Mastering is a Fine Art | But the basics are useful too!

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"First of all I am not a mastering engineer. I learned the basics at Abbey Road Institute which involve EQ, glue compression, a bit of analog color, a bit of sparkle (exciter), a tiny bit of glue reverb and a final EQ to iron out the final extremes. I learned from certified mastering engineers in London, but I don't have their experience of making any track from any artist sound better and ready for the big world. That's beyond a skill, it's an Art (with a capital A) and it takes years to learn. It would also require good ears, great taste, the ability to understand what the customer wants and extensive knowledge about what's competitive.

I've added this video to the Modular Classroom playlist [embedded below], but it's not a regular episode. I just feel it belongs there.

In the modular niche we don't work with console mixes (or tracks in a DAW). We usually record a single take to a single track and when it's recorded we can't tweak anything. It's 'frozen' in time. It's also unlikely to be able to record the same piece twice. In the modular niche we're back in the late 60's and early 70's. But we also have the advantage of using a real instrument that sounds amazing.

I recorded a problematic track for this video. I didn't know it was problematic until i listened with headphones. If you care a bit about a good final track, ready sharing on your new BandCamp album, here are a few tips you may find useful. Since we can't really change our stereo track, we may need to photoshop it a bit. With Mastering, 'less is more' is the golden rule. Sometimes people ask me about my 'mastering chain' because they like the sound of my patches. The hard truth is that I don't use any. I can't make it more less. I just record raw, and iron out possible problems BEFORE I record. When I record a Serge case, I don't have to fix anyhting. When I record a case with many digital modules, I get in-case clipping, tough resonance and stereo low end issues (mud). A DAW like Ableton offers all the tools you need, but the FabFilter tools are worth buying. You don't have to worry about subscriptions and new versions, they're excellent.

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A Cure for Boredom | The Modular Classroom | Lesson 04

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"In this lesson, we'll explore chaos together."

Cinematic Laboratory Modular Classroom

Voltage Math | The Modular Classroom | Lesson 03

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"In the previous lessons I tried to explain that learning modular synthesis is about learning voltage. The basic chain of VCO, VCF and VCA is not where it begins. On many classic synthesizers, this is where it ends and a lot is going on under the hood. Things you can't see. On a modular, you can wire it all up and it's OK to wire up a basic chain with a voice, filter, amp and envelope. Just don't expect it to sound like something else.

I guess many of you own a Buchla 281 and 257 in some way. If you have a Maths, you got those too. If you have anything that moves, it may be inspired by the Bucha's. Even a simple attenuator or crossfader starts here. In this lesson, we'll learn a few truly basic concepts, where voltage goes up, goes down or stays idle. Voltage is potential and you'll need to open the floodgates. It's such a clichee to call it a magic world, but actually, it is."

Cinematic Laboratory Modular Classroom

The Modular Classroom | Introduction | Intended Audience and Approach

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

It's all Voltage | The Modular Classroom | Lesson 1 (feat. Serge DUSG and GTS)

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"OK, here's episode 1 of my modular classroom series. Again. I had to reupload due to editing errors. So I worked on it some more, added some stuff and removed a segment that went to Lesson 2.

I had to pick a reference because we all own different case layouts. I assume everyone can follow and try some of it if you own a Maths, Falistri, Rampage or Abacus. I'll be using Serge DUSG and GTS for most of this video. I did not include the 281T quad function generator because it will get its own lesson.

We're going to be taking about rise and falls a lot. They're the foundation for modular sound generation and movement. It's all voltage. When we think of a triangle wave as a basic waveform, we can break it apart and see it as a rising voltage, a falling voltage in a repeating cycle over periods of time. Time will determine if it's a VCO or LFO."

Slope Language | The Modular Classroom | Lesson 2 (feat. Maths, Rings and Clouds)

video upload by Cinematic Laboratory

"In Lesson 1 I introduced a hidden sonic world of rise and falls, a foundation for making sounds and movement and for interaction with other sounds and movements. I realized it's hard to make lessons without reference gear and I picked Maths as the No. 1 module to explain the core concepts of low level synthesis. While making this lesson, I figured out this 'slope language' which could be an alternative to patch diagrams. Diagrams only work on a system with a fixed layout and modules. In modular this just doesn't work because all modulars are different and personal.

I also needed to find a way to combine high level music making with low level modular techniques and explain why it's worth it to dive a bit deeper. I used Rings and Clouds as a methaphor for 'fastfood' because it's really easy to make great music. This often sounds like a bad thing but it's not. Too easy is good. It confirms that modular synths can be cool. But it's even cooler to hear what happens when we add a bit of low level movement. Sticking to the metaphor of cooking with sound, it becomes a Chef's kitchen, where Rings/Clouds are the signature ingredients, and Maths is the secret sauce.

The goal for these classes is to learn how to think in voltage slopes (rise and falls) and these 'slope language' diagrams seem to work for lots of module combinations. I was able to 'translate' a Maths patch to Tides and Blinds. It works because we're taking a step back from the panel layout, and focus on what the voltage is doing. The recipe. For me, it felt like a missing link that really helps me to explain things. Now let's hope this works for you too."