Yeah, I've seen this view espoused before and what I've read/heard from other professional mastering engineers is in agreement with you, that it's widely used and not a sign that remixing is needed. As I see it, it obviates the need to limit quite as hard (and thus reduce distortion levels) in order to raise the overall level, not something you could do in a mix.Ricardus wrote:Why does using a multi-band comp to master imply that something is wrong with the mix? Most mastering engineers use multi-bands in mastering.male wrote:I'm sure this isn't what you want to hear, but have you considered the fact that if you need a multiband compressor at the mastering stage that that is an indication of problems with the mix that could be better solved in the mixing context/stage? Unless you're stuck with stereo mixdowns, I don't see much point in trying to dissect the audio so late in the process.
The main point of the advice I'm following is that four bands overcomplicates things and that it's best not to cut the "heart" – the mids – of instruments in two and process them differently. Also, that if four bands are really needed, it could be a sign that there are issues which ought to be corrected in the mix.Ricardus wrote: I master with the 4-band comp from LinuxDSP all of the time. I am curious to hear why the OP thinks a 4 band comp is a problem,
The other bit of advice is that 100 ms attack time is a good starting point and much less than that will unduly affect the low end, which I was hearing, hence looking for a MBC that affords such an attack time.
