Mastering Audio: Making the Most of Dynamic Range

Mastering is not just about pushing the limits, although that is what it has become.

Even at its most conservative, mastering audio today requires a certain amount of pushing the limits to provide sound that fits the mainstream, visceral expectations of most average consumers of music. The “whole” of the sound requires a push to complete the picture – and, frankly, all too often this means the loss of any real dynamic range.

In my mastering projects, I find myself using more equipment in the chain and applying just a little of each, working very hard to sound like I was never there. The more I push a device, the more it presents a veil between the fan and the artist on the recording…

[Excerpted from “Mastering Audio: Making the Most of Dynamic Range,” written by Gavin for Mix Magazine. Read the full article here.]