Thursday, September 03, 2009

Bob Ludwig on mastering

Bob Ludwig

Hidden Track has a good interview with Bob Ludwig, one of the masters of the art of mastering:

There is the art of mastering and there are butchers who wreck music. The tool which makes CDs sound loud are digital domain “look-ahead” limiters that examine the peak sound before it is processed and the limiter will adjust itself to be at an ideal state when the actual peak occurs. One can have zero or even negative attack times. This was impossible with analog limiters. Before digital domain limiters were invented, CDs made in the 1980’s and early 1990’s often were peak limited with a clipping circuit rather than the limiter circuits. Yes, this caused clipping distortion from the squared-off waveforms and it could only be pushed to a small degree. Going louder than these CDs from the 1980’s requires the mandatory use of compressors. The more you use the compression the louder the music will be, and if not done right, the life will go right out of the music.

The artistic mastering engineer will listen to each song and determine what the maximum level-vs-loudness trade off is. Believe me, there IS a trade-off! Every piece of gear made has a volume control on the playback and every radio station is already in competition with every other radio station to make everything, squashed or very dynamic, to be as loud as possible.

People are naturally attracted to louder versions of the same music. The good mastering engineer will stop the madness from getting too loud so the music has longevity and creates a desire for the listener to hear it again.

» Read the full interview
» gatewaymastering.com

posted @ 8:15 PM | Feedback (0)

The Motet: Dig Deep

The Motet

Improv electro funksters The Motet from Boulder, CO, have been exploring the low end for years. On their sixth album Dig Deep the bass and drums take center stage, without drowning out the keyboards that take care of the melodies and sound effects.

Funk is album rhythm and timing - grooving and leaving space. The Motet have mastered it and are offering it for free. And yes, that's a treated snippet of a Barack Obama speech that gave final track Tonight it Belongs to You its title. Recommended if you like Particle and Eoto.

The Motet: Dig Deep

Dig Deep is released as a free download.

Tracks:
  1. Kalakuta Show
  2. Roforofo Fight
  3. Nemesis
  4. Dig Deep
  5. Mighty
  6. Push
  7. Expensive Shit
  8. The Luxury of Doubt
  9. New Old
  10. Guru
  11. Tonight it Belongs to You

MP3: The Motet - Mighty

Live dates:
  • 10/28 Hodi's Halfnote, Ft. Collins, CO
  • 10/29 Fox Theatre, Boulder, CO
  • 10/30 Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO#
  • 10/31 Cervante’s Masterpiece Ballroom, Denver, CO#

# Halloween shows performing the music of Sly and the Family Stone, featuring former Sly guitarist Gail Muldrow.

» themotet.com

posted @ 5:09 PM | Feedback (0)

Fanfarlo: Reservoir

Fanfarlo

London band Fanfarlo is a careful outfit, not wanting to leave notes lying around that don't contribute to the song. Reservoir is a well-crafted album, but it would have been better if they had allowed their songs to breathe.

Producer Peter Kartlis must have been pushing the band to fill every nook and cranny. The result is an album that gets bogged down by musical horror vacui. With songs about madness, opener I'm A Pilot is about Howard Hughes going bonkers, and teenage angst in general, Reservoir will make you dig out your Ramones albums to get rid of the cobwebs in your brain. Fanfarlo is a poor man's Echo and The Bunnymen.

Fanfarlo:
Simon Balthazar : vocals
Cathy Lucas: violin, keyboards, voclas
Justin Finch: bass
Amos Memon: drums
Leon Beckenham: trumpet, keyboards

Fanfarlo: Reservoir Tracks:
  1. I'm A Pilot
  2. Ghosts
  3. Luna
  4. Comets
  5. Fire Escape
  6. The Walls Are Coming Down
  7. Drowing Men
  8. If It Is Growing
  9. Harold T. Wilkins, Or How To Wait For A Very Long Time
  10. Finish Line
  11. Good Morning Midnight

MP3: Fanfarlo - Luna

Live dates:
  • 09/14 Chop Suey, Seattle, WN
  • 09/15 Troubadour West, Hollywood, CA
  • 09/17 Popscene, San Francisco, CA
  • 09/20 Kungfu Necktie, Philadelphia, PA
  • 09/21 Bowery Ballroom, New York, NY
  • 09/22 The Bell House, New York, NY
  • 09/28 Deaf Institute, Manchester, UK
  • 09/29 Fibbers, York, UK
  • 09/30 ABC2, Glasgow, UK
  • 10/02 Westgarth, Middlesbrough, UK
  • 10/03 Bodega, Nottingham, UK
  • 10/05 Jericho Tavern, Oxford, UK
  • 10/06 Bush Hall, London, UK
  • 10/07 Hanbury Ballroom, Brighton, UK
  • 10/08 Clwb Ifor Bach, Cardiff, UK
  • 10/09 Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, UK
  • 11/07 Inrockuptibles Festival, Paris, France

» fanfarlo.com
» myspace.com/fanfarlo

posted @ 2:23 PM | Feedback (0)