The Mastering Show #106 - Are dynamics dead ?!

The Mastering Show #106 - Are dynamics dead ?!

I see it every day: “The Loudness Wars are over - loud won. Get over it”

And it’s easy to see why. The average mainstream release hits -8 LUFS integrated or more; club releases regularly hit -6 or even -4 LUFS and are peaking well above zero; every other post you see on social media is about a new limiter or clipping strategy…

As the creator of Dynamic Range Day and Loudness Penalty, I should probably just give up and get my hat, right ?

Maybe….

But maybe not.

In this episode I dig into the evidence in 2026, and try to decide whether dynamics really are dead or not, looking at:

  • The LUFS of the biggest recent releases
  • Why no-one hears it
  • Are mixes built too loud to be dynamic ?
  • Why music fans don’t care (which could be good news) - and who does
  • What do we do about it ?
  • Reasons to be optimistic about dynamics in 2026

Links and more episodes here:

www.themasteringshow.com/episode-106

Mentioned in this episode:

Mastering

Click HERE to work with Ian

Leapwing

Find out more about Leapwing's plugins

Learn to master !

Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

Jaksot(107)

The Mastering Show # 75 - Stem Mastering - or is it?

The Mastering Show # 75 - Stem Mastering - or is it?

It’s either the most powerful mastering technique known to man, or it isn’t really mastering at all, depending who you ask. Some people love it, others hate it, and some are mortally offended just by ...

16 Helmi 202136min

The Mastering Show #74 - Spotify begins the move to LUFS Normalization. So What?

The Mastering Show #74 - Spotify begins the move to LUFS Normalization. So What?

It’s happening. Spotify are switching to using LUFS for their loudness normalization. If you’re thinking ‘I thought they already used it', that’s understandable - but they didn’t. They will in future...

7 Tammi 202137min

The Mastering Show #73 - Are you having a LUF ?

The Mastering Show #73 - Are you having a LUF ?

Let’s face it, LUFS don’t work. No-one understands them, when you set a load of different songs to -14 LUFS they all sound a different loudness, and they weren’t even developed using music. RMS is j...

7 Marras 202042min

The Mastering Show #72 - Off-topic but SO good !

The Mastering Show #72 - Off-topic but SO good !

This is so good it just needed it’s own episode. It’s a groundbreaking, unique new way to make music online - and everyone should try it out ! It’s not just bleeps and beats, either - there are plent...

17 Kesä 202042min

The Mastering Show #71 - Remote audio - mixing, mastering and more

The Mastering Show #71 - Remote audio - mixing, mastering and more

Real-time remote audio work IS possible - with surprising quality and flexibility ! In this show I’ll describe techniques and strategies to help you mix, master, teach and even record remotely - and e...

8 Huhti 202031min

The Mastering Show #70 - Mastering Billie Eilish - Loudness versus Art

The Mastering Show #70 - Mastering Billie Eilish - Loudness versus Art

Our guest this episode is LA mastering engineer John Greenham who just won a Grammy for his work on Billie Eilish’s album. We talk to him about how he came to work with Billie, and dig into his work ...

29 Helmi 202054min

The Mastering Show #69 - Good versus GREAT mastering

The Mastering Show #69 - Good versus GREAT mastering

We talk on this show about making a master sound great all the time - but what does that mean ? How can you tell the difference between a good or a great master, or whether you’re doing great work you...

28 Tammi 202035min

The Mastering Show #68 - Restoring Dynamics

The Mastering Show #68 - Restoring Dynamics

I often get asked if it’s possible to restore dynamics to a heavily limited, clipped or compressed source, to achieve a more dynamic master. The answer is… it’s complicated ! So in this episode we do ...

20 Joulu 201943min

Suosittua kategoriassa Koulutus

rss-murhan-anatomia
voi-hyvin-meditaatiot-2
psykopodiaa-podcast
rss-narsisti
adhd-podi
aamukahvilla
rss-rahamania
rss-liian-kuuma-peruna
rss-koira-haudattuna
rahapuhetta
rss-vapaudu-voimaasi
rss-eron-alkemiaa
psykologia
rss-the-leafy-lounge
rss-niinku-asia-on
rss-uskonto-on-tylsaa
rss-duodecim-lehti
rss-valo-minussa-2
rss-turun-yliopisto
rss-tietoinen-yhteys-podcast-2