The Mastering Show #41 - The problem with loudness normalization - and TIDAL’s solution

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: * Why he thinks if you don’t make money from your music, you shouldn’t pay for mastering * Whether an online mastering service is actually a better option for a musician starting out (gasp) * Eric's favourite limiter, how he uses it and why * How loud he makes his mixes * Recent potentially game-changing developments... * And why they might make mastering engineers obsolete !Full show notes on our websitehttps://themasteringshow.com/episode-85Mentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins

7 Heinä 202256min

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 detail about this change, including: * Why it’s so important * How much music online is REALLY normalised anyway ? * Why the answer is surprising to many musicians and engineers * Why Apple finally made this change * A few quirks and gotchas * Why it’s good news * And what to do about it (and what NOT to do!) Full show notes on our website https://themasteringshow.com/episode-84Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

8 Kesä 202244min

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: * Why do DJs demand loud masters for club playback ? * Luca’s strategy to deliver this without sacrificing dynamics for streaming * Hint - it’s NOT all about limiting and compression * How loud Luca's masters are (which may not be quite as loud as you think) * The club genres that DON’T demand extreme loudness * Where things might go in future Full show notes on our website https://themasteringshow.com/episode-83Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

10 Touko 202258min

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's approach to mixing immersive audio * How he got started with Dolby Atmos * Using spatial effects to enhance the musical impact * How the -18 LUFS guideline works in practise * The benefits and challenges of Atmos dynamics Full show notes on our website https://themasteringshow.com/episode-82Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

4 Huhti 202235min

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:* Why Atmos is different* Why mastering in Atmos is different* How it works in practise* Why the binaural render is so important - and what is binaural ?* Why binaural Atmos sounds different on Apple devices* How does head-tracking affect all this ?* Getting started working in AtmosFull show notes on our websitehttp://themasteringshow.com/episode-81Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

1 Maalis 20221h 19min

Time for another Q&A show! Thanks for all your comments, reviews and questions, please keep them coming. In this episode we tackle: * Are tools like SplitEQ fundamentally changing mastering? * Level automation - before or after the limiter? * Should you make separate masters for broadcast? * Can (and should) we correct absolute phase in mastering? * Do you need a dedicated headphone amp? * What have we changed our minds about in mastering, over the years? See full show notes and links on our website https://themasteringshow.com/episode-80Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

18 Joulu 202136min

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  * Is reverb non-linear ? And why it’s confusing * How linear processing makes top-down mixing a good idea * The difference between saturation and distortion * …and how to use them creatively * The difference between a perfect 5th and a power chord * ...and how to play chords on a trombone Full show notes on our website http://themasteringshow.com/episode-79Mentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins

20 Marras 202148min

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: * Who the TD1008 guidelines are for * Why they’re needed * How they can make normalization more effective (and more musical) * Why the numbers are slightly different for speech and music * What the numbers are, and why * Why you should care Full show notes on our website http://themasteringshow.com/episode-78Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

11 Loka 202143min