Native Instruments' Stems format is a different way to distribute music, especially EDM/dance/electronica - each file bundles together both a stereo master, plus 4 stereo "stems":
Having these elements stored separately gives far more flexibility when playing the file using compatible software - for example DJs can choose to layer different elements from different songs in a mix.
Ever since the format was released people have been asking me for ideas on how to master for it, though - how do you process stems to sound good individually, but also combine correctly to create a satisfying mix ? The format includes the ability to add compression and limiting when playing the files back, but these won't necessarily sound the same as your favourite mix bus or mastering processors, and the metering options are very limited. How can you deal with this ?
First it was Spotify, then Apple, then YouTube - now TIDAL are implementing loudness management, or "normalisation", to give a better user experience, stopping us from being "blasted" by level changes between songs.
If you're a regular reader you'll know why this is a big deal already - if not, click here to get up to speed quickly. In this post I'll just cover what's interesting and different about TIDAL's loudness management system. As always, the devil is in the details.
Finally ! The ITU's international standard method of measuring loudness, "Loudness Units Full Scale", or LUFS, has been agreed for years, but none of the music streaming platforms have actually been using it - until now.
Home mastering is hard - but it IS possible.
There's no question that it's difficult to master with the same monitoring (and in the same space) that you use for mixing, and it can be very difficult to get that impartial "distance" from your music to know exactly what it needs.
But these days, there are no technological obstacles, at least. When I started out over 20 years ago, you needed literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of equipment just to get your music onto a master tape so it could be pressed, let alone get it sounding great !
Whereas today, you can just upload from a $300 laptop, or maybe even your phone.
But that doesn't mean it's a good idea. Here are some common but lesser-known mistakes I see people making when they're mastering their own music, or mastering in a home studio - plus suggestions on how to fix them. (more…)
Online loudness isn't controlled by the levels you choose to mix and master at, it's being managed - meaning it's being measured and "normalized".
Loud songs are turned down, because users always complain about loudness constantly changing - and the PLR of your music plays a key role in determining it's final playback level.
PLR stands for the Peak to Loudness Ratio of a piece of audio, sometimes referred to as the crest factor. You may have come across the "DR" measurement of the TT Meter - PLR is the same idea, but using the modern LUFS loudness unit standard.
PLR is a long-term measurement, giving you an overall value for a song, album or section of audio. Because online music streaming platforms use loudness management, or normalization, it's an important factor in determining the playback level of your music on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music and elsewhere, and this fantastic video by MeterPlugs tells you everything you need to know about it in less than three minutes. You'll learn:
