//podcastplus.net/feed/the-mastering-show~e724fb7b 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. Sun, 04 Oct 2026 22:56:07 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1753123725-themasteringshow-92-which-lufs.mp3 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 masteringFull show notes on our websitehttps://themasteringshow.com/episode-92 Tue, 20 Feb 2024 20:21:36 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1753123725-themasteringshow-92-which-lufs.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1694448108-themasteringshow-91-mastering-for-movies.mp3 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 mixShow noteshttp://themasteringshow.com/episode-91 Tue, 19 Dec 2023 18:44:14 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1694448108-themasteringshow-91-mastering-for-movies.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1640221476-themasteringshow-90-intersample-peaks.mp3 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 ?!? Fri, 13 Oct 2023 23:26:17 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1640221476-themasteringshow-90-intersample-peaks.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1584488831-themasteringshow-89-matt-boudreau.mp3 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 lockdown... Sat, 05 Aug 2023 21:02:40 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1584488831-themasteringshow-89-matt-boudreau.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1447077811-themasteringshow-88-djs-want-loud.mp3 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 loudnessAnd much more !Full shownotes on our sitehttps://themasteringshow.com/episode-88 Tue, 14 Feb 2023 22:58:07 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1447077811-themasteringshow-88-djs-want-loud.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1404484984-themasteringshow-87-recording-for-mastering.mp3 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 issuesAnd many more !LinksMike 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 Sat, 17 Dec 2022 03:23:36 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1404484984-themasteringshow-87-recording-for-mastering.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1384455808-themasteringshow-86-mastering-plugins.mp3 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 Wed, 16 Nov 2022 19:00:19 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1384455808-themasteringshow-86-mastering-plugins.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1300808044-themasteringshow-85-mixerman-versus-mastering.mp3 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 websitehttps://themasteringshow.com/episode-85 Wed, 06 Jul 2022 22:25:56 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1300808044-themasteringshow-85-mixerman-versus-mastering.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1283124877-themasteringshow-84-apple-lufs.mp3 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 websitehttps://themasteringshow.com/episode-84 Tue, 07 Jun 2022 23:13:52 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1283124877-themasteringshow-84-apple-lufs.mp3 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1265240458-themasteringshow-83-mastering-for-clubs-djs.mp3 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 futureFull show notes on our websitehttps://themasteringshow.com/episode-83 Mon, 09 May 2022 20:25:08 +0000 http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/feeds.soundcloud.com/stream/1265240458-themasteringshow-83-mastering-for-clubs-djs.mp3