Mastering / Remastering Flashcards
(21 cards)
What are the processes associated with mastering / remastering?
- Compression.
- EQ (frequency range).
- Stereo image.
- Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR).
Are mastered / remastered recordings louder than their original counterparts?
No, the ‘perceived’ level is louder because of the compression.
Heavily compressed masters / remasters are related to which trend from the 1990s?
Loudness wars.
Name a producer who is closely associated with the loudness wars.
Rick Rubin.
What are the differences between analogue and digital mastering / remastering?
Analogue:
Narrower stereo image. Vinyl crackle or tape hiss. Analogue warmth (more pronounced low end and lack of high end). Narrower dynamic range (due to compression).
Digital:
Wider stereo image. Cleaner noise (no crackles / hiss). Wider and more balanced frequency range, so greater clarity. Flat / even / balanced frequency response.
What is perceived volume?
How loud a sound appears to the human ear.
What does compression / limiting do in mastering?
Increases perceived loudness whilst preventing distortion.
Why are some 60s mixes rereleased in mono?
Stereo is too polarised.
What does top and tail mean when mastering?
Master starts within 1s, last note decays naturally - leaves reverb tail.
What is MS processing?
Mid-side processing, used to treat middle and sides of the mix in different ways.
What makes radio edits different to originals?
Shorter, normally cut out long solos / intros.
What does an exciter do?
Adds extra harmonics at top end.
Key features of 60s masters.
Filters to avoid hum / hiss.
Transferred from tape to vinyl.
Key features of 70s masters.
Warmer, less upper-mids / highs.
Noise reduction systems.
Key features of 80s masters.
More upper-mid / highs.
Bass-light.
Key features of 90s masters.
Loudness wars.
ADAT allowed mastering chains.
Key features of 00s masters.
Lows and highs are heavy.
Mastering assistant softwares.
AI mastering.
Name the 4 mastering formats.
- Vinyl
- Tape
- CD
- Digital
What is a rumble filter?
Type of HPF to remove low frequency noise (rumble) from records.
How do streaming platforms account for loudness war affects?
Automatically normalise volumes to stop consumers changing their volume.
What is LUFS
Loudness units relative to full scale. A standardised measurement of audio loudness.
