Mastering

Although perhaps still regarded as a toy by some, the iPad is carving out a niche as a...

If you want to know how your mixes match up to commercial masters, Harbal will show you!

Costing almost as much as a small car, you’d expect that nothing could cut like a Knif. Find out what made our reviewer invest in a Soma...

The idea that loud digital masters can retain real dynamics seems like a contradiction in terms, but it's exactly what Slate Digital are claiming for their new mastering plug-in.

IKs original T-Racks invented the idea of one-stop shop software for master processing. Do the improvements in version 3 keep it ahead of its rivals?

Middle & Sides processing offers unique mastering possibilities, such as the ability to de-ess a centrally panned vocal without affecting panned cymbal sounds. Brainworx's new plug-in combines an innovative M&S matrix with mastering-quality EQ and processing.

Sony's Sound Forge is one of the best-known PC stereo editing packages around, and version 9 brings with it a new world of multi-channel editing possibilities.

I have been recording music for quite a few years now, but I always get the same problem when I listen back to my mixes:...

Mastering engineers are notoriously fussy about EQ, and until now, plug-in manufacturers have struggled to compete with the best hardware designs. Can Algorithmix's Red and Blue change hearts and minds?

McDSP's Project Studio Bundle provides an affordable way for Pro Tools users to get their hands on versions of all the company's acclaimed effects and processors.

If you want your mixes to go to 11, Waves' new mastering limiter might be the weapon you need.

I'm considering buying an Alesis ML9600 Mastering CD Recorder — but I was wondering if you would recommend this unit? Or should I keep it all based on the 'quiet' PC using my humble 32x speed CD recorder?

I've read that the SACD format uses a 1-bit word length throughout. Why is this the case, and how does it yield higher audio quality than standard 16-bit CDs?

Harbal enables you to shape the EQ of your mastered mixes to match any reference track, and by compensating for the loudness changes involved in doing so, it provides a truly neutral means of comparing the original and the treated master.

The biggest music technology manufacturer in the world has stuck to hardware — until now. Do Yamaha's first plug-in processors have what it takes to compete with the big names in Mac and Windows software?

I had four tracks transferred to vinyl and told the pressing plant to do any necessary EQ'ing required. I got the test pressings back and found them to be very harsh in the upper frequencies when compared to my CD master. Should I get my tracks professionally mastered for vinyl next time?

Many home and project studio owners are interested in mastering as a way to add that professional sheen to their recordings. The newest way to do this is with iZotope's DirectX mastering tool for PC.

TC Electronic have upgraded their already impressive Finalizer mastering processor to include a number of new features, most notably 96kHz capability. Hugh Robjohns finds out if it's still at the top of the tree.

Drawmer are the latest hi-tech analogue equipment manufacturers to enter the digital world of all-in-one mastering solutions. Paul White finds out how well they've pulled it off.

Taking the essence of the highly regarded Finalizer Plus, TC Electronic have repackaged their multi-band compressor in a new easy-to-use format. Hugh Robjohns puts it through its paces.