Quick Answer Apple Digital Masters is a specification set by Apple Music to ensure that the highest quality masters are created for their Apple Music Platform. Based on the Apple Digital Masters guidelines, your master should be of the highest original bit-depth and sampling-rate possible and should avoid clipping. Apple Digital Masters in Detail […]
Occasionally, with digital music, you’ll find unwanted distortion in your mix after changing the bit depth of your track. This is an effect called quantization distortion. The way to fix this is to apply dithering when you process your music from one bit depth to another. Here’s how dithering works…
It can be difficult to take criticisms on a mix. After you have put in hours of work, having somebody tell you that there is too much of this or too little of that can become frustrating. As fun as making music can be, it has many challenges to overcome. For musicians, learning notes, chords, […]
Quick Answer Mastering is the last step in post-production prior to a song or project’s distribution. It is both a technical and creative process that involves equalization, compression, distortion, harmonic generation, stereo imaging, and includes adhering to certain loudness standards based on the medium on which a project is distributed. Mastering in Detail To […]
Quick Answer A “Loudness Penalty” is the amount in dB your mix or master will be turned down by loudness normalization. Loudness normalization occurs right before streaming and is something any engineer or artist needs to keep in mind before distributing their mix or master for distribution. The Loudness Penalty in Detail The notion […]
Quick Answer Yes, in most circumstances mastering is needed in order to prepare a project for distribution. Although the choice to master your music depends on the desired outcome, it is always helpful to have another engineer listen to and assess the quality of your project before it’s distributed. Is Mastering Necessary, in Detail […]
Quick Answer Mastering music for streaming is the process of preparing a song or project for distribution on a digital streaming platform. When doing so, the process is similar to a typical mastering session, but the song’s LUFS and the intended platform’s loudness normalization process need to be kept in mind. Mastering Music for […]
Stereo mastering is the typical next step for most mixing projects. But on occasion, greater control is needed by the mastering engineer. Although a fair amount can be accomplished during a stereo mastering session, having the stems of a project offers possibilities that simply are not available during a stereo mastering session. Stem mastering […]
Mastering is sometimes an elusive aspect of post-production. Although it’s certainly needed, what it means can be unclear. It may be surprising then that mastering takes multiple forms, and can be categorized based on processing type, the medium the song will be distributed on, and even the genre or style of the production being […]
Choosing a mastering studio to work on your project can be overwhelming. If you’re an indie artist, there are so many factors you need to keep in mind, to successfully release a project. With that said the hard work and dedication you have for your project should be matched by any professional you choose […]