MTF WEEK 5 MASTERING

Another one of those "wow" factor sessions as we compared the before and after effects of mastering, the difference between which is dramatic to say the least. It was interesting for me to discover that top quality mastering is done on analogue equipment and reminded me of something we discussed earlier in the year in Audio Studies with Christian when we were comparing the characterisitcs of analogue and digital audio, namely that analogue audio devices at the extreme top end of the scale still sound better than their digital counterparts. I guess this is why this final stage of the production process is carried out in this way. I looked at a few audio mastering equipment suppliers and studios on the web and found that the most commonly used gear seems to be multi-band compressors and EQ's. The critical listening part of our sessions is beginning to take effect and I find myself hearing music in a different way: fortunately, this has not lessened my enjoyment of the music as I had feared it might but it hasn't increased it either... I was watching The Blues Brothers with the children last night and there's a scene with John Lee Hooker doing a killer blues song (what else) and it struck me how beautiful the production was: the style of the music was very loose and the individual instruments were all clear, warm and rich. The scene was outdoors but the song had obviously been recorded in a studio. I looked at the DVD cover but could find no indication as to whether the sound has been re-mastered for this edition - do they re-master the audio on old films when they're released as DVD's as a matter of course? This week's quiz question....