[Bob Katz]

Here’s one:

We want the master louder!

And borrowing from the great Roey Shamir in a post on FB:

M. E.: I received your files – they’re mono. CLIENT: but both speakers are playing.

 

and from Joe Bressler on FB:

“All mixes have fades and are ready to master”

[Joe Bressler]

I remember having a debate with someone in a studio about stereo vs mono. They wanted everything in both speakers to make it stereo. The debate was going nowhere, so I asked someone else in the studio and he agreed–everything needs to be in both speakers to make it stereo.

[Bob Katz]

Oy vey. Maybe that can be turned into another mastering bingo item.

[Bob Katz]

“In the original mix, I want you to soften the attack of the snare. And also help the presence of the vocal.”

[to be honest, there is a “fix” for this that can sometimes help — use a fairly short attack narrow band compressor somewhere in the 800 Hz to 3 kHz range for the snare control. Then, MAYBE you can turn up the presence (in mid-side mode) on the mid channel to help the vocal. But it’s a workaround. You’re likely to hurt some other instrument. Fixing this in the mix is the best way to go. You can get really fancy and use a narrow band sidechain tuned to the vocal fundamental to control the sidechain of a narrow band upward expander tuned to the presence frequencies probably somewhere between 2 and 6 kHz]