preferable) and as close as you can to the 'headroom' request (at least -6db of headroom).
You're all set, congratulations! Now, patience! Mastering takes a little time. You'll have your sexy new audio track all decked out soon enough. I will email the finished track back to the same email that sent it to me.
[Optional] Post that upvote-invoking beast on DSound and let the community steep in your dopeness.
Show us what you got, Steemit!
You can join the 'Steemit Local Music Society' here:
Click here to join on Discord.