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MIXING & MASTERING BLOG
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THE API 2500+: Precision, Punch, and Musicality in Mastering
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.


EAR FATIGUE & TIME MANAGEMENT IN STUDIO
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


IGS 825 MASTERING EQ: Where Musicality Meets Precision
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...


INTER-SAMPLE PEAK EXPLAINED
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


UNDERSTANDING SATURATION AND DISTORTION: THE SCIENCE BEHIND THE SOUND
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


SOUNDTHEORY - KRAFTUR
In the ever evolving world of audio production, tools that blend innovation with usability are rare gems. Enter Kraftur, the latest offering


SOUNDTHEORY - GULLFOSS EQUALIZER
A few months ago Sondtheory approaches me asking if I wanted to try their Gullfoss equalizer.
I'm always keen to discover new plugins and ne


MASTERING FOR STREAMING PLATFORMS (LUFS, Normalisation and True Peaks)
Being a mastering engineer involves preparing my clients' music for digital distribution. Nowadays, anyone involved in the production...


HOW TO PREPARE YOUR MIX FOR MASTERING
In this tutorial, we are going to see how to prepare your mix to be mastered.
There are a few tips I would like to share...


STEM MASTERING: HOW TO PREPARE THE STEMS
In this article, we are going to see what stem mastering is and how to get the stems ready.
There are a few tips that I would like to...


STEREO MASTERING vs STEM MASTERING
Working with many artists, A&R, producers, mixing engineers, record labels and bands, I have noticed that usually there is a bit of...


WHAT IS APPLE DIGITAL MASTER?
In this article we talk about Apple Digital Masters for iTunes and Apple Music. Moreover, how Apple improve the preservation of the audio.


TOOLS: COMPRESSORS
Today I'm going to talk about compressors. What are the main parameters? When do we use a compressor? And as usual, I'm going to give you so


TAPE MACHINES: HOW THE IPS AFFECTS THE SOUND
Today I would talk about one of the main parameters that affect the sound when using a tape machine (reel-to-reel) is the IPS (Inch Per Seco


DB AND METERS...WHO ARE THOSE STRANGERS?
In this article, I would go through a complex topic for most of the producers: dB.
There are many types of dB. Some are related to...


AUDIO EXPORT SETTINGS IN THE MOST COMMON DAW
In this article we are going to see which are the relevant export's options in the most common DAW and how to set them...
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