MIXING & MASTERING BLOG
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When you’re building a front-end chain for recording or adding colour during mixdown, a versatile channel strip can be a powerful tool. The TL Audio Ivory 2 5052 is one of those pieces of gear that earns its keep in both scenarios. It’s a dual-channel valve processor that combines preamps, compression, EQ, and limiting in a single 3U rack unit. While it shines during mix processing, its real strength lies in recording applications, where it provides everything you need to cap

When you move from the world of analog to digital, one of the first concepts you encounter is sample rate. It’s a fundamental element of digital recording and mastering, but it’s often misunderstood. Knowing what sample rate is and how it impacts your music helps you make informed decisions in recording, mixing, and mastering.

Spring reverbs are one of those audio technologies that never lose their charm. There’s something raw, unpredictable, and beautifully gritty about them. Maybe it’s their long-standing connection to Reggae and Dub. Maybe it’s the physicality of the springs resonating in a metal tank. Whatever it is, spring reverbs bring a unique character that digital emulations still chase after. Let’s dive into the history, mechanics, and sound of these fascinating devices.

When it comes to stereo bus compression, few names inspire as much respect as the API 2500+. Built on decades of API design heritage, this unit has become a fixture in top studios for its ability to glue a mix while retaining musicality. While it’s widely used across mixing and tracking, the 2500+ has some particular strengths in mastering, especially if you know how to harness its flexibility.

Whether you're producing, mixing, or mastering, you’ve probably found yourself deep in a session, only to realise hours have flown by and your ears are shot. That dull, worn-out sensation in your hearing? That’s ear fatigue. And if you ignore it, your decisions start to drift, and you may not even notice until the next day when the mix sounds nothing like you thought it did. Let’s dive into what actually happens when your ears get tired, how to avoid it, and how smart time m

There are pieces of gear that impress you with specs, and others that win your ears and heart the moment you turn a knob. The IGS 825EQ is firmly in the second category. As a mastering engineer, you come across plenty of tools that claim to enhance, sweeten, or refine your sound, but few deliver the kind of character, depth, and warmth that this valve equaliser brings to the table...

In the world of audio engineering, the concept of "true peaks" is an important one to understand. True peaks refer to the highest instantaneous levels of a digital audio signal, which can occur during a process called digital-to-analog conversion (DAC). Conversion from digital to analog occurs every time you play back a song with a digital device (laptop, mobile, iPad, etc.) In this article, we'll explore what true peaks are, why they matter, and how to measure and man

Distortion is one of the most fascinating—and misunderstood—concepts in audio production. On the surface, it seems simple: a gritty guitar tone, a saturated vocal, a tape-squashed drum bus. But under the hood, distortion is incredibly nuanced and deeply tied to how we perceive sound. In this guide, we’ll explore the different types of distortion, from tape and tube saturation to clipping. We'll look at how they work, how they differ, where they overlap, and most important