The Mastering Show

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 Links Why custom mastering for vinyl isn’t necessary http://productionadvice.co.uk/vinyl-mastering/ It’s a kind of magic – Or: It’s not about the f****** format ! http://productionadvice.co.uk/its-not-the-format/ Why you can’t measure vinyl with the TT Meter http://productionadvice.co.uk/tt-meter-not-for-vinyl/ The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to Sound Engineering http://productionadvice.co.uk/hitchhikers-guide-to-sound-engineering/ Star Wars: The original radio drama https://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Original-Radio-Drama/dp/1565110056 Patents filed for HD Vinyl http://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2016/03/15/high-definition-vinyl-will-soon-become-a-reality/Mentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins

10 Juni 201644min

Why you might NOT want to master your music - or get it mastered; what I think of LANDR and other online "mastering" services; 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. Links LANDR: Automated online mastering – but is it any good ? My test http://productionadvice.co.uk/landr/ How the Loudness War is crushing Dave Grohl’s analogue ambitions http://productionadvice.co.uk/how-the-loudness-war-is-crushing-dave-grohls-analogue-ambitions/ The heart and soul of mastering http://productionadvice.co.uk/heart-and-soul/Mentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins

3 Juni 201640min

Full-length interview with Matt Colton from Alchemy Mastering, who mastered James Blake’s Dynamic Range Day Award-winning “The Colour of 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 Links: Matt Colton https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matt_Colton Alchemy Mastering http://www.alchemymastering.com The Dynamic Range Day Award http://dynamicrangeday.com/award/ James Blake and the dynamics of The Colour In Anything http://productionadvice.co.uk/james-blake-dynamics/ Pop goes the loudness war http://productionadvice.co.uk/pop-dynamics/ Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

27 Maj 20161h 10min

Why “Dynamic Range Day” is a really bad name. And come to think of it, why “dynamic range” probably isn’t what you think it is. And neither are “dynamics”! And why the Loudness War hasn’t changed them. At least, not one kind – or not in the way that you think. Because physics. It’s complicated! Plus special bonus topics: Autotune and Taylor Swift (!) Links: Dynamic Range Day http://dynamicrangeday.co.uk/ How to use the TT ‘Dynamic Range’ Meter – and where to get it http://productionadvice.co.uk/how-to-avoid-over-compressing-your-mix/ The ‘Dynamic Range’ Database http://dr.loudness-war.info/ Dynameter http://www.meterplugs.com/dynameter?a_aid=edmmr&a_bid=3bb60bda Did they REALLY just auto-tune Aretha ? SERIOUSLY ? http://productionadvice.co.uk/aretha-autotune/ So Taylor Swift is louder than Motorhead, AC/DC and The Sex Pistols… – wait, WHAT? http://productionadvice.co.uk/taylor-swift-loudness/ Mentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins

12 Maj 201644min

Can digital really sound as good as analogue ? Should you use analogue or digital gear when mastering ? Could higher sample rates be hurting your music ? What’s wrong with the phrase “in the box” ? Why is a digital photograph NOT a good analogy for a digital audio file ? Why does Ian think recorded sound is miraculous, and what does that have to do with the answers to all the previous questions ? Links: There are no “stair steps” in digital audio http://productionadvice.co.uk/no-stair-steps-in-digital-audio/ How to test for intermodulation distortion http://productionadvice.co.uk/high-sample-rates-make-your-music-sound-worse/ When to use dither http://productionadvice.co.uk/when-to-dither/ Monty’s superb analogue versus digital demo video https://youtu.be/cIQ9IXSUzuM Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

5 Maj 201653min

Some people may think this week’s topic is dull - but DON’T skip it ! If you follow Ian’s advice in this show it will have the single biggest impact on the quality of the results you can achieve in every area of audio work, not just mastering. It’s affordable, it’s simple and you need to do it. Listen now, then follow the links below ! Links How this method transformed Ian’s home studio http://productionadvice.co.uk/building-a-home-mastering-studio-part-3/ Where Ian got the stuff he used http://gikacoustics.co.uk/ A free tool to help you find out if you need to use it too http://realtraps.com/modecalc.htm A way to run that tool on a Mac, if you want to https://www.codeweavers.com/products/crossover-mac The DIY alternative http://www.gikacoustics.com/product-category/diy-acoustic-panel-bass-traps-supplies/ Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

28 Apr 201656min

At it’s heart, mastering is simple - but there are plenty of more sophisticated techniques available, too. In this show we talk about some of these - and why you might not want to use them. Topics include: - Stereo width & M/S (mid-side) processing - An impossible EQ challenge - Stem mastering - Mix buss processing - Tape emulation & saturation - Creating a production master Links Stereo width in mastering – how to measure, monitor and modify it http://productionadvice.co.uk/stereo-width/ Should you use a buss compressor on your mix? http://productionadvice.co.uk/buss-compressor/ The heart and soul of mastering http://productionadvice.co.uk/heart-and-soul/ Mentioned in this episode:LeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

21 Apr 201655min

Loudness is still one of the hottest topics in mastering. In this episode we discuss why louder is better, but Too Loud is worse. And... - Why you must set the gain FIRST - How your plugins are fooling you - Optimising dynamics for online loudness - How loudness matching can be liberating - 90% of mastering in nutshell Links: Audio Bloggers Live http://productionadvice.co.uk/audio-bloggers-live/ Radio loudness – the Truth Loudness research Perception plugin Spotify loudness Dynamic range database DynameterMentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins

14 Apr 201649min