{"id":15178,"date":"2022-06-02T13:12:14","date_gmt":"2022-06-02T11:12:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/storung.com\/catalog\/uncategorized\/esmasterenmaster\/"},"modified":"2022-06-12T22:58:46","modified_gmt":"2022-06-12T20:58:46","slug":"master","status":"publish","type":"product","link":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/catalog\/proaudio\/dangerous-music\/master\/","title":{"rendered":"Master"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Deep Legacy of Dangerous Mastering Equipment<\/strong>
\nBefore co-founding Dangerous Music, our lead electrical designer, Chris Muth, became an industry legend for his custom mastering consoles built for the most elite studios. Decades later, these consoles are still coveted for their incredible headroom, their robust, musical sound, and the crystal clear sonics demanded by top-tier pros. Costing tens-of-thousands of dollars, those legendary consoles have been used to master thousands of hit records. Dangerous Music offered Muth\u2019s designs to the public at affordable prices for the first time, and the MASTER quickly became a staple in mastering rooms everywhere. Through meticulous research, development and design we were able to offer the MASTER in just two rack spaces while sacrificing absolutely nothing in the sound or build quality. Since its introduction, the MASTER has continued the Muth legacy \u2013 as well as the endless stream of hits to pass through his circuits.<\/p>\n

Tying It All Together<\/strong>
\nThe role of a mastering console is to tie together all of your equipment into an elegant and rock solid system that delivers crystal clear accuracy and robust musicality. With sonics you can rely on all day, every day, for decades, the MASTER\u2019s signal routing offers up sophisticated control over gain staging, front-panel switching of three analog inserts, Mid\/Side processing, input\/output monitor level matching, and multiple outputs to reach all the destinations in your mastering suite.<\/p>\n

Individual L-R Input Level Controls\u00a0\u2013 Use these controls to perfectly set the stereo image, delicately compensating for any embedded imbalances in the mix. These controls use stepped attenuators that offer 0.5 dB steps with .01dB of gain-tracking accuracy between channels for perfect stereo imaging at all volumes. The deep craftsmanship of working in analog is gain-staging, and the MASTER\u2019s separate input controls allow you to hit your outboard gear\u2019s sweet spot and compensate at the main stereo output stage feeding your recording A\/D converter, tape machine, or other capture device for optimal sound from your rig.<\/p>\n

Input Monitor Offset\u00a0\u2013 This critical feature allows you to match levels between your processed signal (output) and unprocessed signal (input) so that you can make comparative judgements without misleading volume changes. Once input and output levels are matched, simply use the In\/Out switch to objectively compare your mastering work to the original. Additionally, you can more accurately use a peak-over-average meter array (such as the one \u00a0found in the Dangerous Music CONVERT-2 mastering D\/A converter) to visually confirm your master\u2019s loudness density.\u00a0These are all important strategies used by top professionals to delicately manage the creation of a thoroughly professional production master.<\/p>\n

Three Front-Panel Switchable Inserts\u00a0\u2013 These stereo inserts tie all of your EQs, compressors, limiters and de-essers together into an elegant, rock-solid mastering rig. The MASTER\u2019s front-panel switches give you functionality previously only available on very expensive, custom-built mastering consoles. And on Insert 2, you get Chris Muth\u2019s ground breaking Mid\/Side processing.<\/p>\n

On-Board Mid\/Side Processing\u00a0\u2013 Residing on Insert 2, the Mid\/Side processor inside the MASTER is an audiophile-grade sum-and-difference matrix. By \u201cencoding\u201d and then \u201cdecoding\u201d the stereo signal, this matrix allows you to obtain separate control over the center and the sides of the stereo mix. A tool employed by deeply experienced mastering engineers to address specific issues in a mix without compromising other aspects of the stereo image, Mid\/Side processing is the most powerful mastering tool available. For example, manage a harsh vocal or a strident snare in the middle of a mix while not affecting the instruments panned to the sides. Or perhaps one needs to tame some widely-panned cymbals while maintaining vocal air and articulation at the center of the mix. Further, on some occasions, mastering engineers might be processing the middle and the sides with completely different processors.<\/p>\n

Width Control\u00a0\u2013 This allows you to use the MASTER\u2019s Mid\/Side matrix to control the level of the \u201csides\u201d of the mix, which changes the perceived stereo width. This is incredibly helpful when deploying any Mid\/Side processing, but even when you\u2019re not engaging outboard gear, the width control allows you to \u201cfocus\u201d the stereo image perfectly. Ever come across a song that\u2019s not sitting well among the others on the record? How about mastering a compilation where the width varies greatly? Whether you\u2019re tightening or widening the stereo field, the width control is often exactly the right tool for pulling all the songs together into a coherent record.<\/p>\n

Three Outputs & Two Inputs\u00a0\u2013 A dedicated monitor output accompanies two stereo output paths that can be routed to A\/D converters, tape machines, patch bays, or wherever the signal needs to go to get the job done. Many MASTER owners use the dual outputs to make direct A\/B comparisons between different A\/D units, listening for the vibe that best suits that particular record. \u00a0The two inputs, selectable on the front panel, make it easy to have a D\/A normaled to the first input and the second input wired to a patchbay or tape machine.<\/p>\n

Hooking Up With the LIAISON<\/strong>
\nIf the three insert points aren\u2019t enough to handle a more elaborate mastering rig, you can use the MASTER in conjunction with the powerful Dangerous Music LIAISON to patch in even more analog equipment at the touch of a button. For example, by inserting the LIAISON\u2019s two stereo busses onto two of the MASTER\u2019s insert loops, you\u2019ve expanded from three to seven stereo inserts while simultaneously introducing analog-domain parallel processing, button-enabled signal rerouting, and instant patch recalls. You\u2019ll get the speed and ease of digital-style recall from your analog gear.<\/p>\n

Investing in the Analog Sound & Workflow<\/strong>
\nWhile some engineers are willing to run their mastering processes digitally \u2013 or \u201cin the box\u201d as the familiar phrase goes \u2013 the top professionals all rely on analog mastering equipment to achieve truly successful final production masters. When you purchase top-shelf analog equipment like the MASTER, you\u2019re making an investment that will last your entire career. Because there\u2019s no operating system, plugins, DAW or computer to become incompatible and, thus, obsolete, your analog gear will never require expensive upgrades. As one of the centerpieces in your mastering studio, the MASTER pulls all of your analog investment pieces together into an elegant \u201cmastering rig\u201d with a workflow and sound quality previously only known to those able to pay tens-of-thousands of dollars for custom mastering consoles.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Analog Backbone For Discerning Mastering Engineers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":10082,"template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[186,201],"product_tag":[],"class_list":["post-15178","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-proaudio","product_cat-dangerous-music","first","instock","taxable","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple","pofo-product-4col"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product\/15178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/product"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/10082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"product_brand","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_brand?post=15178"},{"taxonomy":"product_cat","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_cat?post=15178"},{"taxonomy":"product_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/storung.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product_tag?post=15178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}