anyone having good results with iZotope on live 2trk recor..

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

I've been psuedo mastering live 2trk mixes of live bands, and now that I
have decent monitoring, I hear how lousy some software compression is.
For example, I've been using the iZotope mastering system as a DX plugin,
and after playing with all the presets to get an idea of what they were
packaging as "good" and tweaking each one ad infinitum, am a bit surprised
at the gunk that's being poured onto the recording. I'm not expecting
miracles here, but I would like tighten the bass and kit a bit more, and
give a little little edge to the guitars and vocals. Nothing I do (even in
small increments) seems to really satisfy my ears, as it just suffocates the
airiness and details, and boxes up the cymbals and snare. Am I just simply
using the wrong tool? Should I think about a piece of outboard gear, or
still give this kind of software a fighting chance?

Maybe move over to the Waves stuff?

Archived from groups: rec.audio.pro (More info?)

No stridency taken! I've just seen mastering engineers add some compression
and EQ in the final mastering process to pump up a live recording a bit,
usually resulting in bringing the drums/bass to the front a bit more. Don't
know if it's standard practice or not.

I'm dealing with "better than bootleg" live recordings off the stage in a
small club- stereo 2trk with 4-5 spot mics (6-7 channels), mixed realtime
down to 2 trks. Nothing fancy between source and HD (just sends from the
board + ORTF). It sounds real close to what a person in the 3rd row hears.
Don't have the luxury of adding a compressor to the kick or bass on a
separate track, or even live. The application doesn't call for it. So
essentailly I'm trying to make what was captured live sound a bit more
upfront and closer to the CD listener, without compromising the airiness of
the recording.

> > I'm not expecting
> > miracles here, but I would like tighten the bass and kit a bit more, and
> > give a little little edge to the guitars and vocals.
>
> Not to be strident here, but these items need to be tended to in the
mixing
> process rather than in the mastering of a completed 2-track mix. I'm not
> saying that these things can't be accomplished in mastering, but I tend to
> believe that it would have to be a series of high quality tools and a
great deal
> more time, rather than a series of software plug-ins. If this much
'tweaking'
> work remains to be done on every song, then you are essentially asking a
> lifeless algorithm to do what needed to be done several steps earlier than
> the point where you seem to be now. You have to remember... no matter
> how 'selective' you try to be with your tweaks, they are now affecting
every
> single element from which the mix was comprised.
>
> Live recordings are a great deal more demanding when it comes to having
> gotten the best mix possible before hitting record... you really don't get
a
> second chance, no matter what it says in the literature. ;-)
>
> --
> David Morgan (MAMS)
> http://www.m-a-m-s DOT com
> Morgan Audio Media Service
> Dallas, Texas (214) 662-9901
> _______________________________________
> http://www.artisan-recordingstudio.com
>
>