Mastering: Art, science, & loundness?

Tack: Now take us through the final step which is mastering.

Tucker: Mastering is its own art and science and I do both mixing and mastering. I’m good at both mastering and mixing, but it’s always good to have another set of ears. You can get to involved and lose perspective and balance. But, I offer both services. Remember, the stuff you hear from the major recording artist had people dedicated to each step of the process…initial recordings, mixing, and mastering…all done by people that are pros in each category. I can work on any stage of a project or see a project through from beginning to end.

Tack: What do you do that is different from the stuff you hear on pop radio?

Tucker: I want to touch on this issue because in the audio engineering field this is controversial. Making songs loud is not my primary focus. Maintaining fidelity and dynamic range is the most important subject. It’s known as "The Loudness War" and takes place most often in the mastering process, but can also occur during mixing. It’s a result of misdirected engineering by record company cronies, overzealous producers and unenlightened artists.

Tack: Loudness war? Huh?

Tucker: People that are not the artist or the engineer, the record label executives and A&R people who just pop their head in on recording sessions and then fiddle around with their blackberry. They think that they must have the “loudest” product out there to “compete” with everything that is out there. I think its crap.

Tack: I feel a little rant and rave brewing. Well…don’t hold back. Let’em have it! Tucker: Trends in mastering music for mainstream radio…pop, rock, hip-hop whatever…is destroying music. People in control of the airwaves want to have this loudness factor and the result is the opposite. When you shrink the dynamic range with limiting and compression, the average level gets closer to the peak level sounds. If the average level of the track is at -12 dB and the peak level is just below 0 dB, that’s called headroom. People in control of mastering that mix nowadays want to shrink the gap. What you get is this dynamic less drone of sound that makes all these different music genres all start to sound the same.

Tack: So then people complain that music isn’t as good as it was…ummm say…10 or 20 years ago.

Tucker: That’s because the music “sounds” less unique. The listener is physically challenged to absorb these harsh clipped off sounds over long periods of time. Music is getting crushed! In fact there is a movement going on with mastering engineers to counteract all this mess. Can I show you an example of what I’m talking about? Check this notorious 2:00 clip from YouTube and you’ll completely understand what I trying to say.

Tack: Where do you pin-point the blame for this?

Tucker: The development and subsequent abuse of digital limiters such as the Waves UltraMaximizer products and the TC Electronics Finalizer units that allowed a "brick wall" to be set at 0 dBFS. This allowed the pushing of the level to the smashing point. The technology won’t tell you that you’ve gone over the full level. It's designed not to allow anything go above full peak level. You've got to use your ears.

I’ll use the balloon and a piece of glass as an example:
Just touch the glass with a balloon and there is a point where it touches the glass then everything curves away. Push on the balloon against the glass and everything spreads out in all these different directions and it distorts. Same thing with music, everything becomes splattered.

Tack: So what is the goal when you master a track?

Tucker: Mastering has a purpose, not just to make it louder, mastering is the last step to balance and enhance the overall sound. Plus this is where the order of the songs, the time between songs, all the things that make albums flow…which is an art form in itself. EQ and compression is used to give the track the final polish. You shouldn’t hear mastering unless you compare it to the final mix. The focus should be on fidelity, not level.

Tack: Great point, you’re on a mission sun!

Tucker: I’m here to empower artists, not work against them.

Tack: Hey man, thanks for sharing all this knowledge. It’s time for the shameless plug! If a band or a hip-hop group wants to record at your studio, how can they find you?

Tucker: If you are considering working with me PLEASE visit and read my website in it's entirety! It answers all the basic questions that I am asked repeatedly about rates, availability, etc. Check my calendar, then send me an email or give me a call. Full contact info is on the site.

I provide a wide variety of services, both in-studio and remotely...recording, mixing, mastering, live sound, consulting on a variety of audio related subjects, etc. I have had the same hourly in-studio rate since I started my business in 2002, which is $30 per hour. Remote engineering rates are higher, $45 per hour and $60 per hour, and are based on what services are requested by client. I also offer an in-studio day rate of $200 for approximately an 8-hour day from around 10am to 6pm for clients who require longer sessions. I am very flexible but my availability is always changing. Don't hesitate to contact me with specific questions about your project.