The Best Analog Mastering for Audio CD Projects
Something called Analog mastering is one of the best kept secrets of high-end mixing engineers today. Since most everything is recorded in the digital realm, highend mixing engineers will do something called layback mastering. What happens is the digital signal is put into an analog recording so it can be mastered through analog processors, though in many instances it is also recorded to an two-track machine in order to get the fatness that original analog tape gives to the sound. It also takes the harshness away from digital recordings, and can round out the bottom end giving the bass frequencies that nice analog sound.
The fact is the pros for outweigh the cons. Analog mastering can cost a little more than basic digital mastering, as it takes additional time and there are the costs for the analog tape, but for serious projects, it can be the final step in achieving the top quality for the record. Since digital recordings can feel more brittle to many people because no matter how loud the sound gets, digital gives you purely digital reproduction. Analog tape, on the other hand, softens as the signal increases in level, so peaks are smoothed over instead of clipping, which translates as a warm, fat signal as the harmonics are smoothed over. To the listener, this sound is much more very pleasing. Furthermore, a hotter input song will create a larger difference. Since the top ranges saturate first, this transilates that as the signal goes up, the highs will naturally smooth out a bit, creating a less cold, and a more pleasing recording. This is the magic of layback mastering.
There are different mastering studios around the country that have the tools to do analog mastering, however, it also necessitates you have an engineer with the background to get optimal end product possible with the gear. I have tested out a few studios and one of the most impressive is www.stevethomasmastering.com. He is a top analog CD mastering engineer, yet he also has done 1000s of albums as a recording engineer as well. On top of that, his results is similar to some of the most expensive mastering studios in the United States. If you already have someone you are working with that’s fine. But, I would definitely to check him out. Seriously!