Boss BR-1180 User Manual page 31

If you really want to tweak the mastering tools to suit your music CURSOR to EDIT
then press ENTER. If you CURSOR to any of the effects in the MTK EDIT CHAIN
you can press edit to access parameters for that effect.
• EQ-The EQ in the Mastering tool kit is a 4 band EQ with adjustable Qs as
well as adjustable type (shelving or peaking) for the lows and highs.
• BASS CUT FILTER- deletes unwanted low frequencies that might other
wise "muddy" the mix.
• ENHANCER- enhances the presence of the sound by adding a phase-shifted
signal to the original signal. An enhancer can help bring life to a dull-
sounding mix.
•
EXPANDER- An expander is a gate that turns down the level below the
specified threshold. This is useful for keeping down the noise floor. The
expander here is three bands. One for highs, mids and lows.
• COMPRESSOR-This is a three band compressor. see Compression from
the previous discussion on dynamic effects.
• LIMITER- This is placed at the end of the effects chain for the mastering tool
kit to help limit any overall excessive levels. A limiter is a compressor that
uses a very high ratio. The ratio for the limiter here is a fixed ratio. You will
want your threshold to be set very high as to only affect the very loudest
signals without "squashing" your sound.
If you are putting together an entire CD there are also a few other factors to consider
during the mastering process. The main thing to consider is consistency. You will want
the levels and overall sound of your songs to make musical sense as they go from one to
another. And you certainly never want to force a listener to constantly turn up and down
the levels on their stereo to listen all of the way through your CD.
As with your mix down, test your CD on different systems and take notice as to what
works and what doesn't. With trial and error and time spent listening closely to your own
as well as your favorite commercial CDs the process will become easier.
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