TC electronic SDN BHD Master X3 manual Master Your MIX with Master

MASTER YOUR MIX WITH MASTER X3

Master your miX with Master X3!

...or six easy steps to ultimate happiness! The following chapter introduces the various modules and features of Master X3 in a “hands-on” tutorial.

Let’s imagine we’re working with some rock music. It’s the final mix from that very expensive recording studio down the road, but for some reason there is 5.0 dB of headroom left, wasting precious volume reserves. No compression was applied to the stereo mix. (Actually, we are happy about this because it leaves all options open).

1. Setup

Before we start, let’s set up Master X3 as follows:

LOOK AHEAD DELAY:	3 ms
DIGITAL CEILING:	0 dB
3 BAND LEVELS:	0 dB
OUTPUT:	0 dB
EXPANDER:	OFF
COMPRESSOR:	OFF
LIMITER:	OFF
TARGET CURVE: LINEAR

2. Input Level Adjustment

Set the input level for both channels to +5.0 dB. In our example, this will bring the input level up to an optimal value of 0 dB. Adjust this value until no clipping is indicated (i.e., until there are no Consecutive Clips in the input). For this example, set it to +4.9 dB.

Remember: as long as you don’t alter any settings in the signal chain before Master X3, you won’t get any changes in the input level, so there is no risk of clipping once you’ve set the level correctly!

3. Turn on the Compressor block

The FREQUENCY/LEVELS display in the upper-half of the Plug-In window, the three displays beneath them, and the Compressor’s parameter faders come to life! The music has probably come up in volume already, and the sound has changed a little too – and perhaps some “pumping” is evident. So, let’s set the Compressor properly to get rid of the pumping, beef up the overall sound, and, yes – we want it louder!

MASTER YOUR MIX WITH MASTER X3

Let’s set the Attack and Release Times to remove the “pumping” from the sound. We start with small values for both parameters. If the attack time is too short, we may remove some “kick” from the material. That’s certainly not what we want, so if it happens, try a greater value. Heavy peaks can be smoothed using the limiter section.

If the release-time is too fast, it will result in a terrible “pumping”, because the compressor returns to the uncompressed signal immediately whenever the signal falls below the compressor’s threshold setting. Increase the value of the release time until you are satisfied with the result. In our example, we have chosen an Attack time of 1ms and a Release time of 0.2 s. If you don’t get the desired result, try some different crossover frequencies. Keep in mind that you have three independent bands – why should a bass drum signal affect the mid and high bands when its peak is in the low end? (We chose 125 Hz and 2.5 kHz as the settings for our example.)

Sometimes it’s easier to adjust the Attack and Release times and the Crossover frequencies by using extreme values for Threshold and Ratio during setup. This will make the effect of

your settings much easier to hear. Additionally, the band SOLO-Function helps to focus on a single band.

Now we will adjust the compressor’s threshold and ratio. Set these parameters to the desired values. In most cases, you would use a low threshold in combination with a small ratio and vice-versa. Let’s choose a low threshold of -20 dB and a small compression ratio of 2.5:1 to be satisfied.

Satisfied? Why be satisfied? We have now set the compressor – but with identical settings for all three bands! With identical settings, we are not taking full advantage of the multiband capabilities. This is where the famed Target Curves and the Target Factor come in.

The Target Curves create different settings for each of the three bands. The displayed values in each fader section are always the mid-band settings. If the Target Curve is set to “Linear” (or if the Target Factor is set to “Off ”), the values will be identical for all three bands. If you select the “Hyped” curve, for example, the high band will be compressed more than the others.

The Target Factor defines how much the target curve characteristics will influence the hi or low band. To set the Target Curve and Factor properly, we recommend that you compare the processed signal with the uncompressed, because you can use it to change the overall sound impression. Does your mix lack treble? Use the “Hyped” curve and adjust the target factor to your liking. Too bright? Select “Pink” and adjust the target factor. Not enough treble and bass?

Go for “Smiley” and you’ll be smiling too!

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