Let’s keep in mind here that as I’ve done my fair share of gear reviews, I’m not a professional reviewer or writer. That said, these things are special - Special enough to make me set up a little time to type away an undoubtedly wandering series of paragraphs and sentences into a confusing cauldron of mumbo-jumbo. Enjoy! There's More...

Once in a while, we (mastering engineers in general) get accused of being “pompous” or “elitist” (for lack of better terms) when we suggest that RTA (Real Time Analyzers), phase analysis meters, loudness meters, etc., aren’t as handy as simply listening and using your ears. Recent posts on a particular forum inspired the following rant about using the right senses for the right job - and saving optional analysis for when it’s needed.

Toward the end is a pair of metaphors that explain the traditional role of the mastering engineer in the recording production process (as it might relate to other vocations). For those who are ‘new to the game’ it might clear up a few things... There's More...

Tags: mastering|listening skills|tools|meters|rta|fft|eqalization|mixing

With the release of Metallica’s new album, “Death Magenetic,” an unprecedented backlash from fans and listeners have cast a new spotlight on the “Loudness Wars.” And this might be just what the industry needs...

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Tags: loudness war

A lot of people use the excuse “Well, I want my tracks to sound as loud as...” -- which is one thing. Others use the excuse “Well, a lot of people are listening in cars and on trains with iPods and such and I want everything to be heard...”

Anyone who’s ever actually listened has another story...
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Tags: loudness war

You don't know how loud you are unless you know how loud you should be at a set level. This is something a lot of people forget to do for some reason... If you don't have your monitors reasonably well-calibrated, you might as well be shooting at a moving target.

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More accurately, the question you should be asking yourself is "Why don't my recordings have the potential to be as loud as commercial CD's?"

(This is an incomplete post - a partial post I posted on an audio forum - to be updated soon)

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If you can't trust your room, the greatest monitors in the world are worth a bowl of warm sinus fluid.

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Tags: room acoustics|recording

You're probably tracking too hot. Here's why...

This entry was viewed over 110,000 times in 2008, nearly 300,000 times in 2009 -- And is *still* waiting for tweaking...
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Tags: mastering|recording

Let's just say it's not a wonderful idea...

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REMEMBER: MIXDOWN IS CRUCIAL in more ways than one. A good mastering session can go very well, or very poorly depending on what happens during mixdown. Much of this is common sense, yet much of it isn't common sense until you've experienced the fallout a few times...

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Tags: mastering

Generally speaking, MASSIVE Mastering isn’t a “master by mail” place. Although admittedly, probably 75% of all sessions here are unattended. So, it’s worth addressing that we (and basically every other mastering facility) can act as a “master by mail” facility.

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Tags: mastering

READ THIS FIRST: This is going to read as a bit of a rant - To a point, it is.  This is NOT a rant against “budget” mastering facilities - Come on in - The water’s fine.  What this IS a rant against is deceptive facilities - The phonies, the “wannabees” - The scam artists that promise the world on a silver platter for the cost of a paper plate.  I’m quickly growing tired of seeing people being victimized by these hacks, and it’s time to help “arm” the uninitiated... 

(Yes, it’s back by popular demand. Can’t believe I didn’t put this on the new web site... Dated it for 2007 just to throw it down the list a bit. JS)There's More...

Based on excerpts Taken from the RecTech Article - “One Book, Two Book, Red Book...” by John Scrip - ©1999 Davidson Publications, Inc. There's More...