It's safe to say that the way in which the vast majority of people consume their musical content these days differs greatly from even a decade ago. Essentially, platforms such as YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music, have now become the norm. With this evolution of our industry, we see a multitude of different platforms, codecs, deliverables, and loudness standards making their way into our daily mixing workflows.
So this leaves the question - how do we go about mixing for these new standards, whilst still maintaining full control over our program material, and the effects of the various codecs on the downstream? Well, there is always trial and error, but this can prove to be difficult. As within each of these standards, we often see different tiers we must account for.
In this free detailed overview video, Production Expert team member Marcus Huyskens gives an in-depth overview of how to use Nugen Audio's MasterCheck Pro for delivering to specific loudness delivery specs on multiple platforms.
He starts off by covering the basics of MasterCheck Pro, and demonstrates the benefits of working with the included presets to meter, as well as monitoring through various different codecs. In closing, he demonstrates the process of mixing a cue using stems, to meet the Spotify loudness delivery spec.
Here's what Nugen Audio have to say about MasterCheck Pro;
MasterCheck Pro is the complete solution for optimising your mixes for today’s music delivery services. Streaming apps, download stores, websites and podcasts all use data compression, loudness matching or both. These processes can affect your mixes in various undesirable ways: your loud punchy mix could end up quiet and flat, or suffer clipping or distortion. The good news is you don’t just have to mix for CD and hope for the best. MasterCheck Pro reveals problems ahead of time, and enables you to deliver masters perfectly tuned for specific playout systems.
Applications
Music Mastering
Mastering for digital music services
Mastering for podcasts and digital radio
Codec distortion detection
Loudness and dynamics comparison with reference material
Music Mixing
Dynamic Range Measurement
Loudness matching across album tracks
FX chain auditioning with matched loudness
Preparation for Mastering