The Mastering Show

As much as I love dynamics, in some ways mastering loud is easier. So what do I mean by that, and what does it mean for the loudness of your masters ?
In this episode I explore the benefits of loudness, including:
Why "more dynamic" isn't always better
The benefits of loud masters
The effect louder masters have on the sound
The challenges of achieving loud results
Should you master loud ?
My recommendation

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
Mastering
Click HERE to work with Ian

I hear this question all the time - would it be better to fix this in the mix, or in the master ?
It’s a fascinating question, and you may think you already know my answer - but it may not be that simple !
There are actually several things I think are better addressed in the master rather than the mixing stage, and in this episode I dig into exactly what they are, and why I say that.
Talking about things like:
What I never do on the mix bus
What I always do in the mix buss
And why it could be risky not to
Do mixes need to be perfect ?
Choices that are best made at the mastering stage
What you should never leave for mastering

The questions you should always ask if you’re thinking of fixing something in the master
Links and more episodes here:
www.themasteringshow.com/episode-110
Mentioned in this episode:
Mastering
Click HERE to work with Ian
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins
Tools
For Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE

I'm seeing several different discussions online about what makes a "real" mastering engineer – and some of them are getting pretty heated !
So what really matters the most ? Expertise, experience, or credits ?
In this episode I talk about my own opinions and reasoning, talking about:
Why credits can be a complete red herring, especially online
The problem with credits even if they are reliable
How I got great results with (almost) zero experience
When years of experience might not be an advantage
The power (and problems) of trial and error
When expertise becomes a super-power

Links and more episodes here:
www.themasteringshow.com/episode-110
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
Tools
For Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE

Audio repair and restoration has always been a huge part of mastering – and not only for re-mastering vintage material.
Even modern recordings can have problems like clicks, thumps, hiss, amp buzz, distortion and many more. Ideally they’d all be fixed in the mix, but sometimes it’s not possible or they get missed – or maybe the best tools for the task aren’t available.
In this episode I talk to Mike & Alexey from iZotope about my personal favourite piece of software for this kind of task, and many more - iZotope RX.
Version 12 of RX has just been released, with many new features and improvements. We talk about this and much more during the episode including:
Why I love RX and have been using it since 2011
My favourite features
Some “secret weapon” strategies
The toughest challenges for restoration
How using the “wrong” feature can sometimes be helpful

Links and more episodes here:
www.themasteringshow.com/episode-109
Mentioned in this episode:
Mastering
Click HERE to work with Ian
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources

I used to say that the Loudness Range (LRA) measurement wasn't really useful when mastering - but recently I changed my mind. In this episode I explain why, and how loudness range is actually something you might want to pay attention to, as well.
Topics include:
What is the Loudness Range ?
How is it different to Dynamic Range ?
What even IS Dynamic Range, anyway ?
Why did I say that LRA wasn't helpful ?
How I changed my mind, and why
How LRA could be useful for you

Links and more episodes here:
www.themasteringshow.com/episode-108
Mentioned in this episode:
Tools
For Ian's mastering plugins, click HERE
Learn to master !
Click HERE to see Ian's courses and mastering resources
Leapwing
Find out more about Leapwing's plugins