'Stem mastering' has provoked a ton of debate recently, with people claiming it crosses the line between mixing and mastering, interferes with the artist's intent, and isn't even really mastering at all !
But if that's true, why would Abbey Road, one of the biggest mastering studios in the world, offer a dedicated stem mastering service ?!
In this episode I talk to Oli Morgan, who specialises in stem mastering and mixing in mastering in Dolby Atmos at Abbey Road, about all these questions and more. We talk about:
- How he got started in mastering (and what that has in common with me)
- His perspective on stem mastering – when and how it can be helpful
- How (and why) stem mastering is a key element for working in Immersive Audio and Dolby Atmos
- What we can learn about dynamics from working in Dolby Atmos
- Why the 'pressure sound' may not be all about heavy limiting
- How we might be able to have our cake and eat it in the quest to balance loudness and dynamics
Links
Oli Morgan – Mastering Engineer
Stem mastering & Dolby Atmos @ Abbey Road
Nick Watson @ Fluid Mastering
TMS #75 – Stem mastering - or is it ?
'Pax Aeterna' – Tom Donald, The Monks of Pluscarden Abbey on Apple Music
'No Reason' – The Chemical Brothers on Apple Music
