The Mastering Show

By The Mastering Show PodcastEducation Music Music Commentary

The Mastering Show episodes

April 28, 2016 The Mastering Show #8 - You Need This
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:
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
57 min
April 21, 2016 The Mastering Show #7 - Advanced Techniques
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:
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
56 min
April 14, 2016 The Mastering Show #6 - Loudness
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
Dynameter
Mentioned in this episode:
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
50 min
April 07, 2016 The Mastering Show #5 - EQ
Mastering EQ is about balance, not matching. In this episode we explain what the difference is, why it matters and and ways you can get it right.
Topics include:
- Why “radio ready” sound is a mastering myth
- How you can affect the balance of instruments in the mix, even within a stereo file
- A simple but crucial point of mastering technique
- The pros and cons of phase linear EQ
- Ian’s recommended EQ plugins
Links
Loudness means NOTHING on the radio - the proof
http://productionadvice.co.uk/loudness-means-nothing-on-the-radio/
The Heart And Soul of Mastering
http://productionadvice.co.uk/heart-and-soul/
Phase linear EQ demonstration
https://youtu.be/efKabAQQsPQ
Rock music and gynaecology
http://mastering-media.blogspot.co.uk/2008/08/rock-music-and-gynaecology.html
Mentioned in this episode:
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
55 min
April 01, 2016 The Mastering Show #4 - Compression
Compression explained - using pillows and punchbags. Yes, you read that right ! And in this show we also talk about:
- Why mastering compression is all about loudness. Except it’s not.
- How compression in mastering is different than in mixing
- How to make mastering compression invisible
- Ian’s suggested starting-point settings for mastering compression
- Why you might want to use multi-band compression
Links
Using compression to add punch, warmth and power to your mix
http://productionadvice.co.uk/using-compression/
What is compression ? Sponges hold the answer
http://productionadvice.co.uk/what-is-compression/
Multiband compression – the mastering engineer’s secret weapon?
http://productionadvice.co.uk/multiband-compression-for-mastering/
Gregory Scott - Demolishing Compression Myths
https://www.attackmagazine.com/features/columns/gregory-scott-demolishing-the-myths-of-compression/
Cheers !
Mentioned in this episode:
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
56 min
March 23, 2016 The Mastering Show #3 - Limiting
In this show we take a deep dive into the topic of limiting.
We explain why you need limiters, important Do’s and Dont’s, recommended plugins – and why there’s a good chance you’re using them wrong…
Links:
Are brickwall limiters nothing but pure evil ?
http://productionadvice.co.uk/brickwall-limiters/
Video demonstrating inter-sample peaks and how they affect Mastering for iTunes
http://productionadvice.co.uk/mastered-for-itunes-video/
Intersample peaks and why they matter - more about why you should leave at least 1 dB peak headroom when mastering, with audio examples
https://youtu.be/veLLvoIubzo
Mentioned in this episode:
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
40 min
March 23, 2016 The Mastering Show #2 - The Three M's of Mastering
We’re kicking off the show with a short mini-series covering every aspect of the mastering chain in turn – levels, EQ, compression, limiting and metering.
We’re going to be starting at the end and working backwards – and in case you’re wondering why, Ian explains during the show !
So in this episode we cover the “Three M’s” of mastering- and to find out what they are, you’ll need to listen to the show.
Show Links:
The acoustic treatment material we talked about in the show is Owens Corning 703, sometimes known as Rockwool.
http://www.gikacoustics.com/product/owens-corning-703-2-inch/
To find out more about using acoustic treatment to improve the sound of your studio:
http://productionadvice.co.uk/building-a-home-mastering-studio-part-3/
For more about loudness meters:
http://productionadvice.co.uk/lufs-dbfs-rms/
To assess the EQ balance of your music:
http://www.voxengo.com/product/span/
More about the mindset 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 resources
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
50 min
March 23, 2016 The Mastering Show #1 - The Basics of Mastering
In this first introductory episode, we introduce ourselves and talk about what we have in store for the show. We then cover some mastering basics that will give you a solid grounding for the rest of the shows.
Not sure what mastering is ? Start here !
Show links:
What is mastering ? Photoshop for audio
http://productionadvice.co.uk/mastering-as-photoshop/
LUFS, dBFS, RMS… WTF ?!? How to read the new loudness meters
http://productionadvice.co.uk/lufs-dbfs-rms/
Mentioned in this episode:
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
28 min

About The Mastering Show

From the publisher's feed

This is the show where we cover all aspects of mastering. If you're interested in mastering, want to learn how to get better results mastering your own music, or even want to be a mastering engineer,…