Podcasts by The Mastering Show
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.
Further podcasts by Ian Shepherd
Podcast on the topic Musik
All episodes
The Mastering Show #80 - You Asked, We Answered (or tried to!) from 2021-12-18T18:16:48
Time for another Q&A show! Thanks for all your comments, reviews and questions, please keep them coming.
In this episode we tackle:
* Are tools like SplitEQ fundamentally changi...
The Mastering Show #79 - Dan Worrall on non-linear processing from 2021-11-19T20:09:22
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 so...
The Mastering Show #78 - These guidelines are NOT for you from 2021-10-11T18:17:31
The Audio Engineering Society has just released new recommendations for the loudness levels streaming services should distribute their audio at - but they’re not for you and me.
Having sa...
The Mastering Show #77 - Spotify disable their limiter (and other loudness news) from 2021-07-17T17:24:59
We round up a few different “loudness news” topics this episode, including:
* Why Spotify have removed their limiter
* But when they haven’t
* And what it means for the way your...
The Mastering Show #76 - Is stereo bass a problem on vinyl ? from 2021-03-16T21:21:12
People are interested in mastering for vinyl again - and stereo bass is a big problem, right? You should always mono it to avoid problems? Well actually, no. There are some challenges raised by a v...
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The Mastering Show # 75 - Stem Mastering - or is it? from 2021-02-16T19:01:34
It’s either the most powerful mastering technique known to man, or it isn’t really mastering at all, depending who you ask. Some people love it, others hate it, and some are mortally offended just ...
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The Mastering Show #74 - Spotify begins the move to LUFS Normalization. So What? from 2021-01-06T23:25:46
It’s happening. Spotify are switching to using LUFS for their loudness normalization. If you’re thinking ‘I thought they already used it', that’s understandable - but they didn’t.
They wil...
The Mastering Show #73 - Are you having a LUF ? from 2020-11-06T20:37:14
Let’s face it, LUFS don’t work.
No-one understands them, when you set a load of different songs to -14 LUFS they all sound a different loudness, and they weren’t even developed using musi...
The Mastering Show #72 - Off-topic but SO good ! from 2020-06-16T22:29:31
This is so good it just needed it’s own episode.
It’s a groundbreaking, unique new way to make music online - and everyone should try it out ! It’s not just bleeps and beats, either - ther...
The Mastering Show #71 - Remote audio - mixing, mastering and more from 2020-04-07T20:25:31
Real-time remote audio work IS possible - with surprising quality and flexibility ! In this show I’ll describe techniques and strategies to help you mix, master, teach and even record remotely - an...
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The Mastering Show #70 - Mastering Billie Eilish - Loudness versus Art from 2020-02-29T02:22:44
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 wo...
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The Mastering Show #69 - Good versus GREAT mastering from 2020-01-28T19:12:25
We talk on this show about making a master sound great all the time - but what does that mean ? How can you tell the difference between a good or a great master, or whether you’re doing great work ...
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The Mastering Show #68 - Restoring Dynamics from 2019-12-20T18:43:48
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 ...
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The Mastering Show #67 - Minus 14 LUFS - or NOT ? from 2019-11-15T00:31:54
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...
Bad News and Good News from 2019-10-30T22:49:22
Hello
The bad news is there is no regular podcast for you this week.
There will not be a new episode until Ian's voice improves but in the meantime we'd like to let you know about two excel...
The Mastering Show #66 - Good Questions from 2019-09-19T16:14:07
Time for another Q&A episode ! As always you’ve been asking great questions, so in this episode we discuss:
* Why Ian talks too much
* How dynamic is too dynamic ?
* Fade-outs -...
The Mastering Show #65 - Making money from mastering from 2019-08-23T18:10:45
Can you make money from mastering ? And if so, how ? If you’re already charging people for your work, how can you be more effective and productive ?
Our guest in this episode is Graham Coc...
The Mastering Show #64 - Aliasing - is it digital audio's Achilles Heel ? from 2019-07-22T18:49:58
There’s been lots of buzz and discussion about aliasing online recently, and lots of confusion, too.
Is it a flaw in the whole idea of digital audio ? Does it explain why analogue modellin...
The Mastering Show #63 - Mastering (and mixing) for broadcast - with Dallas Taylor from 2019-06-24T20:10:28
Usually on the show we’re talking about mastering music for CD, download and streaming, but there’s another important final destination for the audio we work on - broadcast.
And the differ...
The Mastering Show #62 - How to master audio that SURVIVES streaming from 2019-05-29T15:04:57
Everything gets streamed these days, and almost all streaming platforms use lossy data encoding: mp3, AAC, OGG etc (OMG!)
And these lossy codecs do a pretty remarkable result of preservin...
The Mastering Show # 61 - Learn without listening from 2019-05-03T17:12:20
You might argue that reading about audio is like dancing about architecture. Or something. But you’d be wrong! In these days of podcasts and YouTube it’s easy to forget how many great books there a...
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The Mastering Show #60 - The loudness technique you need to start using TODAY from 2019-03-21T18:48:18
This show is short & sweet - but essential listening if you’re interested in getting better results with online loudness - and balanced, musical dynamics for your masters.
In this episode ...
The Mastering Show #59 - More questions answered (Q&A 6) from 2019-02-15T19:41:12
It’s been a while since we had a Q&A episode, so - here it is ! In this show we discuss:
* Can a spectrum analyser make up for poor monitoring ?
* Is allowing peak levels up to -0.1 ...
The Mastering Show # 58 - Mud or magic ? Managing the mids from 2019-01-14T22:01:52
We’ve all heard it - “the music is in the mid-range”. But what does that mean, exactly ? And if it’s true, is there anything we can do about it in mastering ?
We’ve talked about bass and ...
The Mastering Show #57 - With great power… from 2018-12-07T17:57:05
…comes great responsibility. And mastering engineers need to accept that.
If you take on the challenge of mastering someone’s music, you also accept a huge amount of responsibility for tha...
The Mastering Show #56 - Mastering Crappy Mixes from 2018-11-12T19:32:53
It’s a question we get all the time: what do you do when the mixes you receive are more… “challenged" than you might ideally like ? How much can you fix in mastering if you really need to, and how ...
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The Mastering Show #55 - How Bright Is Too Bright? from 2018-10-12T18:10:16
Everyone wants that glorious, sweet, silky-smooth top end in their masters - but how do you get it ? How do you stop things sounding harsh, tinny and brittle ? And even if the high frequencies do s...
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The Mastering Show #54 - When Normalization Goes Wrong from 2018-09-22T21:29:19
As you know, we think normalization is a Good Thing. But many people disagree. And often that’s because it’s not perfect yet - not by a long shot. In this episode we explain some of the quirks, bug...
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The Mastering Show #53 - Fear Of Bass from 2018-07-04T02:00:15
We all want great low end - deep, fat, solid and punchy. But it can be one of the hardest things to get right - especially knowing how much of it is needed. Too much bass can sound boomy, flabby, m...
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The Mastering Show #52 - DON'T aim for LUFS targets online from 2018-06-08T19:40:37
All the online streaming services play music back at roughly -14 LUFS, so that’s the level we should aim for when we’re mastering, right ? Wrong.
That may sound strange, given how much we’...
The Mastering Show #51 - What IS the Loudness Penalty? from 2018-05-26T15:23:39
"How loud will my music sound online ?" It’s the question everyone is asking these days, and the answer has always been “it depends”. Until now.
In this episode Ian Kerr from MeterPlugs ta...
The Mastering Show # 50 - Mastering on Headphones ?! from 2018-05-10T04:11:16
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 Billboar...
The Mastering Show #49 - Great Audio Podcasts from 2018-04-18T18:42:06
As well as running our own show, we’re huge fans of other podcasts too, and in this show we take a little time to wander off-topic and recommend some of our favourite audio-related shows. We each c...
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The Mastering Show # 48 - How to become a mastering engineer from 2018-03-29T22:54:13
Our guest in this episode is Katie Tavini, who shares the inspiring story of how she got into mastering. It’s something we’re asked all the time, and Katie is a great example of one way to start in...
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The Mastering Show #47 - What’s the best DAW for mastering ? from 2018-03-09T22:08:15
It’s a question we get asked regularly, and our answer may surprise you. To answer the question, we put together a “shopping list” for the ultimate DAW, and then discuss which of the applications i...
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The Mastering Show #46 - Answering questions again (QnA 5) from 2018-02-23T19:51:05
Another chance for us to catch up with some of the questions you’ve been asking us. In this episode we talk about:
* Bass - where does it start, where does it begin ?
* How to use an...
The Mastering Show #45 - Jonathan Wyner from 2018-02-09T17:23:18
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...
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The Mastering Show #44 - Loudness Units 101 from 2018-01-24T19:39:27
LUFS… WTF ?!?
(And why aiming for -14 isn’t the right answer for online loudness)
We talk about loudness all the time on this show, but how do you actually measure it ? How big is...
The Mastering Show #43 - The Christmas Episode from 2017-12-22T17:41:01
Something a bit different to celebrate the festive season this week - we invited a group of cool audio guests to join us on the show, and asked each of them to bring a “gift” to fill an imaginary "...
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The Mastering Show #42 - Man versus machine - automated mastering from 2017-11-24T18:53:04
Can robots really master our music ? Kenny Gioia set up poll on Facebook to see, asking people to choose between six different masters of the same song - three by humans (John Longley, an anonymous...
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The Mastering Show #41 - The problem with loudness normalization - and TIDAL’s solution from 2017-11-10T22:16:47
This is huge. There’s a problem with loudness normalization, and TIDAL asked Eelco Grimm to find a solution for them. What he found in his research was unexpected and exciting.
Eelco has b...
The Mastering Show #40 - Your Questions Answered - Live from 2017-10-13T00:42:26
A Q&A episode with a twist - we recorded it live, with questions arriving all the time we were recording.
We’ve added them all to the list for future episodes - here are the ones we had t...
The Mastering Show #39 - Digital Gain Staging: what’s the point ? from 2017-10-03T16:54:41
Gain staging used to be a crucial consideration for analogue recording and mixing - but you’ll hear plenty of people saying it doesn’t really matter, in a modern digital audio workstation. And they...
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The Mastering Show # 38 - If you can't hear it, does it really matter ? from 2017-09-19T17:38:15
If something is technically wrong but inaudible, is that a problem ? When is it OK to break the rules ? What is “audibility”, anyway ?
Topics include:
* If everyone else is listen...
The Mastering Show #37 - Does Gear Matter? from 2017-07-17T16:09:33
Gear: does it matter ? And if so, how much ?
And if gear DOES matter, does it define your sound ? And how ? In this episode we’re joined by Mike Hillier to talk about the significance of gear i...
Extra - Introducing HMM from 2017-07-10T09:24:04
If you enjoy this podcast, you may also enjoy the Home Mastering Masterclass course ! Here's a quick introduction to the course, and also an exclusive offer for Mastering Show listeners. For all th...
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The Mastering Show #36 - Compression versus compression (and sponges) from 2017-07-05T18:50:15
In which Ian probably goes too far with his analogy explaining compression using sponges. And in which Jon describes the concept of “sloppage headroom” and inter-sample peaks, and in which we also ...
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The Mastering Show #35 - Even More Questions Answered from 2017-06-15T20:23:19
You asked questions. We answered them. Or tried to, at least! Featuring another mind-mangling guest appearance by Ian Stewart - although he’s not the one to blame for any confusion :-)
Que...
The Mastering Show #34 - What ARE dynamics ? from 2017-05-25T23:51:05
Dynamics. I talk about them ALL the time. “This song has great dynamics”... “make sure you keep plenty of dynamics”... “your music NEEDS balanced dynamics”… but what actually ARE they ?
Ju...
The Mastering Show #33 - Before Mastering from 2017-05-08T16:50:58
How should I prepare for mastering to get the best results ? It’s one of the things we get asked most often, and it often seems like the answers are really straightforward. But then you record a 50...
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The Mastering Show #32 - Bob Ludwig from 2017-04-25T22:56:45
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 t...
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The Mastering Show #31 - What IS loudness ? from 2017-03-27T17:51:50
Everybody wants their music to sound loud. But does it need to be loud in order to sound loud ? What does that mean ? Well, it takes us about 30 minutes to really nail the answer to that question i...
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The Mastering Show #30 - More Questions Answered from 2017-03-13T17:42:06
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 p...
The Mastering Show #29 - Mastering Live Sound from 2017-03-03T02:14:09
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 commo...
The Mastering Show #28 - Remastering & Restoration from 2017-02-18T17:38:20
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...
The Mastering Show #27 - Mastering Audio For Games from 2017-01-30T18:52:05
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 ...
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The Mastering Show #26 - Clipping: What is it, and is it ever acceptable ? from 2017-01-16T19:55:42
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...
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The Mastering Show #25 - Stereo: width, depth and image - how to measure, monitor and master them from 2016-12-12T07:57:40
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 t...
The Mastering Show #24 - Mastering for online streaming (including Mastered for iTunes) from 2016-11-24T19:20:30
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 ?
The Mastering Show #23 - Balance (Or, How to Master an Album) from 2016-11-14T20:36:14
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....
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The Mastering Show #22 - Your questions answered from 2016-10-17T07:51:59
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 so...
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The Mastering Show #21 - Why digital “resolution” doesn’t exist - because dither from 2016-09-27T08:35:13
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 h...
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The Mastering Show #20 - Steve Lillywhite from 2016-08-17T16:01:12
You’ve already seen who my guest is this week, so why are you still reading this ?!? Click Play now !
Seriously though, a guest whose discography includes U2, Dave Matthews, The Pogues, T...
The Mastering Show #19 - Sylvia Massy from 2016-08-04T03:13:32
In this show Ian talks to the fabulous Sylvia Massy about her fantastic new book, "Recording Unhinged" - and how perhaps mastering could be a little more unhinged sometimes, too. Topics include:
The Mastering Show #18 - The Emperor's New Ears from 2016-07-18T11:22:38
In this show we give a conclusive answer to all those heated online debates about what audio gear sounds best. Mics, converters, cables - you name it. And we tell you how to find out for yourself. ...
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The Mastering Show #17 - Hi Res Audio (New science proves...what?) from 2016-07-10T22:51:21
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 ...
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The Mastering Show #16 - Podcasts (Mastering, recording & mixing) from 2016-07-01T21:20:32
How to get great results mastering audio for podcasts - AND record and mix them. Plus - how to build a studio from hay bales (and why you'd want to), what really IS a "home" studio in the 21st cent...
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The Mastering Show #15 - Perspective (How to know what your music is SUPPOSED to sound like) from 2016-06-24T11:45:44
In this episode I describe a simple, straightforward strategy to make your masters sound more like those of your favourite artists – whether you’re a beginner or a pro. I explain how to decide how ...
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The Mastering Show #14 - Distortion (The good, the bad and the ugly) from 2016-06-17T18:42:31
In this show we talk about distortion. Good distortion, bad distortion - and how to tell the difference. Find out what Ian REALLY thinks about distortion, how you can use it effectively in masterin...
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The Mastering Show #13 - Vinyl (This may ruffle a few feathers !) from 2016-06-10T02:32:36
How to master for vinyl, including key problems to watch out for, plus: why Ian loves everything about vinyl (except for one thing); is vinyl better than CD; why most vinyl in the 80s was actually ...
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The Mastering Show #12 - NOT Mastering from 2016-06-03T03:12:10
Why you might NOT want to master your music - or get it mastered; what I think of LANDR and other online "mastering" services; when mastering ISN'T mastering; plus the problem with re-mastering; a...
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The Mastering Show #11 - You're going to love this from 2016-05-27T12:20:26
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 Mat...
The Mastering Show #10 - Dynamic Range Day from 2016-05-12T03:56:47
Why “Dynamic Range Day” is a really bad name. And come to think of it, why “dynamic range” probably isn’t what you think it is. And neither are “dynamics”! And why the Loudness War hasn’t changed t...
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The Mastering Show #9 - Analogue versus Digital from 2016-05-05T02:01:47
Can digital really sound as good as analogue ? Should you use analogue or digital gear when mastering ? Could higher sample rates be hurting your music ? What’s wrong with the phrase “in the box” ?...
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The Mastering Show #8 - You Need This from 2016-04-28T12:37:25
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...
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The Mastering Show #7 - Advanced Techniques from 2016-04-21T04:55:56
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 ...
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The Mastering Show #6 - Loudness from 2016-04-14T04:26:29
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 pl...
The Mastering Show #5 - EQ from 2016-04-07T03:42:31
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 rea...
The Mastering Show #4 - Compression from 2016-04-01T01:57:33
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.
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The Mastering Show #3 - Limiting from 2016-03-23T03:48:36
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 t...
The Mastering Show #2 - The Three M's of Mastering from 2016-03-23T03:42:04
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...
The Mastering Show #1 - The Basics of Mastering from 2016-03-23T03:14:04
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 o...
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