Mastering
Map of Content
Central hub for all mastering-related knowledge in this vault. Significantly expanded with 22,909 messages from mastering-talk (April 2022 – February 2026).
Mastering Workflows & Philosophy
- Mastering Workflows — mastering philosophy, career guidance, DIY vs professional, stem mastering
- Mastering Signal Chain — chain order, EQ philosophy, limiting/clipping, converter headroom, M/S processing
- Loudness Standards and Streaming Delivery — platform LUFS targets, normalization gotchas, codec considerations
Album Mastering & Delivery
- Album Mastering and Sequencing — album flow, level matching, spacing, vinyl prep, DDP delivery
- DDP — Disc Description Protocol for CD manufacturing
Client Relations & Business
- Client Communication in Mastering — reference tracks, revision workflow, master rejection, working with artists
- Music Business Pricing and Rates — mastering rates, referral practices, rate negotiation
Mastering EQ
- Pultec EQP-1A — passive tube EQ, the “Pultec trick”
- Massive Passive — Manley’s stereo passive tube EQ
- GML 8200 — ultra-precise mastering parametric EQ
- Sontec EQ — mastering EQ standard
- Dangerous BAX EQ — Baxandall curve shelving EQ
- Maag EQ4 — “Air Band” high-frequency EQ
Mastering Compression & Limiting
- Manley Vari-Mu — modern vari-mu tube compressor
- Fairchild 670 — vari-mu tube compressor, Abbey Road legend
- SSL Bus Compressor — mix bus glue standard
- FabFilter — Pro-L limiter, Pro-C compressor
- Intersample Peak — inter-sample peak clipping and true peak metering
Conversion & Monitoring
- Prism Sound — mastering-grade converters
- Lavry — high-end AD/DA conversion
- Lynx Aurora — pro studio converter standard
- PMC Monitors — transmission line design, mastering standard
- ATC Monitors — high-end sealed cabinet reference monitors
- AD-DA Conversion — converter technology and considerations
Mastering Plugins
- iZotope — Ozone mastering suite (206+ mentions in mastering-talk)
- FabFilter — Pro-L, Pro-Q, Pro-C
- UAD Plugins — mastering emulations
Loudness & Metering
- LUFS — loudness measurement standard
- Loudness Normalization — platform normalization behavior
- Intersample Peak — ISP and true peak metering
Related Topics
- Outboard vs In-The-Box — hardware vs software processing debate
- Console Philosophy — analog console workflows and design
- Dolby Atmos and Immersive Audio — immersive audio mastering
- Mix Bus Processing — mix bus chains that feed into mastering
Source Channel
- mastering-talk Channel Summary — 22,909 messages, April 2022 – February 2026
Related Maps of Content
- Mixing — mix techniques that feed into mastering
- Business — pricing, contracts, and business structure
- Plugins — mastering plugins and processing tools
- Hardware — mastering-grade outboard and converters
- Signal Flow — signal chain and gain structure
Auto-Index
| File | confidence | tags |
|---|---|---|
| Album Mastering and Sequencing | high | type/topic, domain/mastering, channel/mastering-talk |
| Client Communication in Mastering | high | type/topic, domain/mastering, domain/business, channel/mastering-talk |
| Loudness Standards and Streaming Delivery | high | type/topic, domain/mastering, channel/mastering-talk |
| Mastering Signal Chain | high | type/topic, domain/mastering, channel/mastering-talk |
| Mastering Workflows | high | domain/mastering, type/topic, channel/mastering-talk |