[MrBouzouki]

I thought I'd post up a link to the first part of Ian's 6 part series.

Mastering Essentials: The SOS Techniques Guide

In this six-part series, produced in association with Steinberg, well-known mastering engineer Ian Shepherd takes us through his approach to mastering. Whether you’re polishing individual tracks or assembling EPs or albums, Ian will explore the tools, skills and decisions  that can help you achieve great-sounding results.

In Part 1 Ian discusses what mastering is — and what it isn’t — as he sets out his approach to mastering in this tutorial series.

[jacksimmons]

Thanks for this @MrBouzouki

I listened to his podcasts on Soundcloud last year. Find him very pleasant to listen to, and his explanations are fantastic. Not that I am any closer to mastering for myself, though...

[Cawproductions]

Hi guys, also checkout the mastering podcast show thingy...

Pretty good source of info, great while driving..

Andy

[cowparsleyman]

What he doesn't say is that his ears are made of purest Gold.

[PeteS]

What he doesn't say is that his ears are made of purest Gold.

I thought you were going to say the purest green!  (blackadder reference for the youngsters! )

[MrBouzouki]

Parts 2, 3 and 4

Part 2. The Three Ms of Mastering

Without a firm grasp of these three ‘core concepts’ of mastering, you’ll always struggle to get great results. In the second part of his series for SOS, Ian Shepherd describes his “Three Ms of Mastering”, and why he thinks they’re so important.

Part 3. How Loud Should You Master?

How loud is loud enough, and how loud is too loud ? In this third episode of his video series for Sound On Sound, mastering engineer Ian Shepherd describes his simple strategies to help you find the ideal balance of loudness and dynamics for your music, and why it's so important. Is louder always better ?

Part 4. Mastering EQ: Balance, Don’t Match

EQ will make or break your master. It's the single most important factor in mastering, once you've decided the loudness. In Part 4 of his series for SOS, mastering engineer Ian Shepherd shows how to sculpt the perfect EQ balance for your masters, using the plugins or hardware you already have.

[MrBouzouki]

It's interesting in Part 3 how Ian Shepherd suggests to add gain as a Separate process for Mastering as opposed to having it as make-up gain in say a compressor or EQ.
Particularly for EQ applied in mastering, if you are checking what effect your subtle EQ tweak is having on the final result, you are not then adding a volume boost into the equation. (15 mins 30)


 

[MrBouzouki]

Mastering Essential Part 5 - Compression & Limiting

Compression in mastering is different - both the goals and the methods. In this fifth episode of his series for SOS, mastering engineer Ian Shepherd describes three different mastering compression techniques – how and when to use them, and why the goal is to be invisible.

[MrBouzouki]

Mastering Essentials Part 6 - Final Delivery: Requirements & Specs

One master to rule them all ? You've carefully optimised the loudness, EQ and dynamic processing for your master – but how will it sound in the real world ? In this final episode of the SOS Mastering Essentials series, Ian Shepherd reveals the best specification and file formats for submitting your masters – both online, and for CD and vinyl. Plus, how to hear how it will sound online, before you upload.

[MrBouzouki]

That's All Folks !