We’ve been using “soft clipping" in mastering for over 20 years at this point, but it suddenly feels as if it’s all anyone is talking about ! New plugins, new suggestions about how to use it, and wild new claims about how amazing it sounds.
Except it doesn’t.
At least – not all the time, and not for all material.
In this episode Joe Caithness and I dig deep into the details and talk about:
Must-watch: You don’t understand saturation
TMS #79 - Dan Worrall on non-linear processing
TMS #64 - Aliasing - is it digital audio’s Achilles Heel ?
DDMF Plugin Doctor
TC Electronics Brickwall HD
Newfangled Saturate
Schwabe Gold Clip
Leapwing LimitOne
SIR Standard Clip
Kazrog KClip
MeterPlugs Perception AB
The Billboard Top 50 global singles from the first half of 2024 have an average loudness of -8.3 LUFS
So that’s how loud we should be making our masters, right ?
Well…
It certainly might seem that way, but in reality it’s a bit more complicated than that. This is only one of the interesting results that Ian Stewart presented in his latest blog post for iZoTope, and in this episode I asked him back on to really dig into some of the details and nuance.
Plus I also wanted to talk to him about the amazing plug-in that got invented during the last episode he was on ! (Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it 
)
During the show we talk about:
Mastering trends in 2024: What you should be doing (Or not… ?!)
TMS #25 - Stereo: width, depth and image - how to measure, monitor and master them
TMS #76 - Is stereo bass a problem on vinyl ?
Ian Stewart - Flotown Mastering
People are always asking me about mastering for vinyl, and I’m happy to try and help based on the experience I have. I don’t actually cut vinyl myself though, so that advice is always limited and second-hand.
So for this episode I decided to talk to a genuine expert on the topic - Scott Hull from Masterdisk - and really get into the details. Scott’s knowledge and experience of cutting vinyl is enormous, as you’ll hear, and I took full advantage of that in this episode ! Some of the things we talked about include:
Links
Making Vinyl @ Masterdisk: Podcast and YouTube
TMS #76 - Is stereo bass a problem on vinyl ?
What Artists Get Wrong With Their Vinyl Releases: A Conversation with Scott Hull
I’m always arguing for balanced dynamics rather than loudness for it’s own sake, but some people have a different opinion - high loudness is important, and even beneficial.
Nick Di Lorenzo is one of them - he says that loudness is important regularly on his YouTube channel. So in this episode I invited him on to explore that idea in more detail, and really get into the nuances of the topic. Do you need to be mastering loud ? Topics include:
Our previous mastering discussion on Nick’s channel
TMS #31 - What IS loudness ?
Higher LUFS - do they REALLY always sound louder ? (Includes the examples Nick mentions)
It's not how loud you make it, it's how you make it loud
So: How loud ? The simple solution to optimizing playback volume online - and everywhere else
You can't go a day without someone telling you how loud your music should be, these days.
"Everything has to be -8 LUFS"
"EDM has to be -6 LUFS or louder"
"-11 is the perfect balance"
"Just master everything to -14"
...but they can't all be right !
In fact, none of them are, and even more importantly, they may not even be talking about the same thing. And the differences are really important. So in this episode I try explain really clearly and concisely:
TMS #67 - Minus 14 LUFS, or not ?
TMS #52 – DON’T aim for LUFS targets online
TMS #44 - Loudness Units 101
The Loudness Penalty website
It’s virtually impossible that you haven’t heard music of some kind mixed by Alan Meyerson by this point - he’s one of the most prolific and successful film score mixers in the business.
And luckily for us, he’s also super-generous and open about the information he shares, including his perspectives on mixing and ‘mastering’ music for the movies. So in this episode we dig deep into all the details, including topics like:
Film score mixing with Alan Meyerson
Mixing with synths in Pirates of the Caribbean
Alan’s videos on Mix With The Masters
TMS #81 - Dolby Atmos Mastering
Everyone is talking about inter-sample peaks and True Peak limiters - or in fact it’s more accurate to say they’re arguing about whether ISPs are audible or not, and whether True Peak limiters sound bad !
In this episode I’m joined by Alexey Lukin, iZotope’s “godfather of RX”, to talk in detail about exactly what ISPs are and why they’re so confusing - including:
SRC Comparisons https://src.infinitewave.ca/
Ian’s videos about ISPs & True Peak limiting:
Inter-sample peaks (ISPs) - are they REALLY inaudible ?
True Peak Limiters - do they REALLY sound worse?
TMS #64 - Aliasing - is it digital audio’s Achilles Heel ?
True Peak limiting filters https://www.izotope.com/tech/aes_loudness
If you’re not already listening to Matt Boudreau’s fantastic podcast Working Class Audio, you need to start now !
Matt is a highly respected mixing and mastering engineer who has recently moved into working in Dolby Atmos, where he’s already picked up some seriously impressive credits - oh, and also produces one of the top Audio podcasts around.
Which is why if I try to think of anyone better to learn the fundamentals of good audio for podcasting and journalism from… well, I can’t. And the great news is that Matt has put together a new “PodClass” course to help people with just that.
In this episode we talk about the course and what inspired it, but also plenty of other great stuff, including
Enjoy - and if you want to try Matt’s course, make sure to use the discount code TMS to get a 30% discount and help support The Mastering Show at the same time !
The Working Class Audio Podcast
TMS #82 - Dynamics in Dolby Atmos
Justin Grey’s epic Atmos mastering YouTube video
Matt’s new PodClass course Sonic Fundamentals for Podcasters and Journalists (Use coupon code TMS to save !)
When - The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink (Spoiler - it doesn’t matter whether you’re a lark or an owl, but it is helpful to know which one you are...)
DJs get a lot of flak, especially about loudness. There’s a deep-seated belief that “loud” masters are still a requirement for club music, and that DJs are somehow to blame.
But is this fair ? The reality is much more complicated and interesting than the popular cliche that DJs will only play loud masters, and in this episode Ian dives deep into the issue with Joe Caithness, who works as both a DJ and a mastering engineer. Topics include:
And much more !
Joe’s site www.joecaithnessmastering.com (@joecaithnessmastering)
His label https://yesmatewotusayin.bandcamp.com/
Dan Worrall’s video DJs Want Loud Masters (Cos DJs Are Idiots)
Pioneer Rekordbox DJ Software
kyo "How Can I Live” (Joe’s dynamic and successful example)
It’s amazing what mastering can achieve - but it’s also amazing how many things can influence the results we get right from the recording stage.
In this episode Ian talks to Mike Senior about how to fix mastering problems at the recording stage, without using a time machine ! Topics include how to avoid:
And many more !
Mike has put together a fantastic page of resources for this episode, including an excellent video about stereo mic technique - click here make sure you check it out !
