wait, so there is no digital audio alchemy?

I really would like for more people to experiment w/ multitracking for chip... makes careful sonic manipulation possible.

or don't, please, please, please: because mastering, although really useful, is nothing that most people can't do for free with some basic knowledge, a bit of time, and a basic DAW w/ compressor, EQs, panning & reverb.   And without a stupid "mastering" plugin (same goes for "stereo imaging" plugins or anything else like that which promises to make your music sound better just by running it.)

lol @ people who think mastering is magical, or that a trained mastering engineer w/ all the "best gear" is going to make music sound SO MUCH BETTER.

also, on the subject of mastering your own tracks:  yes, you can, it's perfectly ok (unless you just have no idea what to do).  you just have to periodically cleanse your sonic palette occasionally while working (i.e. listen to something way different on a break), and be willing to take your time & take a few days break from listening sometimes.

Here's what she wrote back in 2006 (and if you know his music you know he knows how to mix n master), on 8bc:

The beauty about '8-bit' music, is that you really do not need to master it.
If you run Gameboy, C64, Amiga or any other console setup you wont need to.
But there are others 'like me' who do alot of post-processing (adding 16-bit sounds and stuff) so a 'master' is needed.

If you're looking for a "pro" sound to your tunes you should NOT USE MONO FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS TO MEEEE!!1!11one!!1

If you compose on your computer (no hard-sid/lsdj on gameboy) and are using more than 5 channels, you should read these steps below for a great start to a great master..
If you work with an Imported Wav or other format, and dont want to read all this shit, skip to end.

A good master begins in your tracker program (or the prog where all your sound channels are stored). Stereo imaging and Equalizer is the first two steps that will lead you towards that 'pro' sound lol. Why? For example, if your lead instrument and bas are in the lower frequencies the lead wont get that 'punch' and may get mixed up with the bas itself (if it hits the same octave). Now, imagine if you have 2 more channels with instruments in Low frequency. This is where that Stereo Imaging does MAGIC.

If youre looking for a more 'natural' sound, you may want to reduce the high frequencies on your Bas channels and Kick-drums, and reduce the low frequencies on your main-lead instruments etc.. This is really important beacuse you not only prevent the overlapping of unwanted frequencies and gain of Offset, but you improve the 'resolution' on wich you can work with later (after export to wav/aiff).

If youre working with Reverb check if your DC Offset is null on that track. This is important beacuse Reverb tends to gain alot in the 0-80hz range, so if you have an DC-Auto or Filter /EQ you can reduce that unwanted artifact. The DC Offset should be around 0 when you export or make an MPEG out of your work.

After that you need to find a way to lower those peaks and level your channels.
This is best done with a Limiter/Compressor, apply this on the channels that have those unwanted peaks. Doing so will also make it possible to gain the volume on that channel without clipping it and bring all of your channels to level.
Also, check for unwanted clipping in the 'master' before you export to your prefered non-destructive format or before you move on to MPEG.

There is so much more you could do to your tunes, but remember.. this is 8-bit music, and you dont want to ruin that Retro sound/feel. A tune straigh out of lsdj is pure gold.

--

If youre seeking the 'pro' apps in mastering i can recommend these; (lol i should have just put these in, instead of all that bullshit ;D )

iZotope Ozone - (VST Plug-in)
Sony Soundforge - (Sound editing/recording)
Renoise - (if you dont have this and are using another tracker you FAIL.. GET OUT!)

Now, take your lazy ass and get to work so you can buy all this crap!

All of this has me terrified.

Also:

Baaaaaaahhhahahahahahahahahahaahaha!

I always do my mix in gameboy and record the whole mess out all together. I've been mastering/remastering tracks to get a little more umph out of them, mostly with compression and selective EQ. I make most of my kicks using a sine wave, so they sound meaty on the woofer, but learned they don't come through at all on shitty desktop speakers. It really helps to give those kicks some high end so they stand out from the bassline.
I studied audio for film, not music, so I'm kinda having to re-tool my understanding of how compression and EQ are used for this. I'm so used to compressing natural audio like dialogue and having to be all carefull with it... But MAN... you can compress the HELL out of electronic music without really losing tonal quality. Especially when its as lo-fi as gameboy tracks. I've had to be careful not to get carried away cus there's really nothing stopping you from going completely overboard.

Speaks the truth, and does a damn good job if I say so.

step one: move to Australia, sound works differently in the southern hemisphere.

Bob Katz is all over gearslutz.com, and if you want info on mastering or music production in general, there is so much good information there. Someone tell me when they figure out how to make an album sound like little-scale's Error Repeat.

Cool. Will you be doing that yourself?
I look forward to hearing it.

Absolutely. Anyone into recording/mixing/producing audio should read him. Infact, it should be mandatory.

In my only experience with the 'big boys', mixing and mastering at The Hit Factory, the engineer mixed all our pro-tools tracks to 1/4" reel to reel to warm it up. It ended up sounding pretty nice I think. The mastering session was really instructive. I asked the poor guy tons of questions about compression and EQ.

Rainbowdragoneyes' mixes are quite nice. Must be the hair.

Bob Katz FTW. Here is a really instructive section from the intro to Mastering Audio.

Mastering requires an entirely different "head" than mixing. I once had an assistant who was a great mix engineer and who wanted to get into mastering. So I left her alone to equalize a rock album. After three hours, she was still working on the snare drum, which didn't have enough "crack." But as soon as I walked in the room I could hear something was wrong with the vocal. Which brings us to the first principle of mastering: Every action affects everything. Even touching the low bass affects the perception of the extreme highs.

Mastering is the art of comprimise: knowing what's possible and impossible and making decisions about what's most important in the music. When you work on the bass drum, you'll affect the bass for sure, sometimes for the better, sometimes worse. If the bass drum is light, you may be able to fix it by "getting under the bass" at somewhere under 60Hz, witch careful, selective equalization. You may be able to counteract a problem in the bass instrument by dipping around 80. 90, 100, but this can affect the low end of the vocal or the piano or guitar - be on the lookout for such interactions. Sometimes you can't tell if a problem can be fixed until you try; don't promise your client miracles. Experience is the best teacher.

Just for you, TCM, my new songs will be mastered on a 1/2" MCI tape machine. Not really just for you but also for me.

There used to be "Tape Saturation" option in VST/32.  Can't say I've ever noticed it in newer versions, would achieve the same thing.  I used DaTube plugin from SX which seems to add warmth for my Cairo track

I suppose you could record hot on a reel-to-reel.

I wonder if anyone is doing that..?