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 - almost all these points still apply !)
In this show we cover topics like:
- Seven deal-breaking mistakes that can halt the mastering process in it’s tracks - before it’s even started
- The best file format to use for exporting your mixes
- How to send files - is it safe to “zip" audio ?
- Dynamics for mastering
- What can (and can’t) be fixed in mastering
- Ian’s "Mastering Maxim” for getting the best results when working with a mastering engineer
Links
TMS #26 – Clipping: What is it, and is it ever acceptable ?
TMS #6 – Loudness: What, Why and How
TMS #31 – What IS Loudness ?
TMS #32 - Bob Ludwig (Loudness meters while mixing @ 35 mins)
The importance of loudness matching
Great show, Ian! I'd love a PDF like that!
I know this is maybe a little of topic, but how do you manage payment for mastering? Do you take payment upfront before starting work (maybe after confirming file is provided in good format, good mix etc)? If not, when you send a first draft, how do you protect the file so it can't be used until payment received (and provide final production master)? I mean sending back an MP3 is not gonna cut it right? Or is it just risk management?
for 1 song it's payment at end. I usually just send a paypal.me link in the email conversation.
For many songs it's half at start of project and full payment before wav and DDP are delivered. MP3s up to that point.
I don't often add beeps or static to the unpaid masters but have on a couple projects that seemed risky.
Good episode, but there was one thing I did not get answers to. What should the plr be in the final mix, or is it irrelevant?
Hello.
First, thank you for providing "The Mastering Show": excellent in every way. This very episode could be in your "best of", and the pdf file itself could be a must-see resource.
Now, say I submit a mix to you. I want the Master to reach a healthy loudness of -13 dB LUFS, peaking at -1Db, as Ian recommends for Youtube. Usually, in the mixing situation, this leads to aiming for (around) DR 12. Then PLR should be (around) 12, if I remember Ian's advice correctly.
Can DR 12 and PLR 12 be considered as healthy target for a mix? Or would you recommend a broader target range? Asking this because of two concerns in the mixing stage:
1) DR12 usually implies very drastic dynamic control, at bus and/or track level. Fine.
2) in many musical genres, Dr 12 can only be reached through several stages of compression, including peak limiting and / or clipping, especially on drums... And clipping, ... Well you talked about it in previous episodes.
I hate to overcompress, but I don't want the Mastering Engineer to have to shave too many dB on the final stereo file...
What about you? How many dB do you think a Mastering engineer should accept to shave ? In other words, could you advise a broad range of target loudness at the mixing stage ?
Good reminder about reference tracks. Made me think. I own Perception Plugin. Love it. I use it for comparing before/after compression and such on a single channel in a mix. I've never used it for level matching a reference track with my entire mix. Can it be used for that? If so, is there a specific technique or trick to it?
Thanks for a great show.
Hi Ian and Jon!
In the last episode you touched on using an LUfs meter, but there's still some gray area for me that I think would be helpful to address in a future episode.
Specifically further discussing the different measurements (Short, Medium, Integrated, etc.) meaning, how they are used and so forth.
Also, it might be helpful if when referring to a measurement, defining which we are talking about as well as defining pre-mastering as opposed to mastering targets.
Thanks and cheers!
agreed! There was a section of this episode that was cut that would have helped explain those differences, but interrupted the flow. We will cover this in the next Q&A.
Thanks Jon,
Think I've mostly got it, but there's a lot of confusion and misinformation on this, and it would help to narrow in on some facts.