Balance - How to master an album - Episode 23 | The Mastering Show Podcast

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. So in this show, we try to answer that – and touch on many other topics, too:

- The mastering tip that’s almost too simple to say – but embodies the heart and soul of mastering
- Why Ian doesn’t master single songs any more (if he can help it)
- Do all digital EQs sound the same ? And Ian’s new favourite (free) EQ plugin
- Why we need “Album mode” to stop loudness management sucking the heart out of our music
- The first thing Ian does in every mastering session
- A ninja loudness trick when balancing quiet & loud songs
- Should you use automation when mastering ?
Published November 14 2016

[bradhargis]

I'm old school, I love going out and buying the CD that I've been waiting for. Taking it home, the battle of getting the wrapper off. After that little victory it's my favorite thing to throw on a pair of headphones, push play and listen to the album completely all the way through while looking at the overall presentation of the album (packaging, artwork, lyrics, song credits, liner notes) I love taking it all in. Sometimes when I was a teenager, after getting an album i'd enjoy the first listen driving around town in my car. Nowhere to go, just drive around and blast the new music. After all, people put their heart blood sweat and tears into all this stuff. I never understand how someone can just download one or two songs and have zero interest in the album as a whole or anything of the bonus goodies such as artwork and such.

[davidkataragvozdenovic]

Didn't even know Nova was a dynamic EQ, I basically got it, tried it for a few minutes and left it aside. Thanks for doing this show, Ian, lots of great value! Cheers

[Mr_G]

Was very interesting! And Nova EQ is very good, I am using it often.

[PaulBell]

Was interested how albums such as Roger Water's Amused to Death, with it's constant ambient background of TV's Crickets, birds, etc going between the tracks is done. Does the ambient background stuff get put in during mastering? I would assume one wouldn't want the processing on the ambient tracks, and since it plays during the "gaps" in the tracks, how do you decide when the next track number comes in? Do you use micro cross fades?

[Mdjagg]

20:50 What do you mean by, "the other way around", when describing the difference between mutiband compression and dynamic EQ?

[nathansantino]

thank you, endlessly ☔️💘💎 may god bless you ian! <3

[Mdjagg]

Ian, what do you think about Har-Bal? I've had some really great results with it, but its very technically difficult to get consistent results.

Just repurchased Perception, and jumped on LCAST during the current sale; I feel like I'm finally able to utilize the greatness of Perception. & LCAST is critical for producing for different media platforms. Thanks for the discounts.

[Vospi]

a typo in the youtube title: how to master "and" album