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 !
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:
You’ve probably heard of Eric Sarafin, aka Mixerman, but have you heard what he has to say about mastering ?
As always it’s entertaining, potentially controversial but also thought-provoking, so it seemed like a good idea to get him on the show and ask him to explain himself ! We talk about:
Zen and the Art Of Mixing - Audiobook
This is huge - Apple have finally started using LUFS for their loudness normalisation, which means all the major streaming services now use the same method to measure loudness !
And perhaps more importantly, they’ve enable Sound Check by default on new devices. As always there are plenty of devilish details to be aware of though, so in this episode we talk in depth about this change, including:
MeterPlugs Blog - Apple Switches to LUFS, Enables Sound Check by Default
TMS #47 - Loudness Normalization - are TIDAL doing it best ?
Streaming Loudness in 2022 is 95 Percent Normalized
TMS #78 - Streaming Loudness - AES TD1008 Recommendations - not for you !
TMS #67 - Minus 14 LUFS - or NOT ?
In this episode we tackle one of the biggest challenges in modern mastering - the demand for super-loud masters in the dance & EDM genres.
Our guest is Luca Pretolesi, and we talk to him in-depth about his approach to mastering for clubs & DJs. Luca’s masters are loud and we're always emphasising the value of balanced dynamics in mastering on this show, so you might think it would be an uncomfortable conversation... or you might be surprised.
Some of the topics we cover include:
Luca Pretolesi - Studio DMI
TMS #31 - What IS loudness ?
TMS #75 - Stem Mastering - or is it ?
TMS #70 - Loudness versus Art
Dan Worrall’s take: DJs Want Loud Masters (Cos DJs Are Idiots)
Dolby Atmos has moved the goalposts for loudness, all the way down to -18 LUFS.
This was one of the main topics of conversation for this year’s Dynamic Range Day, with the Atmos versions of 5 albums being nominated for the award - and in fact, the overall winner was an Atmos mix & master.
In this episode I talk to Nick Rives from Capitol Studios, who mixed the winning album, and we discuss:
Nick Rives
Dynamic Range Day 2022
TMS #81 - Dolby Atmos Mastering
Interview with Justin Gray about dynamics in Dolby Atmos
Apple’s announcement of Dolby Atmos support has caused an explosion of interest in the format - after all, it means almost any iOS user can stream immersive audio, even if they only have a pair of earbuds to listen on. But how does that even work? And for that matter, what is Dolby Atmos, and why should we care? And what about mastering for Atmos? Is it possible, or even necessary?
In this episode we talk to Mike Hillier from Metropolis, and producer and mixer Emre Ramazanoglu about all things Atmos, including:
Dolby Atmos: Binaural rendering - Surround-sound on headphones ?
Dolby Atmos Dynamics - stereo versus binaural comparison video
Dolby Atmos workflow tutorials
Dolby Atmos Post Production Learning (Includes setup guides for a variety of DAWs)
Time for another Q&A show! Thanks for all your comments, reviews and questions, please keep them coming.
In this episode we tackle:
New tools we like: SplitEQ, Entropy EQ, iZotope RX, Leapwing StageOne, Nova EQ
TMS #60 - The loudness technique you need to start using TODAY (Loudness automation)
Julian Krause’s YouTube Channel (Converter comparisons)
Building a Home Mastering Studio - The end result
The Home Mastering Masterclass course
This post contains affiliate links to help support the podcast.
What is non-linear processing, and why does it matter?
In this episode we dive deep into the topic with our guest Dan Worrall, and talk about: what non-linear processing is, why it can sound great and when it can sound terrible, and how to know the difference. Along the way, we also discuss
Dan’s video: WTF is a non-linearity?
And I Won The Loudness War
TMS #14 Distortion (The good, the bad and the ugly)
TMS #9 Analogue Versus Digital (More about intermodulation distortion & high sample rates)
The Audio Engineering Society has just released new recommendations for the loudness levels streaming services should distribute their audio at - but they’re not for you and me.
Having said that, understanding how they work is a powerful tool for predicting what will happen to your music when it's streamed. In this episode we talk about:
AES TD1008 - Recommendations for Loudness of Internet Audio Streaming and On-Demand Distribution
Streaming Loudness – the AES TD1008 Recommendations, and why you should care
TMS #27 - Mastering audio for games
TMS #41 - The problem with loudness normalization – and TIDAL’s solution
TMS #77 – Spotify disable their limiter (and other loudness news)
Loudness Penalty
