The first Q&A show got a great reaction, so we decided it was time for another one ! Questions this time:

- Re-mastering - opinions about the 2009 Stone Roses re-issues

- Do young people find clipping and other distortion more acceptable ?

- Should a clipper ever be used after a limiter ?

- Should bass sounds always be in mono ? How do you treat them ?

- Does speaker or headphone calibration software really work ?

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-30

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

Some of our favourite albums are live recordings - and some of the most challenging and interesting mastering projects are also recorded live. In this episode we discuss

- The most common problems with live sound, and the mastering rules you’re allowed to break to solve them

- What is the “ideal” live recording ?

- How restoration tools can be useful for mastering live sound

- Two of Ian’s favourite live albums

- Techniques for mastering live classical music

- How to preserve the most important aspect of any live recording in mastering

Links: http://themasteringshow.com/episode-29/

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

What is re-mastering ? Why would you want to do it ? And how ? And even - should you ?

Topics include:

* The ultimate goal of great remastering

* Why getting an ideal source isn’t always as simple as it sounds

* Restoration tools for mastering, and how to use them

* When remastering goes bad - the remastering backlash

* One of Ian’s most challenging remastering projects

Full show notes

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-28

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

How do you master audio for games ? Can you master audio for games ? Is it even a thing ? It turns out the answer is Yes, but it’s complicated. In this episode we talk to Jay Fernandes about audio in games, including:

* Why audio is critical to the gaming experience

* How “mastering” works in games

* Challenges and solutions in gaming audio

* How to measure the loudness of a game, what to aim for, and why it matters

* Some of the best games for audio

* Why Jon hates "3D sound"

Visit the website for all the links

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-27

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

Some people say clipping distortion is inaudible, some say it’s the true secret of really “loud” mastering, some say it’s a powerful creative effect, others that it’s the spawn of the devil. So who is right, and why ? In this show we talk about:

* What clipping is, and the difference between the analogue & digital varieties

*When and why we use it

*Whether you can repair clipping damage

*The difference between clipping and limiting

*Why clipping & saturation are NOT the secret of "analogue warmth"

Full show notes and links

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-26

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

It’s amazing how much control you can have of the stereo image in mastering, even with quite simple tools. In this show we explore:

* What is stereo ? The simplest and most sophisticated types

* Ian's new favourite mixing plugin for creating stereo from a mono sound

* How to measure stereo width and control it

* How to influence reverb levels in mastering

* What is M/S processing - and why it's probably not exactly what you think

* The power & problems of M/S processing

* Recommended stereo processing plugins

Our guest this week is Ian Stewart

Links:

Ian Stewart's Blog

http://ianstewartmusic.us/blog/

Flux stereo tool

http://www.fluxhome.com/products/freewares/stereotool-v3

Jerobeam Fenderson - music made for oscilloscope

http://oscilloscopemusic.com

Voxengo MSED - mid/side plugin

http://www.voxengo.com/product/msed/

VUMT - VU meter emulation (new version)

http://klanghelm.com/contents/products/VUMT/VUMT.php

Fabfilter Pro Q 2

http://www.fabfilter.com/products/pro-q-2-equalizer-plug-in

Stereo width in mastering – how to measure, monitor and modify it

http://productionadvice.co.uk/stereo-width/

(Video includes demos of a simple correlator and the Nugen Visualizer 2 with 'correlation by frequency' display)

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

How do you optimise your music for online streaming, when there are so many different services and standards out there ?

Specifically:

* What’s the best file format to submit ?

* What about the specifications ?

* Can you compensate for the sound of the encoder ?

* How do you know how loud to make your music ?

* Should you make separate masters for every service ?

* What about Mastered for iTunes ?

To get the “Black Friday” discount on Dynameter or any other MeterPlugs product, use this link and the coupon code TMSBLACK in the shopping cart:

Ian Shepherd’s Dynameter, by MeterPlugs

https://transactions.sendowl.com/stores/5980/11556

Links

Why mp3 sucks, and how to hear it

http://productionadvice.co.uk/why-mp3-sounds-bad/

Sample rate conversion comparisons

http://src.infinitewave.ca

TMS - The Dither Episode

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-21/

Online streaming loudness infographic

http://productionadvice.co.uk/online-loudness/

TMS - The Loudness Episode

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-6/

Mastered for iTunes - the saviour of great sound ?

http://productionadvice.co.uk/what-is-mastered-for-itunes/

Online streaming loudness petition

https://www.change.org/p/music-streaming-services-bring-peace-to-the-loudness-war

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

The most common question I’ve been asked since starting the show is - “how do I balance songs against one another ?”. Especially balancing quiet and loud songs, or when they’re from diverse genres. So in this show, we try to answer that - and touch on many other topics, too:

* The mastering tip that’s almost too simple to say - but embodies the heart and soul of mastering

* Why Ian doesn't master single songs any more (if he can help it)

* Do all digital EQs sound the same ? And Ian’s new favourite (free) EQ plugin

* Why we need "Album mode” to stop loudness management sucking the heart out of our music

* The first thing Ian does in every mastering session

* A ninja loudness trick when balancing quiet & loud songs

* Should you use automation when mastering ?

Links

The Heart & Soul of Mastering

http://productionadvice.co.uk/heart-and-soul/

iTunes Sound Check has “album mode” - finally !

http://productionadvice.co.uk/sound-check-album-mode/

TDR Nova EQ

http://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/

Multiband compression – the mastering engineer’s secret weapon ?

http://productionadvice.co.uk/multiband-compression-for-mastering/

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

Your questions answered. Well, some of them, anyway ! It’s been over 20 episodes, people seem to be liking the show, and have been asking lots of questions - it seemed like a good time to answer some of them.

Topics include:

Do we really NEED mastering ?

- Why you shouldn’t master on the mix bus (if you want to be good !)

- Dealing with clients (and why you should make yourself expensive)

- The best way to burn a master disc, and which brands to buy

- How to mix and master drums LOUD

And many more...

Links

The three Ms of mastering (including Mindset) - TMS Episode #2

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-2/

Limiting - TMS Episode #3

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-3/

Why your EDM will sound better with more dynamics – and 6 places to find them

http://productionadvice.co.uk/edm-dynamics/

Mastering in Reaper

Interview with Jon about Mastering http://reaperblog.net/2015/03/mastering-in-reaper-interview/

Jon's Mastering session setup tips http://reaperblog.net/2014/11/video-mastering-project-setup/

Jon's new Reaper mastering workflow video http://wp.me/p2EzQl-1kf

The Home Mastering Masterclass

http://www.homemastering.com

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

Yes - it’s The Dither Episode ! But hang in there, it’s not as bad as you might think. My guest host this week is Jon Tidey from reaperblog.net, who *hates* talking about dither, so I had to work hard to keep it interesting. And I think I succeeded, mostly! We cover loads of topics, like why the analogy of hi-res digital audio with digital photos is wrong (or at least deeply misleading) and why dither means digital ‘resolution’ is NOT a real thing. Plus:

- Why dither helps prevent your audio from 'sounding digital’

- How the right kind of dither can make even 8-bit audio sound OK

- Why it works - and what that has to do with my lava lamp

- Whether we can *really* hear the difference

- How to test yourself using “Gangnam Style"

- Why you should stop worrying and just dither !

Visit the website for links

http://themasteringshow.com/the-mastering-show-21-why-digital-resolution-doesnt-exist-because-dither/

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