optimised for 256kbps release, so when that increases to 320kbps everything will need to be updated. Other changes to the codecs can come at any time.” There are even those who
advise that, for online delivery, it would be better to supply 44.1kHz audio for AAC encoding than 96kHz, or at least one of each to ensure meaningful library options further down the line. The future of consumer delivery, however, is far from in sync with the aims of mastering – and never has been, in the battle between quality and convenience. “We went from vinyl to cassette, now from CD to iTunes…” says Murray, “but, even when we knew that excellent masters would be played on a Dansette, we tried to make the best records we could. That’s what we do: get it to sound the best it can on all releases.”
ONLINE MASTERING SERVICES
Most qualified studios now offer online mastering, including Abbey Road and the
Mastering engineers Crispin Murray & Miles Showell with Antelope clocks
directly. I was given the tools, I registered and it all worked fine, although I found it hard to differentiate between those results and a high-resolution MP3. On paper it’s better, but there’s not much in it. I think it would be a good idea if MFiT was promoted among the independents and the unsigned acts – it seems to be aimed only at the high- profile majors at the moment, and so far nobody from my regular clients from Polydor, Universal or Sony has expressed an interest.
record companies, publishers, managers, artists and trade groups to attend an event drawing attention to these issues. “Anyone who earns a living from the performance of recorded music should attend,” says Barry Grint, and the reasons are clear. Fundamentally, music is slipping through the hands of the record industry – a development that online delivery only encourages. Recordings are in danger of being bundled in and out of facilities with inadequate reference to many of the gateway mechanisms previously in place, while the very
“I think it would be a good idea if MFiT was promoted among the independents and the unsigned acts – it seems to be aimed only at the majors at the moment, and so far nobody from my regular clients has expressed an interest”
Pete Maher, Topfloor Music
‘iMastering’ service via Metropolis. Many more engineers have set up stall at home, offering similar services using upload and delivery methods such as YouSendit and DropBox. Most, however, warn against taking risks with inferior file types. Typical are these instructions from Topfloor Music’s Pete Maher, a veteran of countless chart-bound projects including U2’s last two albums and work ranging from The Killers to Katy Perry: “WAV and AIFF formats are recommended and will guarantee professional results. MP3s and WMA formats are highly compressed so not ideal for mastering.” How has Apple’s iTunes
initiative affected him? “I’ve only been asked to do it once so far,” he says, “by EMI for the Danish synth band Turboweekend, for an album produced by Danton Supple. They wanted Mastered for iTunes quality and I was actually contacted by Apple
“I also had to use a Mac, of course – I normally work on PC. It’s great if you live exclusively in a Mac world, but working on a PC I often come across problems – even just with the AIFF files, never mind anything else. I did hear, from Apple, that they were thinking of changing that and making MFiT available for everyone, PC or Mac, which would be great, but I don’t know when.” This month, the MPG Mastering Group is inviting
SYNC AND SWIM
ANTELOPE AUDIO’s Isochrone range of master clocks, such as those supplied recently to Metropolis Mastering by UK supplier Unity Audio, are becoming increasingly admired as format demands multiply. The Trinity models offer three independent and simultaneous audio generators of up to 384kHz, three HD generators spanning 16 formats and three
SD generators that provide PAL & NTSC simultaneously. Features include varispeed, nine independent generators and a triple display. Antelope’s 10M Atomic Clock is an authentic Rubidium Atomic Reference Generator, and can be used to drive satellite clocks throughout a facility – said to be 100,000 times more accurate than more common quartz oscillators.