The Mastering Show #23 - Balance (Or, How to Master an Album)

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 ? Links The Heart & Soul of Mastering http://productionadvice.co.uk/heart-and-soul/ iTunes Sound Check has “album mode” - finally ! http://productionadvice.co.uk/sound-check-album-mode/ TDR Nova EQ http://www.tokyodawn.net/tdr-nova/ Multiband compression – the mastering engineer’s secret weapon ? http://productionadvice.co.uk/multiband-compression-for-mastering/