The Mastering Show with Ian Shepherd

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-79

The Mastering Show

The Mastering Show #79 - Dan Worrall on non-linear processing

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-83

The Mastering Show #83 - Mastering for clubs & DJs with Luca Pretolesi

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-84

The Mastering Show #84 - Apple switch to LUFS and enable Sound Check by default

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 website
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-85

The Mastering Show Podcast #85 - Mixerman versus Mastering

As mastering plugins become more sophisticated and more technical, there’s an interesting trend towards making the interfaces… less so. 

As well as traditional technical terms and numbered scales, controls labelled with less technical terms like “warmth”, “bite” and “colour” are becoming more common. And some interfaces are just… bizarre ! 

Is that good ? Or not ? In this episode Jon and I like at some more unconventional plugin user interface designs, and discuss:

    Why technical interfaces can be a problem
    When a more creative approach can be a good thing...
    …and when it’s not
    Some of our favourite ‘unconventional' plugin designs
    But are they better than just closing our eyes ?!
    Should plugins emulate the design of the hardware
    And does it make them sound better ?!?

Full show notes - http://themasteringshow.com/episode-86

The Mastering Show Podcast #86 - Mastering plugins - technical versus creative

It’s amazing what mastering can achieve - but it’s also amazing how many things can influence the results we get right from the recording stage.

In this episode Ian talks to Mike Senior about how to fix mastering problems at the recording stage, without using a time machine ! Topics include how to avoid:

    Muddy mids
    Harsh guitars
    Sibilance
    Resonant snares
    Boomy or hollow vocals
    Exposed vocals
    Stereo image issues

And many more !

Links

Mike has put together a fantastic page of resources for this episode, including an excellent video about stereo mic technique - click here make sure you check it out !

https://cambridge-mt.com/misc/mastering-show-2212-resources/

https://themasteringshow.com/episode-87

The Mastering Show Podcast #87 - Fix mastering problems - in the recording !

DJs get a lot of flak, especially about loudness. There’s a deep-seated belief that “loud” masters are still a requirement for club music, and that DJs are somehow to blame. 

But is this fair ? The reality is much more complicated and interesting than the popular cliche that DJs will only play loud masters, and in this episode Ian dives deep into the issue with Joe Caithness, who works as both a DJ and a mastering engineer. Topics include:

    The reality of DJ-ing
    The problem with peaks
    Loudness ? Or consistency ?
    The power of Pioneer
    The shocking missed opportunity of loudness metadata
    The ‘sound’ of loudness

And much more !

Full shownotes on our site
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-88

The Mastering Show EP #88 - Do DJs REALLY want loud masters ?

If you’re not already listening to Matt Boudreau’s fantastic podcast Working Class Audio, you need to start now !

Matt is a highly respected mixing and mastering engineer who has recently moved into working in Dolby Atmos, where he’s already picked up some seriously impressive credits - oh, and also produces one of the top Audio podcasts around.

Which is why if I try to think of anyone better to learn the fundamentals of good audio for podcasting and journalism from… well, I can’t. And the great news is that Matt has put together a new “PodClass” course to help people with just that.

In this episode we talk about the course and what inspired it, but also plenty of other great stuff, including

    Making the move from pro musician to audio engineer
    Getting started in Atmos - workflow, dynamics and more
    Work-Life balance - is it better to be a lark, or a night-owl ?
    The secret advantages of running your own podcast...
    …and the crucial importance of great audio (And what it has to do with COVID lockdowns !)


Enjoy - and if you want to try Matt’s course, make sure to use the discount code TMS to get a 30% discount and help support The Mastering Show at the same time !

The Mastering Show #89 - Sonic Fundamentals for Podcasters with Matt Boudreau

Everyone is talking about inter-sample peaks and True Peak limiters - or in fact it’s more accurate to say they’re arguing about whether ISPs are audible or not, and whether True Peak limiters sound bad !

In this episode I’m joined by Alexey Lukin, iZotope’s “godfather of RX”, to talk in detail about exactly what ISPs are and why they’re so confusing - including:

 * How are inter-sample peaks measured, and why do you see different results with different meters ?
 * What are DSP overshoot peaks, and how are they different ?
 * What does over-sampling have to do with all this, and why is it important ?
 * Do True Peak limiters really sound bad, and how should we test them ?
 * Why will they NOT prevent lossy decoder clipping, sometimes ? And
 * What the hell are we supposed to do about all this ?!?

The Mastering Show #90 - Inter-sample peaks and True Peak limiting - the devilish details

It’s virtually impossible that you haven’t heard music of some kind mixed by Alan Meyerson by this point - he’s one of the most prolific and successful film score mixers in the business.

And luckily for us, he’s also super-generous and open about the information he shares, including his perspectives on mixing and ‘mastering’ music for the movies. So in this episode we dig deep into all the details, including topics like:
* Is there really such a thing as ‘mastering’ for film ?
* What needs to be delivered, and what is the process ?
* How loud does it need to be - are there any standards ?
* When does Alan deliver mixes in Atmos, and why ?
* How he uses the centre channel and surround channels
* Why you might want to use saturation or pitch-shifting (!) in a movie score mix

Show notes

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-91

The Mastering Show # 91 - Mixing and mastering music for the movies with Alan Meyerson

You can't go a day without someone telling you how loud your music should be, these days.

"Everything has to be -8 LUFS"
"EDM has to be -6 LUFS or louder"
"-11 is the perfect balance"
"Just master everything to -14"

...but they can't all be right !

In fact, none of them are, and even more importantly, they may not even be talking about the same thing. And the differences are really important. So in this episode I try explain really clearly and concisely:

    The 3 different types of LUFS
    The difference between them
    Why it’s crucial to know which type you’re talking about
    Why mastering to integrated targets makes no sense
    When -14 LUFS isn’t loud enough – and why ?
    Why it’s not about ‘how loud’, it’s about how you make it loud
    Why integrated LUFS values are the result, not the goal of mastering


Full show notes on our website
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-92

The Mastering Show Podcast #92 - These are not the LUFS you are looking for

I’m always arguing for balanced dynamics rather than loudness for it’s own sake, but some people have a different opinion - high loudness is important, and even beneficial.

Nick Di Lorenzo is one of them - he says that loudness is important regularly on his YouTube channel. So in this episode I invited him on to explore that idea in more detail, and really get into the nuances of the topic. Do you need to be mastering loud ? Topics include:
* The practicalities of loudness
* What makes things sound loud anyway ?
* Record labels versus loudness
* Why loudness IS important
* Why LUFS don’t matter, and
* The difference between loudness and LUFS

Full show notes on our website
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-93

The Mastering Show #93 - Do you NEED to be mastering loud ?

People are always asking me about mastering for vinyl, and I’m happy to try and help based on the experience I have. I don’t actually cut vinyl myself though, so that advice is always limited and second-hand. 

So for this episode I decided to talk to a genuine expert on the topic - Scott Hull from Masterdisk - and really get into the details. 

Scott’s knowledge and experience of cutting vinyl is enormous, as you’ll hear, and I took full advantage of that in this episode ! Some of the things we talked about include:

    The 4 stages of vinyl production, and why each is important
    How making assumptions about vinyl mastering can backfire
    Why choosing which plant is going to press the records is crucial
    The crucial role of the lathe - and it’s setup
    The myth of duration on vinyl - why “20 minutes per side” isn’t a hard and fast rule
    Why less limiting allows you to cut louder on vinyl
    What is the magic of vinyl ?

Full show notes and links on our website
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-94

The Mastering Show Podcast #94 -The truth about vinyl (with Scott Hull)

The Billboard Top 50 global singles from the first half of 2024 have an average loudness of -8.3 LUFS

So that’s how loud we should be making our masters, right ?

Well…

It certainly might seem that way, but in reality it’s a bit more complicated than that. This is only one of the interesting results that Ian Stewart presented in his latest blog post for iZoTope, and in this episode I asked him back on to really dig into some of the details and nuance.

Plus I also wanted to talk to him about the amazing plug-in that got invented during the last episode he was on ! (Well, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it 😛)

During the show we talk about:

 * What that -8 LUFS average result REALLY means, and how much attention you should pay to it
 * Who the most successful artist in the Top 50 is, and the loudness statistics of their music
 * The problem with the title iZotope chose for the post
 * All the other results, trends and biases in the data
 * Basslane Pro, the plug-in Ian worked with Tone Projects to develop, why it’s unique - and how The Mastering Show helped it happen !

Full show notes on our site
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-95

The Mastering Show Podcast #95 - Loudness trends in 2024: should you follow them ? with Ian Stewart

We’ve been using “soft clipping" in mastering for over 20 years at this point, but it suddenly feels as if it’s all anyone is talking about ! New plugins, new suggestions about how to use it, and wild new claims about how amazing it sounds. 

Except it doesn’t.

At least – not all the time, and not for all material.

In this episode Joe Caithness and I dig deep into the details and talk about:

* What clipping is, and what it isn’t
* The crucial differences between hard and soft clipping
* What makes a great clipping plugin (and why comparing them is a nightmare)
* Some of our favourite clipping plugins and how we use them
* The kinds of material that work best with clipping, and what type to use
* The golden rule to follow if you want to experiment with clipping yourself

Full show notes and links on our website:
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-96

The Mastering Show Podcast #96 - Flippin' Clippin' !

The term “legend” gets thrown all the time in audio production circles, but my guest this episode really deserves it. 

I’m sure you already know this but Ken Scott has worked with the Beatles, David Bowie, Elton John and Supertramp amongst so many others, so I was delighted when he agreed to join me for this episode !

There were so many things we could have talked about it was hard to know where to start, but here are just a few of the topics we covered:
* Why Abbey Road trained their engineers in mastering before they were ever allowed to engineer a recording session
* The value of mentors - and being thrown in at the deep end
* Mixing in sections (instead of using automation)
* When limited resources are a Good Thing
* Re-mixing Ziggy Stardust in Dolby Atmos (with added drum samples…!)
* …and how the new mix translates to stereo

Full show notes on our website
https://themasteringshow.com/episode-97

The Mastering Show #97 - Should you learn mastering FIRST ?! (with Ken Scott)

The Mastering Show has moved !

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/


The Mastering Show #1 - The Basics 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/


The Mastering Show #2 - The Three M's of Mastering

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


The Mastering Show #3 - Limiting

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 !

The Mastering Show #4 - Compression

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

The Mastering Show #5 - EQ

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/


The Mastering Show #7 - Advanced Techniques

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/


The Mastering Show #11 - You're going to love this

A new study proves that high sample rates really DO sound better. Or does it ? As usual it's a little more complicated than that... in this episode we investigate why, and also discuss how to test this stuff for yourself, plus - when you might choose NOT to mix at Abbey Road, why all CD players don't sound the same, and why Ian hates the sound of swirling ultrasonic birdies. And, what that actually means!

Links:

AES Paper: A Meta-Analysis of High Resolution Audio Perceptual Evaluation
https://secure.aes.org/forum/pubs/journal/?ID=591

Intermodulation distortion
http://productionadvice.co.uk/high-sample-rates-make-your-music-sound-worse/

Test files for intermodulation distortion
http://people.xiph.org/~xiphmont/demo/neil-young.html#toc_1ch

The importance of loudness matching
http://productionadvice.co.uk/you-must-do-this/

Why mp3 sucks - and how to hear it
http://productionadvice.co.uk/why-mp3-sounds-bad/

The amazing Record Production Dot Com website
http://www.recordproduction.com

Russell Cottier's site
http://www.russellcottier.com



The Mastering Show #17 - Hi Res Audio (New science proves...what?)

Bob Ludwig is a mastering superstar. This show starts out with the interview I did with him for this year’s Dynamic Range Day, after which Jon and I dig a little deeper into some of the topics we touched on:

 * Why some of Bob’s clients ignore his advice (!)
 * The #1 problem with many of the mixes being sent to him lately
 * How he used to cut really hot masters for vinyl

Plus we branch out into a few other subjects, including:

 * Bob's approach to client requests for loud masters
 * What is Loudness FUD ?
 * How to use a loudness meter in mixing

Bob Ludwig: http://gatewaymastering.com/bob-ludwig/

Show notes & links: http://themasteringshow.com/episode-32

The Mastering show

The Mastering Show #32 - Bob Ludwig

Many of you will already know Jonathan from iZotope's excellent educational videos on mastering - he's also an experienced producer and recording engineer, head engineer at M-Works mastering (www.m-works.com), a lecturer at Berklee and has written a book on mastering. In this interview we talk about many different aspects of his career, including:
* The delights (and perils) of analogue tape
* Re-mastering David Bowie
* Digital mastering tools - and the risk of over-using them
* Humans versus machines in mastering (again) and
* Getting the best of both worlds

Full show notes and links
http://themasteringshow.com/episode-45

The Mastering Show #45 - Jonathan Wyner

You can’t master on headphones, right ? Well, let’s see… 

This year’s Dynamic Range Day Award-winner broke all the streaming records in it’s first week, debuted at Number 1 in the Billboard chart and... it was mastered on headphones.

In this episode we talk to Glenn Schick, the engineer who mastered KOD by J Cole  about his decision to become a “mobile” mastering engineer, including:
* How (and why) he closed his analogue mastering studio to go mobile
* Why he thinks it actually helps him to get better results...
* And makes his job easier
* The type of headphones he uses, and why
* His mastering process for KOD, and
* The decision to master with more dynamics

Full show notes at
http://themasteringshow.com/episode-50

The Mastering Show # 50 - Mastering on Headphones ?!

People are talking about minus 14 LUFS loudness more and more these days, but why ? What does this number mean, where does it come from, and why should you care ?

In this episode we answer all these questions and more, including:

 * Which streaming services are using -14 LUFS
 * Why Spotify aren’t using -14 LUFS, and why it matters
 * Why you shouldn’t use minus 14 LUFS as a target (or any number) but
 * Why it’s still important and useful to know about anyway 
 * Will mastering to -14 LUFS make your music sound bad ?!?

Full links and show notes on the website
http://themasteringshow.com/episode-67

The Mastering Show #67 - Minus 14 LUFS - or NOT ?

I often get asked if it’s possible to restore dynamics to a heavily limited, clipped or compressed source, to achieve a more dynamic master. The answer is… it’s complicated ! So in this episode we do our best to answer the question. Topics include:

    Why you shouldn’t do this
    When you might have to do this
    When doing this is a bad idea
    How to do it (the simple way, the complicated way and the really messy way)
    How compression can sometimes add dynamics
    What these techniques can never do

Full links and shownotes on our website:
http://themasteringshow.com/episode-86

The Mastering Show #68 - Restoring Dynamics

Our guest this episode is LA mastering engineer John Greenham  who just won a Grammy for his work on Billie Eilish’s album. We talk to him about how he came to work with Billie, and dig into his work on the album in depth, discussing topics including:

 * John’s mastering chain and philosophy
 * Whether “Xanny” is the loudest song ever
 * How to get RMS levels above zero (!)
 * Loudness, confidence and client relations
 * Are loud mixes a problem for mastering engineers ?
 * What it’s like to win a Grammy

http://themasteringshow.com/episode-70/

The Mastering Show #70 - Mastering Billie Eilish - Loudness versus Art

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, this is the show you want to hear.

The Mastering Show Podcast

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