Overview
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Explore essential mastering concepts and techniques used by experienced audio engineers to create a cohesive album from a set of mixed tracks.
Syllabus
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Introduction
- Welcome
- Introducing mastering
- The history of audio mastering
- Mastering professionally versus doing it yourself
- Mixing with mastering in mind
- Mastering session documentation
- Printing alternative mixes
- Evaluating your listening environment
- Beginning with the basic listening technique
- Deciding between monitors and headphones
- Overview of mastering tools
- Exploring the dynamic ranges of different music genres
- Understanding compression
- Understanding limiting
- Understanding equalization (EQ)
- Using a de-esser
- Metering while mastering
- Exploring the mastering signal path
- Listening in your digital audio workstation (DAW) using the A/B method
- Making a loud master
- Compression tips and tricks
- Achieving competitive level
- Understanding the pitfalls of hypercompression
- Balancing frequencies
- Reducing sibilance with a de-esser
- Inserting fades
- Eliminating noise and distortion
- Using multiband limiting
- Adjusting the stereo image
- Bringing out specific elements in a mix
- Using dither
- Using the appropriate workstation
- Adjusting the spreads
- Using International Standard Recording Codes (ISRC)
- Using Universal Product Codes (UPC)
- Creating CD-text discs
- Delivering or receiving a DDP master
- Encoding using the MP3 format
- Understanding MP3 metadata
- Creating a great-sounding MP3
- Generating a FLAC file
- Submitting music to online stores and services
- Submitting music to online song databases
- Understanding AAC, the iTunes file format
- Mastering for iTunes tips and tricks
- The Mastered for iTunes format
- The Mastered for iTunes tool package
- Using the iTunes Plus tools: iTunes Droplet
- Using the Mastered for iTunes Audio To WAVE Droplet
- Using the Mastered for iTunes AURoundTripAAC Audio Unit tool
- Using The Mastered for iTunes tools Test Pressing Feature
- Mastering for high resolution
- Mastering for television
- Delivering the master to the replicator
- Archiving the project
- Next steps
