The Mastering Show

You asked questions. We answered them. Or tried to, at least! Featuring another mind-mangling guest appearance by Ian Stewart - although he’s not the one to blame for any confusion :-) Questions include: * What are LUFS loudness units, and are there any guidelines for using them ? * What is the K-System, and how does it relate to LUFS ? * Should you always use low and high-cut filters while master...

Dynamics. I talk about them ALL the time. “This song has great dynamics”... “make sure you keep plenty of dynamics”... “your music NEEDS balanced dynamics”… but what actually ARE they ? Just like everything else we talk about on this show, dynamics are more complicated than they might seem at first glance. For example, there are at least two different types ! In this show we unpick the topic and t...

How should I prepare for mastering to get the best results ? It’s one of the things we get asked most often, and it often seems like the answers are really straightforward. But then you record a 50-minute podcast answering the question and realise maybe it’s not quite as simple as it seems, once you get into the details... (And even if you’re planning to master your own music, keep listening - alm...

Bob Ludwig is a mastering superstar. This show starts out with the interview I did with him for this year’s Dynamic Range Day, after which Jon and I dig a little deeper into some of the topics we touched on: * Why some of Bob’s clients ignore his advice (!) * The #1 problem with many of the mixes being sent to him lately * How he used to cut really hot masters for vinyl Plus we branch out into a f...

Everybody wants their music to sound loud. But does it need to be loud in order to sound loud ? What does that mean ? Well, it takes us about 30 minutes to really nail the answer to that question in this Dynamic Range Day themed episode, but we get there eventually - and we cover some pretty interesting ground along the way ! For example: * How to make things sound loud without making them (much)...

The first Q&A show got a great reaction, so we decided it was time for another one ! Questions this time: - Re-mastering - opinions about the 2009 Stone Roses re-issues - Do young people find clipping and other distortion more acceptable ? - Should a clipper ever be used after a limiter ? - Should bass sounds always be in mono ? How do you treat them ? - Does speaker or headphone calibration softw...

Some of our favourite albums are live recordings - and some of the most challenging and interesting mastering projects are also recorded live. In this episode we discuss - The most common problems with live sound, and the mastering rules you’re allowed to break to solve them - What is the “ideal” live recording ? - How restoration tools can be useful for mastering live sound - Two of Ian’s favouri...

What is re-mastering ? Why would you want to do it ? And how ? And even - should you ? Topics include: * The ultimate goal of great remastering * Why getting an ideal source isn’t always as simple as it sounds * Restoration tools for mastering, and how to use them * When remastering goes bad - the remastering backlash * One of Ian’s most challenging remastering projects Full show notes http://them...

How do you master audio for games ? Can you master audio for games ? Is it even a thing ? It turns out the answer is Yes, but it’s complicated. In this episode we talk to Jay Fernandes about audio in games, including: * Why audio is critical to the gaming experience * How “mastering” works in games * Challenges and solutions in gaming audio * How to measure the loudness of a game, what to aim for,...

Some people say clipping distortion is inaudible, some say it’s the true secret of really “loud” mastering, some say it’s a powerful creative effect, others that it’s the spawn of the devil. So who is right, and why ? In this show we talk about: * What clipping is, and the difference between the analogue & digital varieties *When and why we use it *Whether you can repair clipping damage *The diffe...

It’s amazing how much control you can have of the stereo image in mastering, even with quite simple tools. In this show we explore: * What is stereo ? The simplest and most sophisticated types * Ian's new favourite mixing plugin for creating stereo from a mono sound * How to measure stereo width and control it * How to influence reverb levels in mastering * What is M/S processing - and why it's pr...

How do you optimise your music for online streaming, when there are so many different services and standards out there ? Specifically: * What’s the best file format to submit ? * What about the specifications ? * Can you compensate for the sound of the encoder ? * How do you know how loud to make your music ? * Should you make separate masters for every service ? * What about Mastered for iTunes ?...

The most common question I’ve been asked since starting the show is - “how do I balance songs against one another ?”. Especially balancing quiet and loud songs, or when they’re from diverse genres. So in this show, we try to answer that - and touch on many other topics, too: * The mastering tip that’s almost too simple to say - but embodies the heart and soul of mastering * Why Ian doesn't master...

Your questions answered. Well, some of them, anyway ! It’s been over 20 episodes, people seem to be liking the show, and have been asking lots of questions - it seemed like a good time to answer some of them. Topics include: Do we really NEED mastering ? - Why you shouldn’t master on the mix bus (if you want to be good !) - Dealing with clients (and why you should make yourself expensive) - The be...

Yes - it’s The Dither Episode ! But hang in there, it’s not as bad as you might think. My guest host this week is Jon Tidey from reaperblog.net, who *hates* talking about dither, so I had to work hard to keep it interesting. And I think I succeeded, mostly! We cover loads of topics, like why the analogy of hi-res digital audio with digital photos is wrong (or at least deeply misleading) and why di...

You’ve already seen who my guest is this week, so why are you still reading this ?!? Click Play now ! Seriously though, a guest whose discography includes U2, Dave Matthews, The Pogues, The Stones, Peter Gabriel, Talking Heads, Morrissey, The Psychedelic Furs, The Las, The Killers and 30 Seconds to Mars plus about 500 others *really* shouldn’t need any further introduction from me ! There are SO m...

In this show Ian talks to the fabulous Sylvia Massy about her fantastic new book, "Recording Unhinged" - and how perhaps mastering could be a little more unhinged sometimes, too. Topics include: - Ian's first ever mastering project (although he didn't know it at the time) - Recording underwater brass - Why gaffer-taping Peter Gabriel to a column wasn't such a bad idea - How to make a REALLY hidden...

In this show we give a conclusive answer to all those heated online debates about what audio gear sounds best. Mics, converters, cables - you name it. And we tell you how to find out for yourself. But why you probably shouldn't bother. And along the way we discuss: - When data-identical files sound different (and why) - What the Three Fingered Mouse Click is, and why you need it - The ultimate aud...

A new study proves that high sample rates really DO sound better. Or does it ? As usual it's a little more complicated than that... in this episode we investigate why, and also discuss how to test this stuff for yourself, plus - when you might choose NOT to mix at Abbey Road, why all CD players don't sound the same, and why Ian hates the sound of swirling ultrasonic birdies. And, what that actuall...

How to get great results mastering audio for podcasts - AND record and mix them. Plus - how to build a studio from hay bales (and why you'd want to), what really IS a "home" studio in the 21st century, and the mic Ian uses to record this show. Links The Mastering Show - Acoustic treatment http://themasteringshow.com/episode-8/ The Mastering Show - Loudness http://themasteringshow.com/episode-6/ St...

In this episode I describe a simple, straightforward strategy to make your masters sound more like those of your favourite artists – whether you’re a beginner or a pro. I explain how to decide how loud you want to master your music, and how to make sure you achieve that without becoming a victim of the loudness war - and, using this method you’ll be able to asses objectively what you want your mus...

In this show we talk about distortion. Good distortion, bad distortion - and how to tell the difference. Find out what Ian REALLY thinks about distortion, how you can use it effectively in mastering - and when you should. What is soft clipping - and how do you use it ? Plus Ian explains why ALL audio processing is distortion, strictly speaking - and the benefits (and costs) of using it. Links: Fab...

How to master for vinyl, including key problems to watch out for, plus: why Ian loves everything about vinyl (except for one thing); is vinyl better than CD; why most vinyl in the 80s was actually digital, not analogue (!); why hiss is your friend; what "HD vinyl” is, and why it might help fix that one thing Ian doesn’t like Links Why custom mastering for vinyl isn’t necessary http://productionadv...

Why you might NOT want to master your music - or get it mastered; what I think of LANDR and other online "mastering" services; when mastering ISN'T mastering; plus the problem with re-mastering; a brief tangent on Dave Grohl; can you master on the mix buss? And why deciding not to master is STILL mastering. Links LANDR: Automated online mastering – but is it any good ? My test http://productionadv...

Full-length interview with Matt Colton from Alchemy Mastering, who mastered James Blake’s Dynamic Range Day Award-winning “The Colour of Anything”. Topics include the processing chain Matt used (and why it possibly doesn’t matter as much as you think it might); the limiter he used (which you may already have) and his favourite default settings for it; the unique story of how he became a mastering...