I hear this question all the time - would it be better to fix this in the mix, or in the master ?It’s a fascinating question, and you may think you already know my answer - but it may not be that simple !There are actually several things I think are better addressed in the master rather than the mixing stage, and in this episode I dig into exactly what they are, and why I say that.Talking about things like:What I never do on the mix busWhat I always do in the mix bussAnd why it could be risky not toDo mixes need to be perfect ?Choices that are best made at the mastering stageWhat you should never leave for masteringThe questions you should always ask if you’re thinking of fixing something in the masterLinks and more episodes here:www.themasteringshow.com/episode-110Mentioned in this episode:MasteringClick HERE to work with IanLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsToolsFor Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE
I'm seeing several different discussions online about what makes a "real" mastering engineer – and some of them are getting pretty heated !So what really matters the most ? Expertise, experience, or credits ?In this episode I talk about my own opinions and reasoning, talking about:Why credits can be a complete red herring, especially onlineThe problem with credits even if they are reliableHow I got great results with (almost) zero experienceWhen years of experience might not be an advantageThe power (and problems) of trial and errorWhen expertise becomes a super-powerLinks and more episodes here:www.themasteringshow.com/episode-110Mentioned in this episode:Learn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's pluginsToolsFor Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE
Audio repair and restoration has always been a huge part of mastering – and not only for re-mastering vintage material.Even modern recordings can have problems like clicks, thumps, hiss, amp buzz, distortion and many more. Ideally they’d all be fixed in the mix, but sometimes it’s not possible or they get missed – or maybe the best tools for the task aren’t available.In this episode I talk to Mike & Alexey from iZotope about my personal favourite piece of software for this kind of task, and many more - iZotope RX.Version 12 of RX has just been released, with many new features and improvements. We talk about this and much more during the episode including:Why I love RX and have been using it since 2011My favourite featuresSome “secret weapon” strategiesThe toughest challenges for restorationHow using the “wrong” feature can sometimes be helpfulLinks and more episodes here:www.themasteringshow.com/episode-109Mentioned in this episode:MasteringClick HERE to work with IanLearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
I used to say that the Loudness Range (LRA) measurement wasn't really useful when mastering - but recently I changed my mind. In this episode I explain why, and how loudness range is actually something you might want to pay attention to, as well.Topics include:What is the Loudness Range ?How is it different to Dynamic Range ?What even IS Dynamic Range, anyway ?Why did I say that LRA wasn't helpful ?How I changed my mind, and whyHow LRA could be useful for youLinks and more episodes here:www.themasteringshow.com/episode-108Mentioned in this episode:ToolsFor Ian's mastering plugins, click HERELearn to master !Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resourcesLeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins
More and more people are choosing to get vinyl copies of their music made one at a time, rather than having hundreds of copies pressed at once. Or in very small batches, or allowing fans to order copies on demand.So how does this work, and what does it mean ? How do you get the best quality results, and minimise the risk of getting something back that you're not happy with ?Mastering for vinyl is a whole different ball-game, as I discussed in detail with Scott Hull in Episode 94. So in this show, Joe Caithness and I dig into the topic in detail, discussing:What is a "lathe cut" or "dubplate"How are they made, and how are they different to traditionally pressed vinyl ?Do you always need to have your music mastered by a dedicated vinyl cutting engineer ?How do you get the specs for the audio you should supply ? AndWhy this can be trickier than it soundsDo you really need to mono the bass on vinyl ? And what about phase ?Links and more episodes here:www.themasteringshow.com/episode-107Mentioned in this episode:MasteringClick HERE to work with IanToolsFor Ian's mastering plugins, click HERELeapwingFind out more about Leapwing's plugins