Ask a music scene micro celebrity

[electrical]

[ QUOTE ]
Hey Steve,

Do you do any mastering work and how valuable is it to a recording? Do you have a take on the so called 'loudness war'?

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mastering is the last step before CDs or records are mass-produced. Lately there has been a trend toward making records "loud" at this stage by compressing and clipping the audio for a more aggressive sound. I am of the opinion that the record shouldn't leave the studio until it is pretty close to exactly what the band want, and consequently I prefer more judicious mastering.

If a record needs aggressive mastering to "save" it, then aggressive mastering isn't enough to save it. Given a choice between sound quality and apparent loudness, I will side with sound quality every time.