Super excited to share something with you today that's a first of it's kind for Mastering.com We're hosting an exclusive 5-day Vocal Production workshop where you'll get to learn the A to Z of recording and mixing vocals from Adele's very own engineer. Introducing Austen Jux-Chandler. Austen won a Grammy for recording Adele on her album, 25. In the attached photos, can see him on stage (second from the left) accepting the Grammy with Adele. But that's just the tip of the iceberg. Austen has also recorded Ed Sheeran, Lady Gaga, A$AP Rocky, SZA, Mark Ronson, and John Legend. He has earned a reputation as one of the top vocal producers in the world. We recently hung out with Austen at Lion Share Studios in LA, where he told us that he prefers to record at his artist's homes, rather than multi-million dollar studios. It helps create a more comfortable environment that improves the performance, he said. That's when I knew we had to do something with Austen, so he could show you step-by-step how he's able to record Grammy-winning vocals in a bedroom. So, starting March 2nd, Austen is going to spend 5-days with students live on Zoom, teaching his entire methodology from session prep to recording, editing, comping, mixing, creative effects, and more. Austen has never opened up his process like this before, so don't miss this chance to learn from one of the best in the industry. All the info is here: https://courses.mastering.com/product/1769595511504x935745290124299100?utm_source=Skool Hope to see lots of you there! Rob

Im so excited I just got the Silver Ears Award form SoundGym.

Native Instruments Gmbh are have entered insolvency proceedings. Other companies possibly affected include the wider group - iZotope, Plugin Alliance, and Brainworx. The European Commission has apparently cleared a planned acquisition of the NI group by Bridgepoint and Bain Capital Credit, though it’s unclear whether the transaction has completed. I use plugins from all of these sources, they're great. Let's hope they survive .. https://mixmag.net/read/music-tech-company-native-instruments-enters-preliminary-insolvency-tech

Hi everyone — I’m teaching beginner production students about the vocal chain, and I’ve been using parts of your EQ and compression videos as teaching material. They’ve been incredibly effective — my students really started to hear what those tools are doing, so thank you for that. Now I’m moving on to saturation, and I’d love some advice from the community on how best to teach this concept at a beginner level. Here’s my challenge: Many of my students are working in GarageBand or BandLab (free version), where there isn’t a plug-in explicitly labeled “Saturation.” Instead, we’re relying on Overdrive or Distortion plug-ins and using them very subtly to achieve a saturation-type effect. I'm going to emphasizing that: - Saturation is about harmonic richness and warmth, not audible distortion - Less is more, especially for vocals - If you can clearly hear distortion, it’s probably too much That said, saturation feels more abstract to students than EQ or compression, and I want to make sure I’m explaining it in a way that clicks — especially when the tools don’t look like what they see in professional DAWs. Could you give me some advice on - How do you explain saturation in simple, musical terms? - Do you recommend introducing it early in the vocal chain, or waiting until students have stronger ears? - Any tips for demonstrating saturation effectively when using overdrive/distortion instead of dedicated saturation plug-ins? Appreciate any insight — I want to make sure I’m setting my students up with solid fundamentals without overwhelming them. Thanks again for all the great educational content.

I'm interested to know what a mastering engineer would typically do if they are working with a client that is providing (effectively) mastered mixes. How does the mastering engineer typically add value in that relationship/engagement. - Are they offering suggestions on the mix? - Are they saying "Good Job" and sending an invoice? - Are they providing a set of alternatives, including the appropriately levelled mix for the Artist's reference? - Are they doing something else? Thanks :)