Yikes…….mastering. I’ve read books, watched tutorials, etc. If you like how it sounds, it seems like you’re on the right track. But if your mix is bad, there is nothing a mastering engineer will be able to do. Hopefully you have 6-10dBFS headroom on the output channel. If not, I would go back and turn all faders to -inf. Then put your kick around -20dBFS. This is what you will build around. In order of importance, (most first), bring up the faders on other channels until it sits right with the volume of the kick. Throw a gentle compressor on the output, if you haven’t done so already (like 1-2dB gain reduction), then use a limiter while looping the loudest part of your track. Turn it up until it starts to kiss -0.1dBFS. Done, and you saved some money. You want it to be loud, but if you lose dynamic range, it will lose all its punch. Sometimes its the quiet parts that make the loud parts seem loud.
If you really want a professional to do it, there are many online services. Check this one out: http://www.popmusic.dk/links-us.html
Kind of more high-end, but when I have a track ready for pitching to labels, this is who I’m going to use.
And PLEASE READ THE PDF “LEVELS IN DIGITAL AUDIO”. It was one of the more helpful things I read. This guy is all over Logic Pro Help forums and Gearslutz. He’s some kind of Mastering Genius!
Other things that have helped me:
5 Minutes to a Better Mix Series. Not my DAW, not my kind of music, but VERY easy to understand, and helpful.
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjRzsiP_aDWWLHV4-2LKBtg
2 Books that are indispensable for any home studio electronic musician:
http://www.amazon.com/Dance-Music-Manual-Tools-Techniques/dp/0240521072
http://www.amazon.com/Mixing-Secrets-Small-Studio-Senior/dp/0240815807
If you really want to learn Ableton, go to MacProVideo.com: for $25 you can watch any video they have for a month. It will cover EVERYTHING you could need to know about Ableton. I think there are even some series about House/Dubstep/Electronic Mixing and Mastering in Ableton. Also, they have tutorials about Music Theory and Synthesis that anyone would benefit from watching.
Check out MacProVideo’s The Hub, its an online blog along with AudioTuts.com. these are the places I find the most useful articles.
I know right? I have no social life. Since starting to make music about 6 weeks ago, it is all I do, other than go to work. Don’t worry, you’re going to get better EVERY song you make. I also recommend watching Future Music Magazine’s – In the Studio after you read those books.
I haven’t been doing this long, but if I had to do it over, these are the things I would spend my time doing. Also, make sure you spend at least as much time making music, as you do learning about it.
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