Ember Rev – How much difference SHOULD mastering make ?
It's not every day you get to make a new master of an album you've already worked on – especially not from a completely new mix !
But that's exactly what happened for me recently.
Dan from Ember Rev had never been happy with the guitar parts on their 2019 album "From The Country To The City To The Sea" and recently decided to re-record them. At the same time he used the opportunity to make some changes to the arrangements and song structures that more closely match the way the band perform them live.
The album was originally mixed by Simone Silvestri, but for this new version Simone wasn't available and Dan asked Sam Inglis from Sound On Sound to handle the re-mix. Sam took quite a different approach, which he's written about in detail for a fantastic new article in the latest issue of the magazine. He also asked me to contribute a short segment talking about the differences I heard from a mastering perspective, and the different approaches I took when mastering each version.
You can read the full article here, (or sign up here to read the whole "Replica" issue for free !) and in the video above I demonstrate how all this sounds in practise, using the song "Ultramarine" as an example. You can download and compare the files for yourself, plus many other examples, here.
How much difference does mastering really make ? And perhaps more importantly, how much difference should it make ?
Take a listen and decide for yourself !
PS. You might also like to take a listen to Ember Rev's latest album, also mixed by Sam and mastered by me, here
Peter Gabriel's i/o Mix Comparison - Bright or Dark Side ?
Blue Pill or Red Pill ? Is there really that big a difference ?
So the new Peter Gabriel album 'i/o' is finally here - and everyone is talking about the fact that there are three alternative mixes of this album - not just a dedicated Atmos mix (as is becoming more and more common) but also two alternative stereo mixes. The 'Bright Side' mix by Spike Stent, and the 'Dark Side' mix by Tchad Blake.
So what's the difference ? Why are there three versions ? And which is the best ?
I couldn't resist, so started comparing one of the songs that I'd already heard - the first on the album, 'Panopticom'. And the results were fascinating, so I made a video.
To hear what I heard for yourself, plus some observation, comments and wild speculation - check out the video above.
And then let me know which mix you prefer in the comments - and why !
The Beatles' 'Now and Then' is a marvel of audio restoration - but did it really need to be so LOUD ?
I made a deal with myself, in the years after my blog posts about the loudness of Metallica's "Death Magnetic" went viral. (They ended up being reported in The Guardian and Wired magazine, and with me being interviewed by the BBC about how loud it was, and why Metallica fans were complaining.)
The deal was - no more negativity and moaning about extreme loudness. I would always look for positives - I'd celebrate great-sounding new releases with decent dynamics instead. That's where the idea for the Dynamic Range Day Award came from, and I've stuck to it ever since.
Until now, because this is one I really care about.
Which version do YOU prefer? (And what's the difference?)
Miley Cyrus has a huge hit with “Flowers” right now, and I recently shared two different versions of her song “Jaded” on social media, asking people which version they preferred, and why.
If you saw the post and wondered why I shared it, or if you missed it and would like to take a listen for yourself, or if you're just curious why I care, check out the video above.
And let me know which one you prefer (and why) in the comments on YouTube !
Dolby Atmos – Surround sound on headphones ? REALLY ?!?
The idea of listening to a full 7.1.4 surround mix on headphones might seem crazy - but we only have two ears after all, so maybe it can work !
In this video I describe the clever solution Dolby have implemented to make this possible, and offer a few examples using the Dolby Atmos Renderer so you can hear the tech in action for yourself, and decide if the results are successful or not.
This video is just a quick introduction to Dolby Atmos – there are many more interesting things to say about the format though, so I have more videos planned.
For example I'm going to be talking about why I'm especially excited by the dynamics of Dolby Atmos mixes, and what they might mean for the loudness war; and also take a look at the different way that Apple have chosen to implement Dolby Atmos support on their devices, and how it affects the way they sound when you're listening on headphones.