The Mastering Engineer’s Handbook

Introduction 6
Meet The Mastering Engineers 7
The Essence Of Mastering 12
Why Master Anyway? 13
From Vinyl, To CDs, To MP3s, And Beyond 14
The Difference Between You And A Pro 18
There’s Always Room For DIY 21
Digital Audio Basics 23
Sample Rate 23
Table 2.1: Sample Rates For Various Distribution Mediums 25
Bit Depth 25
Standard Audio File Formats 26
Data Compression 28
Prepping For Mastering 30
Mixing For Mastering 30
Mastering Session Documentation 31
Why Alternative Mixes Can Be Essential During Mastering 32
Monitoring For Mastering 34
The Acoustic Environment 34
Let’s Fix Your Listening Area 34
The Monitors 35
Basic Monitor Setup 36
On The Bottom 41
Three Steps To Adding A Subwoofer 41
Calibrating Your Sub To Your System 42
Placing The Subwoofer 43
Amplifiers 43
Listening Techniques For Mastering 44
Monitors Versus Headphones 45
Mastering Tools 47
The Mastering Compressor 47
Compressor Overview 47
Using The Compressor In Mastering 48
Multi-Band Compression 49
The Mastering Limiter 50
Limiter Overview 50
Using The Limiter In Mastering 50
Multi-Band Limiter 51
The Mastering Equalizer 51
Using The EQ in Mastering 52
The Mastering De-Esser 54
Metering 56
The Peak Meter 56
The RMS Meter 58
The K-System Metering 58
The Perceived Loudness Meter 59
The Phase Scope 60
Using The Phase Scope 61
The Phase Correlation Meter 63
The Spectrum Analyzer 63
The Dynamic Range Meter 65
Dynamic Ranges Of Different Genres Of Music 67
Convertors 68
Consoles/Monitor Control 69
The Digital Audio Workstation 70
Mastering DAWs 70
Other Tools 71
Stereo Enhancement 71
M-S Processing 71
Mono 72
Mastering Techniques 73
The Basic Mastering Technique 73
Making A Loud Master 74
Competitive Level 74
Level Technique #1: The Compressor-Limiter Tandem 75
Level Technique #2: Multi-Compressor Packages 76
Advanced Level Techniques 77
The Effects Of Hypercompression 77
Competitive Level Isn’t What It Used To Be 79
Setting The Compressor 79
Compression Tips And Tricks 80
Setting The Limiter 80
Using Multi-Band Compressors And Limiters 81
Reducing Sibilance With A De-Esser 82
Frequency Balance Techniques 83
The Mastering Signal Path 84
The Basic Mastering Signal Chain 84
An Advanced Signal Chain 85
Parallel Processing 86
Adding Effects 87
Editing Techniques For Mastering 88
Inserting Fades 88
Eliminating Intro Noise And Count-Offs 89
Making A “Clean” Master 89
Parts Production 90
Multiple Masters 90
Mastering For CD 92
CD Basics 92
How CDs Work 93
Scanning The Disc 95
Mastering For CD 96
Editing PQ Subcodes 96
CD Subcodes 97
Inserting ISRC Codes 98
Inserting UPC Codes 100
Inserting CD-Text 101
Song Order 101
Adjusting The Spreads 101
Using Dither 102
Rules For Using Dither 102
Delivery Formats 103
The DDP Master 103
FTP Transmission 104
Obsolete Formats 104
The Sony PCM-1630 104
The PMCD 106
How CDs Are Made 106
Duplication Versus Replication: What’s The Difference? 109
Mastering For Vinyl 111
A Brief History Of Vinyl 111
How A Vinyl Record Works 112
The Vinyl Signal Chain 126
The Master Lacquer 126
The Cutting Stylus And Cutter Head 127
The Lathe 127
The Mastering Console 128
The Preview System 129
Equalization 130
The Elliptical Equalizer 130
How Records Are Pressed 131
New Advances In Vinyl Technology 132
New Record Presses 132
A New Way Of Pressing 132
HD Vinyl 133
Mastering For Online Distribution 134
File Compression Encoding 134
Table 9.1: Commonly Used Audio Compression Formats 134
Lossy Versus Lossless Codecs 135
File Compression Encoder Parameters Explained 135
Table 9.2: Bit Rate Quality Comparison 136
It’s All About The Source File 138
Choosing An Encoder 138
The Ins And Outs Of File Metadata 138
Creating Great-Sounding Online Files 139
Creating Files For Streaming Services 140
Table 9.3: Streaming Specs for the Most Popular Services 141
Be Aware Of Sound Check 141
Creating A FLAC File 142
Submitting To Online Stores and Services 142
Table 9.4: Digital Music Distributors 143
Submitting To Online Song Databases 143
A Look At AAC, The iTunes File Format 145
Mastering Tips For iTunes And Apple Music 146
iTunes Sound Check 147
The Mastered For iTunes Format 147
The Mastered For iTunes Tools Package 149
Using The afconvert Tool 149
Using The Droplet Tool 149
Using The Audio To WAVE Droplet 150
Using The afclip Tool 150
Using The AURoundTrip AAC Audio Unit Tool 151
Using The Test-Pressing Feature 152
Submitting To The iTunes Store Or Apple Music 152
Other Types Of Mastering 154
Online Mastering 154
High-Resolution Mastering 154
Table 11.1: High-Resolution Storage Requirements 155
Direct Stream Digital (DSD) 155
Blu-Ray Disc 156
Blu-Ray Audio Specs 157
Table 11.2: Blu-Ray List Of Codecs 157
Mastering Music For Film 157
Mastering Music For Television 158
The Effect Of The CALM Act 158
Meet The LKFS Scale 159
Archiving The Master 161
Delivering The Master To The Replicator 161
Archiving The Project 161
Greg Calbi - Sterling Sound 163
Dave Collins - Dave Collins Mastering 171
David Glasser - Airshow Mastering 177
Gene Grimaldi - Oasis Mastering 181
Bernie Grundman - Grundman Mastering 185
Colin Leonard - SING Mastering 191
Bob Ludwig - Gateway Mastering 197
Glenn Meadows - Mayfield Mastering 204
Doug Sax - The Mastering Lab 209
Glossary 215
About Bobby Owsinski 226
Bobby Owsinski Bibliography 226
Bobby Owsinski Lynda.com Video Courses 227
Bobby Owsinski’s Online Connections 228