The Last Decibel
There’s a theory in power amp design that the first watt is the most important watt. I’ve been thinking lately that, in mastering, the last decibel may be an equivalent concept.
There’s always a point — in modern music mastering — where people want the mix as loud as possible. And it’s part of my job [...]
Things to Be Thankful For…
It’s that time of year when we get together with family and count our blessings. There are many little things to be grateful for everyday, but it’s the big ones that make my life and business possible. So, I’m thankful for
my wife, who encourages my vision and accepts the long hours.
my family, who instilled a [...]
The Bose Test
On a mastering web board I belong to, I read an engineer bemoan a client’s “Bose test”, where they judged everything on their Bose Wave system. His complaint was that it had exaggerated low-end and was not an accurate judge. Here’s my response to him…
“I’ve learned that everyone has their “truth”…and they’re all flawed. I’ve [...]
Reliability, redux
I’ve done a post before about the value of reliability, and I was reminded of it last night.
I was invited to attend the Art Institute’s Program Advisory Committee. Two other local studio owners were also invited, and both called the program director at the last minute to cancel.
The longer I’m in the music [...]
Reminders of Things Lost
Here’s some good viewing to understand what’s being lost in some of today’s digital recordings.
This YouTube video was sent to me by a musician-friend. It’s contains a useful visual explanation of what the loudness wars have done to dynamics.
This NPR story was sent to me by another friend (non-musician), and explains that striving for perfection [...]
Everything Became Clear
For years I’ve had people, completely unsolicited, send e-mails about how ZenMastering’s web site conveys a sense of integrity to them. They would say things like, “I don’t know what it is about your site, but I get the sense you know what you’re doing and I can trust you.”
I always figured they were a [...]
Collaborations
As a mastering engineer and studio owner, I’ve found that reaching out to recording studios and engineers (in San Diego and elsewhere) is a great way to improve the quality of finished recordings. Conveying my opinions and expectations about final mixes — as well as getting a client’s take on what they want — opens [...]
Silver Linings
One bright spot in (re)evaluating one’s audio arsenal is that it forces you to take stock of what you have, its strengths and shortcomings, and what you can do with it. In this case, it reminded me of some great software I currently have.
In the “if I decide to stick with this toolbox of gear” [...]
Digital Downside
I’ve spent a lot of my free time this week trying to demo some new, high-quality audio plug-ins. Unfortunately, between all the authorization and demo license hoops, I kept running into a snag that made successful installation and authorization impossible. For me, this is a first.
It’s unfortunate, because I’ve heard great things about this company’s [...]
Methodology
I don’t master the way most engineers do, where the M.E. pretty much runs through the album in 3-4 hours, has an assistant do the fades and then cut a reference disc. After working on hundreds of projects and sitting in on a lot of other engineer’s mastering sessions, I find that method too short-sighted. [...]
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From Ohm to Om reflects the opinions of mastering engineer Paul Abbott, owner of San Diego's ZenMastering.
We welcome comments from readers...pro or con!
