Eq For Vinyl Mastering

Below is a list of possible changes i would choose to make with the analogue emulation eq during mastering.

Eq for vinyl mastering. For a vinyl release it is recommended to create your own masters only as a reference for a mastering engineer who understands what will and won t translate to vinyl. Mastering for vinyl quick answer. Vinyl masters will probably use a higher resolution file format for example 24 bit and perhaps 48 or even 96 khz sampling rate but if the cd has already been mastered these will probably be available from the original mastering. In the simplest terms mastering is the process of taking the final mixes whether it s for a full length album or a single and adjusting levels eq and dynamic range to create the final master for the intended medium vinyl cd digital download streaming cassette etc.

Limiter plugins like the waves l2 or l3 are basically employed to add overall loudness and so are almost always at the end of the chain. The riaa eq curve for recording cutting vinyl masters and for playback on turntables the riaa curve allows for more music to fit on a vinyl record resulting in a longer runtime among several other advantages. For example extreme sibilance often mentioned certainly is a problem for vinyl but then it s hardly desirable for cd playback either. Low end warmth can be achieved with a soft boost below 100hz.

The fact is though that the eq considerations offered as being necessary for vinyl are pretty much a desiderata for most decent digital masters too. Another myth is the bass width. I m cautious to not overdo this as low end takes up a. The riaa eq curve for recording cutting vinyl masters and for playback on turntables the riaa curve allows for more music to fit on a vinyl record resulting in a longer runtime among several other advantages.

This means that harmonic generation needs to be introduced mildly otherwise the harmonics may become too present and potentially unpleasant to the listener. But when mastering for vinyl any distortion present in the master will be exacerbated by the vinyl cutting and reproduction process. While there are no hard and fast rules if you re mastering in the box that is inside your daw an eq plugin generally is used early in the chain before or after any compressors.