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 many great anecdotes and useful nuggets of wisdom in this episode I can’t even begin to list them, but just in case you need any more persuading, here are a few sample topics we discuss:
Now stop reading this and listen ! (more…)
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:
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:
And plenty more ! (more…)
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 actually means! (more…)
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. (more…)
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 music to sound like, and figure out how to get there. (more…)
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. (more…)
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 (more…)
Why you might NOT want to master your music - or get it mastered; 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.
LANDR: Automated online mastering – but is it any good ? My test
How the Loudness War is crushing Dave Grohl’s analogue ambitions
This week's episode features a full-length interview with Matt Colton from Alchemy Mastering, who mastered James Blake’s Dynamic Range Day Award-winning “The Colour In 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 engineer - and why vinyl really DOES sometimes sound better than CD (more…)
