Mastering is the crucial final step in music production. No matter how great the performance, poor mastering can turn even the best recordings into an unpleasant listening experience.
Clear, Expert, and Engaging
Designed to help audio engineers and serious hobbyists elevate their skills, Bob Katz’s Mastering Audio covers the art and science of mastering in a way that’s both accessible and compelling. This comprehensive guide walks you through everything needed to produce a polished, professional-sounding record, including:
Essential preparations and prerequisites
A wide range of processing techniques
The key differences between mixing and mastering
Advanced compression and EQ methods tailored to all music genres
Sequencing tracks for an album
PQ encoding
Insights on high sample rates
Important considerations for levels, monitoring systems, room calibration, and acoustics
Optimizing albums for broadcast
Praised by many, Mastering Audio stands out for its clear explanations, deep technical knowledge, and excellent translation from English.
Carstensen Publishing Mastering Audio Contents:
Credits and Acknowledgements
Foreword
Introduction
Part I: Preparations
No Mastering Engineer is an Island
Making Connections – Cabling
An O(h)rientation Session
Word Length(s) and Dither
Decibels: Not(s) for Dummies
Monitor Quality
Part II: Mastering Techniques
Putting Together an Album
Techniques for Using Equalizers
How to Profitably Manipulate the Dynamic Range for Fun
Macrodynamics
Down Processors
The Forgotten Techniques
Noise Reduction
Top Processors
Part III: Advanced Theory and Practice
How to Make Better Sound Recordings in the 21st Century
The Monitor System
Other Mastering Techniques
Color Section:
18. Analogue and Digital Processing
19. How to Achieve Depth and Spatiality in Recording, Mixing, and Mastering
20. Surround Mastering
21. High Sampling Rates – Is This the Answer?
22. Jitter – Separating Fairy Tales from Facts
23. Technical Tips and Advice
Part IV: Conclusion
Education, Education, Education
Part V: Appendix
Appendix 1: Radio-Ready – The Truth
Appendix 2: The Tower of Babel – Audio File Formats
Appendix 3: How to Prepare Tapes and Files for Mastering
Appendix 4: Premastering for Vinyl
Appendix 5: Logs and Labels for Tapes, Discs, and Packages
Appendix 6: Conversion Tables
Appendix 7: In the Throes of Speed
Appendix 8: I Need Space
Appendix 9: Footnotes to the K-System
Appendix 10: Bibliography, CDs for Equipment Testing and Ear Training
