Square Cad: A Mastering Podcast

Assistantships used to be the gateway to working in mastering, but these days many pursue their careers outside of the traditional studio system. So what is the value of an assistantship in 2011? What are the benefits for the assistant and the mentor? To find out I spoke with a friend of Square Cad, Margaret Luthar, who is currently in her second term as an assistant mastering engineer at Sonovo Mastering in Stavanger Norway. Margaret is working under chief engineer Thor Legvold, and we hear from both of them about the mechanics of an assistant/mentor relationship. Music: Muddy Waters "You're Gonna Need My Help"

Walk into a mastering studio anywhere in the world and the amps powering the monitoring system are likely to employ linear forms of amplification, Class A and Class AB. Are these amps more widely used because they're the best option? Class D amps have staggeringly low distortion and are currently the most efficient amps you can buy, so why are they not more often utilized? To find out I spoke with Bruno Putzeys of Hypex Electronics in The Netherlands. Bruno has worked as an amp designer for decades, beginning his career with Phillips before moving his innovative Class D design to Hypex. Bruno how Class D amps differ from traditional linear amplifiers, why some amp designers don't take advantage of rational engineering principles, and why it's so hard to make a 'green' amp that sounds good. Music: Handsome Boy Modeling School "Class System"

Everything about The Loudness War has been thoroughly discussed over the past 10 years, except how to realistically end it. Greg Reierson of Rare Form Mastering Minneapolis broached that topic with a recent article in Mix Magazine. Greg has been a mastering engineer for over 20 years, has worked through the years of increasing loud releases, and seems certain that an end to the “loudness for loudness sake” impulse of the music industry is on the horizon. I spoke with Greg about how things have changed from the start of his career to today, and what he thinks will bring The Loudness War to an end. Music: Public Enemy "Louder Than a Bomb"

This week Square Cad is checking the hype on Fab Filter's Pro-L Limiter. Floris Klinkert of Fab Filter shares his thoughts on what goes into to making a good limiter, and the experience of developing the Pro-L. The first thing people fall in love with about Pro-L is it's interface, which is gorgeous. However, the important thing is how it sounds, so the Pro-L gets put through it's paces! We hear how it sounds applying 1dB, 3dB, and 6dB of limiting on a mix. Also, you can hear how the Pro-L performs relative to other high-quality mastering limiters by downloading 1dB, 3dB, and 6dB limiting samples for Pro-L, Voxengo Elephant, and Flux Pure Limiter 2 by going to squarecad.net and clicking on the EXTRAS link in the episode listing (111M zip file). Use the files to set up your own double-blind limiter test and see which you think performs best. Music: Notorious B.I.G (Feat. 112) "Sky's the Limit"

The 2-part special on vinyl continues this week as Square Cad catches up with Steve Berson of Total Sonic Media. Steve worked as a mastering/cutting engineer at Europadisk before breaking off to start Total Sonic Media. I spoke with Steve about the DOs and DONTs of premastering for vinyl, and about his quest to refurbish a Fairchild 523 lathe from the 1950s. Music: Pavement Trigger Cut

After losing market share and relevance to CDs for decades vinyl has come out of subcultural record bins and back into mainstream prevalence. With the increase in projects destined for vinyl it's useful to ask what goes into making a good master for vinyl, and which engineers specialize in it. This episode and the following will feature conversations with two such engineers. This week we hear from Paul Gold of Salt Mastering in Brooklyn, NY. Paul has been a mastering engineer for almost 15 years, and is one of the few that cuts lacquers right in his studio. I spoke with Paul about why he chose to specialize in vinyl mastering, the anatomy of a lathe, and why never developing typing skills is a good career move. Music: The Duke Spirit "Cuts Across the Land"

You know those clients that consistently provide you with really great mixes? They're a joy to work with and since they set you up with terrific mixes, the masters always sound fantastic. If you've ever wondered what it would be like to work like this all the time you could ask Kyle Thompson and Paul Abbott of Iconic Audio. Kyle, a freelance mix engineer, and Paul, who runs Zen Mastering, have a formalized mixing/mastering partnership that produces great records time and again. I spoke with Kyle and Paul about what led them into business together, the mechanics of their workflow, and why specialization breeds quality. Music: The Who "Join Together"

This week Square Cad speaks with Danish Grammy nominated producer and mastering engineer Holger Lagerfeldt. Holger produced songs that sold millions of copies and charted over 50 gold and platinum records before he opened onlinemastering.dk in 2004. Since then he has become a sought after engineer, mastering thousands of tracks for artists all around the world. Holger shares his thoughts on transitioning from a career in production to one in mastering, and how the two disciplines differ. We also get a window in Holger's mastering philosophy, as well as his thoughts on education, career trajectory, and why client relations are every bit as important as engineering acumen.

There are as many paths to a career in mastering as there are engineers. Some people work their way up through the studio system, others get a toehold through education, still others just hang out a shingle and get mastering. On this episode Square Cad examines the importance of education, both formal and informal. First we hear from Paul Geluso, chief engineer and studio manager at Harvestworks Digital and recording technology professor at New York University. Paul discusses the impact of formal education on his career, and how he thinks students can make the most of their education. Bob Macciochi also lends his perspective. Bob is a mastering engineer and one half of Subvert Central Mastering. He discuses his experience working as a mix engineer for artists on Ministry of Sound, and how his 'informal education' has informed his career. Music: Ladytron "Skools Out"

What makes us choose the gear we do? Is it totally based on need, functionality, and merit? Maybe not. This week Square Cad delves into the psychology of gear acquisition and retention. First social psychologist Keith Williams,a PhD and professor of psychology at the Richard Stockton College, discusses the normative and informational social influence that effects our decision making. Then John McCaig of Panic Studios in Seattle discusses his long history of serial gear buying/selling, what he thinks informs his choices of gear, and why it’s totally OK to own an API 2500 three separate times in under five years. Music: Albert Hammond Jr. "Bargain of the Century"

Real Life CSI! Forensic audio and mastering utilize similar tools to polish audio, but the similarities end there. Forensics and restoration specialists have a specific goal in mind, intelligibility, and will be use every technique at their disposal to achieve it. Even though the intelligibility threshold sounds like an easy one to achieve it is actually a ton of work. Square Cad spoke with Arlo West , owner and operator of Creative Forensic Services, about the ins and outs of forensics and restoration. Arlo has worked on thousands of restoration projects, including the latest Mel Gibson freakout tapes, and shares his thoughts about restoration workflow, goals, and how his work differs from studio engineering. Music: Magnetic Fields "It's a Crime"

Client approval workflows vary from studio to studio, but Nick Moon from Tone Proper Mastering in Portland is trying make the process easier and more efficient with a new DDP player called Tonic. Nick hopes that a simplified interface and approach will increase usage of DDPi, and improve client communication during the approval process. Nick shares his thoughts about how Tonic could be another nail in the coffin of CDs, as well as his ideas about increasing efficiency and improving client relations across the board. We also hear from Mike Mecklenburg, general manager of The Duplication Factory in Minnesota, about how CDs are created from DDPi. Music: The Jam "Standards"

This is an Extra from Square Cad Episode 4, the Hype Check of Dangerous Music's Bax EQ. In it Tom Waltz and I talk about different flavors of compression, eureka moments in mastering (like when Tom forgot to plug in a compressor and really liked what he heard), and Tom shares a story about working with Ted Jensen. Music: A Tribe Called Quest "Buggin' Out"

Square Cad digs through the hype to evaluate the Dangerous Music Bax shelving EQ. Chris Muth, electronics designer for Dangerous and renowned engineer, shares his thoughts about the BAX's design. Based on the ubiquitous topography of Peter J. Baxandall the BAX aims to be a transparent shelving solution reminiscent of a home or car stereo. Later, Tom Waltz of Waltz Mastering shares his first hand experience with the BAX, as well as his thoughts about gearlust, the high-frequency shortcomings of digital EQs, and whether he thinks a $2200 dedicated shelving EQ is worth it. Music: Desmond Dekker "Beautiful and Dangerous"

Master Craft! This week Square Cad welcomes Australian engineer Tony Mantz of Jack the Bear for a case study in mastering. Tony walks us through his process as we review a recent electronica/dance master. We also discuss why mentoring and encouraging artists is so important, and discover that you can learn a lot about a man from his ringtone. Intro-Outro Music: MSTRKRFT "Bounce ft. Nore and Isis"