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Mastering tips needed

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I think I have a common problem with how my recording turned out.

I had automatic gain turned on, and when a snare hits, the whole level is shot down, leaving the next second or so much quieter.

I use cooleditpro. I've been messing with hard limiting and such. It makes me wonder if it's really just best to leave it as it is, because hard limiting brings not only the snare down, but everything else at that moment, and you can't really win either way. But I don't know, I'm inexperienced. Is there ever a way to really save a recording like this?

Furthermore, is there a forum or somewhere to give the recording to someone who would be willing to master it?

I like the idea of keeping it as original as possible, but this can be an annoying problem until you get used to it.

The other problem is a lot of the bass is pretty underwhelmingt. I don't know why that happens. Why is that? Manual or automatic gain makes no difference. I'd like to ask the same question for that. Is there a good way to boost bass without molesting an otherwise good hi-end?

Thanks for any advice. It's a Modest Mouse show by the way. And I'll gladly put it up after it's touched up. The second night, luckily, sounds much better. I used the Sony Hi-MD M200.

Any tips or suggestions of what I can do is appreciated.

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I don't think compensating for the ill-effects of compression (AGC) by adding further compression (limiting) would be the best way to deal with the problem. You may want to try a tool working in the opposite direction - an expander - instead. I wouldn't bet on it though. Unlike modest EQing for example, dynamics are not easily restored. You may get even more artificial results.

The lack of low frequencies may be an issue of the mic itself and/or mic placement (room acoustics). The bundled Sony mic (if you're using that) rolls off beginning at 100 Hz. AGC may emphasize the problem even more by lowering the volume at sudden peaks like the beat of a bass drum.

Suggestion for next time to improve quality: manual levels + better mic = better quality, less post processing.

Edited by greenmachine
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