Mastering Audio With Bob Katz

Bob Katz knows a thing or two about audio mastering, having been a leading exponent of the art for several decades now. Here’s a chance to sit in with him on a mastering session…

Keeping Time

In this video, Bob Katz works through a mastering session with Juan Carlos Salazar. This is an interesting insight into the practical reality of this kind of session, though is quite drawn out for a video experience. Bob points out that your perception changes after lunch, so is cautious about second-guessing any changes made in the morning. Other key focus points here involve getting the timing between the tracks right, and matching the perceived volume levels between tracks – often a 1dB change is all it takes to make things flow.

Another point that comes out is that songs in the same key (in this case G) can exhibit the same issues, which often need to be addressed collectively. Also, choosing the first song of the album is important, as its key will set the tone for its successors…

For some more sonic insights from Bob, check out this talk on loudness at AES ’09…