So I've had a big turn. I've decided that although the Pandorum album has only just been released, it's old news. We did it over such a long time and not in the standard way of recording so I'm ganna leave it where it is. Unless someone wants to know anymore, just write in.

NEXT PROJECT!

Right now I'm mastering a CD that was recording by the Salvation Army 2010 Cadets (for those of you playing at home they are the salvation army students who will soon be full-time ministers.. or Officers as we call them). I think 'Saved to Save' is a fundraiser so I'll keep you posted about where you can buy it if you're interested.

Mastering:

Mastering is a mysterious place that only the elite with 20 years experience go with ears the size of an elephants and the equipment only Kings can afford!.... Well actually that's not true so much these days with the plug-ins you can buy and the time to experiment. I master a lot of my own work these days. If you are working on an album that you've spent serious coin and time on I'd suggest getting an expert. Someone with the ears, speakers, room and equipment to get the best sound. But on that note I've used experts in the past and think that not all of them achieve the sound you want and can cost a bomb. Just a shout out to the big man Jack 'The Bear' who worked on my album 'Sacrifice', worth every penny.

So how do I go about mastering? iZotope Ozone 4. An amazing plugin with all the tools you need to bring life to your track. For beginners there are presets to start from but more functionally you can jab a drum stick at for the advanced users. 

A side note check out iZotope's free plug in vinyl! 

What's in Ozone?

Ozone 4 Features
Paragraphic EQ	Harmonic Exciter
Loudness Maximizer	Multiband Dynamics
Stereo Imaging	Mastering Reverb
Dither	MacroPresets
Mid/Side Processing	Ozone Exclusives

I'll post a couple of before and afters for you later when I'm done and maybe tell you a few things that I've done to achieve the sound that you'll hear. Remember that even with this plugin your sound maybe terrible. It really comes down to the ears that are mastering. Take the time to experiment. Listen to your mastered mix in different environments, compare it to a similar CD, but at the end of the day buying this plugin doesn't guarantee the best finished product.

I've only been using this plugin for about 12 months now before that I had to use plugins such as maxim. Ozone took my mastering to the next level.