The Mastering Show

The Mastering Show Podcast

with Ian Shepherd and Jon Tidey

The Mastering Show #86 - Mastering Plugins - technical versus creative

November 16th, 2022 BY Jon TideyNo Comments

As mastering plugins become more sophisticated and more technical, there’s an interesting trend towards making the interfaces… less so. 

As well as traditional technical terms and numbered scales, controls labelled with less technical terms like “warmth”, “bite” and “colour” are becoming more common. And some interfaces are just… bizarre ! 

Is that good ? Or not ? In this episode Jon and I like at some more unconventional plugin user interface designs, and discuss:

  • Why technical interfaces can be a problem
  • When a more creative approach can be a good thing...
  • …and when it’s not
  • Some of our favourite ‘unconventional' plugin designs
  • But are they better than just closing our eyes ?!
  • Should plugins emulate the design of the hardware
  • And does it make them sound better ?!?

Links

AudioIssues EQ

Steamdriver

Fabfilter Pro-Q 3

Sausage Fattener

The Oven

Mishby

Magic Dice

Plugindoctor

Spectre

Shadow Hills Mastering Compressor

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